Alaska's on Fire: Climate Change Milestone

Humankind may have reached a potential climate change milestone. Excessive wildfires have spread across over Alaska (600 fires) and Canada (4,000 fires) extending around 3 million acres. This year has been exceptionally hot and dry, but has not surpassed the scorching temperatures or number of fires in 2004.

The real problem is what lies beneath the surface, permafrost. Permafrost is ground that remains frozen year after year and consists of soil, rocks, and frozen water. It forms when the depth of the winters freezing exceeds the depth of summer thaw. It covers about 85% of Alaska and extends up to 2,000 feet below the ground. Most permafrost ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 years old reaching back to the last ice age. Permafrost is also one of the Earths greatest accumulations of carbon and methane. All the permafrost in the world holds about 1.4 trillion tons of carbon and methane, which is twice the amount in the atmosphere. If the permafrost melts and the carbon and methane are released, it could speed up climate change.

Above the permafrost there is a layer called “duff’, which is a layer of moss, twigs, and organic matter that is used as insulation for the permafrost and can be up to a foot thick. When this layer is burned off from fires “It is like ripping the insulation out of a refrigerator” according to Sarah Zhang. A forest alone can take up to a decade to recover 4 inches of lost duff from fires.

Forest fires are getting worse and the Alaskan fire season has extended 40% longer than half a century ago. Last year, was Alaska's hottest year ever recorded and is warming twice as fast as other states. The fires are burning the insulation and melting the permafrost. 

Alaskans are already becoming worried because if the permafrost melts;  vegetation, habitats for animals, and infrastructure of buildings, roads, and sewer systems will all start to fail and sink into the ground. The permafrost is supposed to be permanent, but if vegetation is removed from thawing, the insulation will be lost and the ground will become water logged, soft, and then collapse. 

There is hope that ecological succession will take place and primary producers will grow immediately after the fire and help capture more carbon and methane than released. However, if this does not happen this could mean more extreme weather events and could even turn into a dangerous feedback loop. 

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/alaskas-fire-may-make-climate-change-even-worse/

Once Change is Embraced

I remain resolute about the fight to reverse the rate of carbon emissions.  A calm, grim determination to demonstrate that human activity can co-exist with the balance of human activity and environmental protection.  I advocate a steady commitment toward the evaluation of emerging technologies and non-linear thinking to create sustainable infrastructure and behavior - adapting to evolving conditions dictated by Climate Change.

A dynamic intensity and openness will be necessary to successfully navigate disaster and opportunity.

Social protest against legislation to combat Climate Change and lower carbon emissions is grounded mostly in the human fear of change.  The status quo is a fierce obstacle which we must overcome in order to avoid coastal inundation of major cities such as Miami, New York and Boston.   The disruption caused by rising sea levels and catastrophic impacts from increased intensity of storm-surge and hurricanes (Typhoons in the Southern Hemisphere), will result in the global collapse of economies without exception or preference. 

Once change is embraced, wildly interesting options appear.

Climate Change affects priorities as the amplitude of storms multiplies and weather related drought, unprecedented rainfall and snow, and damaging winds shut down or impair local economies and entire regions of the US.

Forward looking businesses are developing strategies, devising plans, and implementing tactics to mitigate impacts from financial risk to their organization.  

Climate Change not only disrupts operations, but will paralyze entire organizations as we witnessed in New England during the period where we received almost 10 feet of snow in two months. Western portions of the US are facing an unprecedented drought which is crippling food production, power generation from dams, fire protection, and every single business that utilizes this precious resource in manufacturing or processing along with surrounding communities. 

Regional and national corporations are meeting regularly to analyze disaster recovery plans to insure the predictability of resources and supplies necessary to maintain operations. 

We have a set of unique assets in the realm of sustainability with an innovative expertise to deliver solutions in this changing business environment.

Donald E. Bowen, Jr., P.L.S.
Principal 

Truth Box: What is behind The Box Office

Image by Truth Box, Inc. z

The Box Office was built in 2009 during the recession, at the time when there was a greater demand for small office space to accommodate down-sizing and start-ups in business. The property is located in Providence, Road Island on a former lumberyard. The structure is one of the most energy efficient commercial buildings in the region and is recognized worldwide for its innovation; it consists of 12 smaller offices and made out of 37 recycled shipping containers. The building is all electric and uses air to air heat pumps for heating and cooling and the energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system used to circulate the air in each office. The ERV exchanges inside and outside air and preconditions the outside air to assist with heating and cooling. Both technologies are used to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. 

