Homes with a Higher Standard

Planning to buy or build a home? Ask if it meets the Florida Green Home Standard. The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) has established home building benchmarks which address specific regional issues. The FGBC’s mission is "to provide a statewide green building program with environmental and economic benefits."

To gain Florida Green Home Standard certification, the builder uses the FGBC sustainability checklist for planning. When construction is complete, a third party inspector reviews the job.

The Florida Green Home Standard checklist has eight categories.

• Energy – based on projected performance 
• Water – efficient use indoor and outdoor 
• Lot Choice – promotes use of existing infrastructure, mass transit, public open space, and community resources 
• Site – protects local habitat 
• Health – addresses air quality and contaminants 
• Materials – waste reduction and sustainable materials. 
• Disaster Mitigation – includes termite protection. 
• General – credit for smaller house size, adaptability, renewable power generation 

For more details on the FGBC Green Home Standard, see http://www.floridagreenbuilding.org.
To learn more about home Green Certification Programs, download this fact sheet (pdf)

Is Your Car Really That Important?

Ramona Madhosingh-Hector    
Urban Sustainability Agent   

Our cars define us – it’s a status symbol, a mark of independence and a point of pride. They provide convenient and reliable transportation but have you ever considered how much it costs to own that car? Fuel (gas, electric), tires, tune-ups, insurance and parking aren’t things the car dealers mention when you’re on the sales lot. What if you had alternative transportation options, would you use it? The phenomenon of “car sharing” is on the rise and fits those who want a variety of mobility options and support protecting the environment.

Although car sharing is certainly economical and convenient in some cities, it highlights a growing trend that users want alternative transportation options that fit their lifestyles. Car sharers are more likely to drive less, use more fuel-efficient vehicles, and walk or bike more than the average person. Car sharing reduces private vehicle ownership and the hassles associated with it e.g. parking, insurance and car maintenance. More importantly, fewer vehicles means fewer vehicle miles travelled which has been identified as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

There are a variety of car sharing options from private companies like ZipCar, City CarShare, I-GO to rental companies like Hertz as well as derivatives like peer-to-peer car sharing. All of these offer the user a variety of options in major metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Chicago and Austin. Fees range from $8 to $15 per hour which includes gas and insurance! As with most sharing programs, weekdays are less expensive than weekends.

In Florida, the ZipCar cities include Gainesville, Miami, Orlando and Tallahassee. Although the Tampa Bay area is not home to Zipsters, we have a number of rideshare programs available for our residents through TBARTA. For up-to-date information on transit options in our area, check out Pinellas County Alternatives Analysis and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency.

So next time you need to get around town, try carpooling, car sharing, biking, walking or the bus – you will pocket the savings!

Resources/Links -

TBARTA   http://www.tbarta.com/content/commuter-services
ZipCar   www.zipcar.com
City CarShare   www.citycarshare.org
I-GO   www.igocars.org
Hertz on Demand   www.hertzondemand.com
car2go   www.car2go.com
PSTA   http://www.psta.net/index.php
Alternatives Analysis   http://pinellasontrack.com/

LEEDing the Way

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) wants to see greener homes being built, and its LEED for Homes® program can help your new home be one of them.  

LEED ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to make it simpler for homebuyers anywhere in the country to identify green homes.

Developed by a diverse group of national experts and experienced green builders, the LEED for Homes Green Building Rating System provides a consistent measurement for sustainability, addressing such aspects as:

• Is the home location responsible in its relation to the larger community? 
• Does the use of space minimize the project's impact on the site and natural surroundings? 
• Does it enable efficient use of water indoors and outdoors? 
• Is the home energy efficient? 
• How do materials used and waste created affect the environment? 
• How is the indoor air quality? 
• Has the owner/ tenant been educated about the green features? 
• Does the design and construction improve upon the program suggestions? 

For more information about LEED for Homes, go to the USGBC website.
To learn more about home Green Certification Programs, download this fact sheet (pdf) from the Florida Energy Systems Consortium.

