Planning for Waste and Recycling at the Design and Construction Phase 

Over the past few months, Great Forest has been working closely with the building's development team on the logistics necessary to install a comprehensive, cost-effective waste and recycling system. This includes calculating the amount of space needed and working out optimal locations to position and store bins and other equipment. 

"It has been very helpful to have Great Forest educate our development team on the most viable options at this vital point in the building process, when changes can still be made," says Misti Hensley, operations manager for JBG Companies, which owns and manages the facility. "As a result, we are now able to make informed decisions about the final building plan knowing all options available for our future waste and recycling needs."

"We are often asked to provide advice after the planning and construction phases are complete," says David Troust, V.P. of business development at Great Forest. "So if the space is not built with a proper understanding of waste and recycling requirements, it may mean that the building has to work with a system that is not as streamlined or as cost-effective as it could have been if we had input into the building development process."

Hensley adds: "By bringing together our sustainability and development teams, we are ensuring that the work we do now will make an important difference for our operations in the future. We already see the cost-savings and will be requesting input for all future development projects."

Solar Thermal Gains Momentum  

Great Forest's Director of Energy Services Sheila Sweeney notes that "solar thermal can be a great option for mixed-use and hospitality sites looking to meet their cost savings targets without relying solely on traditional fuels." For instance, a well-designed solar thermal installation can help the site save 40-80% of its energy devoted to heating domestic water. This is savings calculated after capturing incentives, which in NY are designed to cover about 20% of the installed cost. Sheila adds, "Even in winter, the water is pre-heated and the backup system is spared some of its workload. The system extends its useful life in this way, and the financial benefits persist in any energy market."

In other parts of the world, solar thermal is the norm. In 1980, Israel became the first country in the world to require solar thermal systems and solar panel installation in new construction. In Israel today, 85% of households use solar thermal. Spain and Australia adopted mandatory regulation for solar thermal systems for new construction in 2006.

Resources

• New York's solar incentives are offered through NYSERDA, the state's energy development agency.  
• Governor Cuomo's NY-Sun Initiative 

Did You Know... The U.S. Disposes of over $11.4 Billion in Packaging (Most of Which Could Be Recycled)   

Packaging comprises more than 40% of the solid waste stream, and most of these materials are recyclable. For instance, only 12.1% of plastic packaging is recycled in the U.S., in part because municipal recycling programs are not capable of handling diverse plastic packaging materials. Responsibility for end-of-life packaging management should be shifted from municipalities and taxpayers to the producers, urges the report, and cites examples of companies starting to manage their own packaging waste such as Starbucks and Stonyfield Yogurt.  

At least 47 countries currently have extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations in place for packaging materials, and EPR is already common in the U.S. for obsolete electronics. An estimated 65 million computers and 130 million mobile phones are discarded in the U.S. annually. In response, 23 states have adopted EPR laws and technology companies like Apple, Dell, and HP are assuming financial responsibility for selected waste electronics. 

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