The developer of Truth Box, Inc. hoped the building would be cheaper to construct than a conventional office building; but it turned out to be equivalent to a typical construction cost. A portion of the building was constructed off site and the project was completed in 2010. During a recent interview with Peter Case, principle of Truth Box, Inc., we learned that there would be development of a sequel Box Office adjacent to the original.

Mr. Case expressed his confidence in the future for sustainable land development because a door has opened on the market for creative and out of the box projects such as the Box Office. Projects like these are the future of sustainable planning and architecture with careful planning around the earth’s resources.

Following is our interview with Peter Case:

Q. How did you decide on the land you would use for this project?

A. We focus mostly on urban infill projects such as old lumber yards, mill buildings, empty industrial lots, and used properties. This allows us to build with more design freedom. The Box Office site was mostly vacant and just needed clearing before construction started.

Q. Where did the idea come from?

A. We wanted to build something that fit in an industrial neighborhood. We thought the recession was an opportunity for an unusual real estate venture in small office spaces. We wanted to start building with shipping containers because we thought it would require less money and use less space. The Box Office is located next to a highway, which also suggested an opportunity to build something unconventional.

Image by Truth Box, Inc. z

Q. What specific aspects of the building make it green? Are there any other natural or recycled materials incorporated within the building?

A. The building is run only on air to air heat pumps and electric energy. The heating and cooling is provided by an air-2-air device that looks like a typical air conditioner. There is no furnace or boiler involved with the heating. The building has walls made of steal and all the joints are welded together, which helps with keeping the building well sealed from the exterior. The windows are designed to be large enough to bring enough daylight in so the lights can be kept off for most of the day. Yet are a small enough and dispersed in a strategic way to decrease energy loss. There is a 10 kWh solar array on the roof that covers about 10 percent of the energy load. The interior finishes include bamboo, cork, and recycled carpet tiles. The paint used throughout the building is no VOC paint. The indoor air quality is excellent.

Q. What new technology is involved in the series of buildings?

A. When the windows are closed, air is being exchanged in and out and circulated throughout the building with ERV at the rate of about four air changes a day. The air filters have to be changed twice a year.

Q. What kind of cost savings have you seen or hope to achieve for this project?

Image by Truth Box, Inc. z

A. Renters are paying about a third of the typical rate of the energy costs then if they were renting from a conventional office building.

Q. How long did the Box Office property take to build and what went into the project?

A. The project took between 9 and 10 months to build. The shipping containers took four days to erect; 20 percent of the construction was off-site, mostly modifying the shipping containers and installing the windows and doors

Q. Is there anything you would change?

A. I would like to do the next project with more work done off-site if possible. During this project there was more time put. Overall I am very pleased with the work.

The USS Constitution goes in for 3 yrs of refit. Meridian Associates, Inc. was there in the beginning!

The Constitution—called “Old Ironsides” because cannon balls could not penetrate her tough oak sides—was one of the first of the original six frigates that made up the U.S. Navy. A 44-gun frigate built at the Edmond Hartt Shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts, in 1797. She has a displacement of 2,000 tons, and carried a crew of more than 450.

Meridian was contracted to conduct high definition scans of the gun and spar decks to generate plans of existing structural members for renovations. The deck of the Constitution is slated for replacement to achieve conditions that more closely resemble the original design intent. Modeled features were developed to establish a physical baseline for the manufacturing of replacement beams and construction to establish a new centerline base line of the ship. Detailed documentation of existing conditions and location of historic features and elements were taken.

More on the conservation filmed by the Navy in a time lapse video foxtrotalpha

What do you think about organic foods?

Check out this video!

What are your thoughts on organic food and the environment in and outside of your body?

Moving Gay Head Lighthouse Part of the 3D Division's work come to fruition!

The day has come when the Gay Head Lighthouse is to be moved from its current location on the western end of Martha's Vineyard, to a new safer location. However, the new location is only about 130 feet back where the lighthouse will rest on a newly formed concrete platform. The lighthouse was settled on the edge of the Gay Head Cliffs, which were created about 20 million years ago from the receding of the glaciers. The lighthouse became at risk when erosion was a threat to the cliffs where they would lose about two feet every year.

Richard Saltzberg
http://www.mvtimes.com/2015/05/13/gay-head-lighthouse-move-is-on-track/