Brentwood Town Center

Apparently Brentwood's Town Center is starting to come alive. Visit it and save gas. Combine trips. As the old saying goes: Think globally and buy locally, or something like that. You can only change things here! As Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Visit Susan Leather's blog to see the "Amazing day in down town Brentwood": http://brentword.blogspot.com/

Program Aimed At Keeping Energy Bills Down

Program Aimed At Keeping Electric Bills Down
Posted: May 27, 2009 05:34 PM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Valley Authority, Middle Tennessee Electric and Nashville Electric Service are teaming up to help residents save hundreds of dollars this summer.
A program called ‘In Home Energy Evaluation Program' helps residents save money on bills and cut back on the cost of building a substation supplying energy to homes.

Saving Energy by Saving Water!

Energy production in the U.S. requires more water than any other sector. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 48% of water withdrawals in the United States are used for thermoelectric power production. In addition, water is used for growing biofuels or in the extraction of coal, petroleum and natural gas. To illustrate this connection, consider that a hundred-watt light bulb turned on in drought-stricken Atlanta, Georgia for 10 hours results in the consumption of 1.65 gallons of water.

Arlington Cemetery

This is the weekend to remember those that give to make sure we are all still free!

Environmental Expo Aug. 29, 2009

Keep Williamson County Beautiful, KWB, is sponsoring an Environmental Expo at the Factory in Franklin on August 29th and they are looking for vendors to make it a viable event. I think the price is $150 but not sure.
KWB sponsored an Environmental Leaders class in March for individuals to learn about sustainable issues and how to better treat this world or ours and make it a cleaner, greener and better for future generations.
A volunteer recognition celebration will be held at the Expo and a guest speaker, Larry E. Potter, presiding judge of the Memphis/Shelby County Environmental Court, recipient of 2006 Keep America Beautiful's Iron Eyes Cody Award. Potter became the first Environmental Court judge in Tennessee in 1983, to serve as a "bridge over troubled water" for matters relating to the health and quality of life of our citizens. Judge Larry Potter is considered a national authority on environmental law. He has traveled around the country assisting other cities in forming their own environmental courts.

If you are interested in having a table, please contact Jo Ann Jackson 790-5848, JoAnnJ@williamson-tn.org, or if you just have questions.
Keep Williamson Beautiful 420 Century Court,
Franklin, TN 37064

Environmental Quality Coordinating Committee

At the last meeting of the Brentwood's Environmental Quality Coordinating Committee they decided to have a public input session at their next meeting on June 9th, 2009. The meeting is designed to gather input and ideas from Brentwood residents to help the committee develop goals and strategies to recommend to the city.
You can follow the committee meetings at this web site http://www.brentwood-tn.org/index.aspx?page=416 and/or come to the regular scheduled meetings and see it in actions.

The public input meeting will be held on June 9, 2009 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Annex Room at the Brentwood Municipal Center. Everyone should try to be there to listen and give your input.

Survey
The committee asks everyone in Brentwood to please take a few minutes to answer a survey of your thoughts on Brentwood's environment and sustainablity: Click Here for Survey

Solar and Wind Systems Tax Credits

Homeowners or businesses that install qualifying solar energy and wind systems are eligible for a federal tax credit that can mean substantial savings on their tax bills. Recent federal legislation removed the cap on the credit amount that was previously applied to photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heating systems.
Businesses are also eligible for renewable energy grants from the U.S. Treasury Department equal to 30 percent of the solar system cost. Businesses may choose either the tax credit or the grant. Residential consumers are not eligible for the grant.

What types of wind systems are eligible?
Qualifying small wind systems must have a capacity of 100 kilowatts or less and may be installed at a home, farm, or business. The credits are available for home systems placed in service from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2016.

Learn more?
For additional information, see these websites:
Tax Incentives Assistance Project: http://www.dsireusa.org
Solar Energy Industries Association: http://www.seia.org
American Wind Energy Association: http://www.awea.org

LEED V3

• Here is Pat Flynn's, LEED AP, with Intheleed.com, attempt to make sense of LEED Version 3 if you are a current LEED AP or thinking about it:
  http://www.intheleed.com/leed-v3-credentials-green-associate-ap-specialty-test-taking-information/

LEED Certification

• Check out this 5.16.09 Memphis Commercial Appeal article by Don Wade about a West Tennessee Independent Bank branch in Germantown that has received the silver level LEED Certification.
  http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/16/bank-sees-leed-as-smart-investment/

• The Gulch is the first neighborhood in the South to receive "LEED for Neighborhood Development" certification from the United States Green Building Council, USGBC.
  http://www.nashvillegulch.com/whatsnew/index.html
  

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Check out USGBC Middle Tennessee Chapter. We do a lot good stuff here to promote and educate more sustainable ways to treat our world. Join us in this endeavor!
http://chapters.usgbc.org/middletn/

Read our April newsletter:
http://chapters.usgbc.org/middletn/Docs/pdf/Newsletters/Newsletter%20April%202009.pdf

What is LEED?
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988

To Sustain

Sustainability is a word that's been thrown about lately and many cities are making a definite attempt to sustain! Some thinks that this means they will get curb side recycling, hopefully paid for by the city, because it is really hard to pack everything up and take it to the drop off site: they can then go to bed at night with a clear conscience that they have made their attempt to sustain....to address the planet that's in stress. Who would have ever thought that this large planet of ours and these deep oceans could ever be stressed to the point that they can not recover....!
In the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development report of 1987, they define sustainability as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". This is a very good description of it.

Recycling
Lewis Bumpus, County Solid Waste Director, has always said that recycling is the last thing we should consider in the way we 'treat' our 'products'. We should first ask ourselves 'do we need this product?' Can we buy less? Can we buy smarter: (goods with less or no packaging. goods that can be reused; goods that once reached their useful lifespan will not be disposed of in a landfill)? Instead of 'getting rid' of a product can we reuse it? And the last resort is to consider recycling it or disposing of it as trash or Class A waste that is put in a landfill.