SEMINOLE DISCUSSION GROUP ON RECYCLING & SUSTAINABILITY

Monday, May 7, 2012  
10 a.m. to noon
 
Seminole Community Library Program Room 
9200 113th St. N
Seminole, Florida 33722

TOPIC: Update on Florida Counties Preparing to Meet Statewide Recycling Goal of 75% by Year 2020 

PRESENTER:  Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Come to this exciting Discussion Group meeting armed with your own questions.

• What will we do differently to be able to accomplish this important goal?
• Will we get away from our casual use and disposal of plastic water bottles? 
• Will more of us begin using re-usable shopping bags?
• Will we take extra efforts to discourage use of styrofoam packaging?
• Do you have strategies you have started using to reduce the amount of waste you throw out...that you could share with us?

Bring along a friend or two!

R.S.V.P. to Mary: queenofrecycle@hotmail.com

Gator Bait

Photo by Larry Harter

Lara Miller 
Natural Resource Agent 


Many Pinellas County parks and preserves post “DO NOT FEED” the alligator signs around lakes and ponds. These educational signs teach the public about the dangers of feeding alligators while also helping to protect alligators from unnatural interactions with humans. These signs are increasingly important as human population increases have placed tremendous pressure on wildlife habitat. The list below highlights some of the reasons for educating the public about the urban-wildlife interface:

1. Habitat destruction has forced many alligators to adjust to living in a world surrounded by man.
2. When people feed alligators, they lose their fear of humans and begin to relate man with food.
3. Once alligators become a “nuisance” or even life-threatening, personnel are called in to evaluate the situation and remove the alligator if necessary.
• Alligators that are “removed” are typically killed and processed for their meat and hide. Occasionally they are sold to an alligator farm, exhibit or zoo.
4. State law makes it illegal to feed alligators; it doesn’t matter if it’s chicken or marshmallows, all of it is against the law. This law was put in place in an effort to prevent alligators from becoming a pest and thus further being killed.

As Auxiliary Ranger, Larry Harter put it, “People think that feeding alligators is being kind to them but it upsets the balance of nature and causes them to them to lose their natural fear of humans.”

The lesson here is that alligators are native and wild animals that are best if left alone. Mid-April through May is mating season for the alligators, making both males and females more aggressive. Avoid becoming gator bait; read the signs and follow the law.

For more information on the American Alligator, please visit the sources below:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw230
http://webworld.freac.fsu.edu/cameras/saw_grass/enviro/alligatorflorida.htm http://myflorida.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1173/related/1

Residents’ online values survey

Pinellas County residents are invited to help set the strategic direction for Pinellas County by taking an online survey. Posted on the county’s website for five days, the survey offers an opportunity for residents to share their views about Pinellas County, the values that they want reflected in their community and their vision for the future.

The brief survey can be taken from 8 a.m. on Monday, April 23, to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27. Click on the Your Voice Our Future button (top of Pinellas County web page www.pinellascounty.org ). 

While the survey is part of this year’s budget outreach, it goes beyond the development of the budget of this fiscal year and builds on the strategic direction sessions in which the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners participated.

"This online survey is about setting a direction for all of us as we continue to redefine the services provided by county government," said County Administrator Bob LaSala, county administrator. "We are encouraging everyone to take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey so that they can be a part of this very important process."

2012 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Building Education Program

Remodel Green & Profit 

April 12, 2012   
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.   
Pinellas County Extension 
12520 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, FL 33774-3602 


Participants will:

• Learn to select fixtures/appliances that are cost-efficient and to understand the importance of such appliances with regard to Florida's water and energy resources
• Gain knowledge to construct better, more water and mold resistant homes suitable for Florida's hot-humid climate
• Discover how to address lead when remodeling and the tools and supplies needed for proper removal and disposal.

Program total of 8 CEH's

• CILB 0008174-2 CEH's


• CILB 0001756-2 CEH's


• CILB 0009802 -2 CEH's


• CILB0007368-2 CEH's


• AR 9877293 - 2 CEH's


• AR 9876873-2 CEH's


• AR 9876675-2 CEH's


• AR 9876676-2 CEH's


• FBPE exp 4028 - 8 PDHs

Register Online
http://buildgreen.ufl.edu/cecampus.htm