Chattanooga Design Competition Kick-Off Meeting

Don't just meet the EPA's new standard for stormwater management; create a project that will bring residents a better quality of life, Don Green, Chattanooga's water quality supervisor, told a group of planners, architects and engineers this week. "We're looking to be blown away," he said. Times Free Press article

Chattanooga LID Design Challenge

Resource Rain” Kicks Off Low Impact Design Challenge CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – For years Chattanooga residents and businesses have been making great strides to create a cleaner, more environmentally friendly community; Resource Rain: Low Impact Development (LID) Design Challenge is an important next step in the process. A partnership between the City of Chattanooga, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, green|spaces, The Lyndhurst Foundation, River City Company and Hamilton County Water Quality Program, the LID Challenge kicks off March 13. The event will be held at green|spaces, 63 East Main St., from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided. LID Design Challenge will accelerate the adoption of green infrastructure in Chattanooga. This infrastructure will be the preferred method of managing storm water and complying with new standards set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which are effective December 2014. “This is an important partnership that can highlight Chattanooga’s commitment to innovative, sustainable practices,” said Mayor Andy Berke. “Through this process, we will empower talented individuals to explore solutions that can ultimately make our neighborhoods stronger and create a positive impact in every district of Chattanooga.” Specifically, Challenge entrants are asked to utilize the City of Chattanooga’s storm water management practices as a guide for their designs. “The Design Competition will be a great tool to introduce the City’s new water quality requirements,” said Bill Payne, the City’s Engineer in Public Works department. “Demonstrating that low impact development and green infrastructure practices can advance innovative, cost-effective site designs that will serve to protect watersheds.” LID Design entrants will focus on conservation of natural resources, development of practical designs and incorporation of urban design and traditional neighborhood development. For more information about Resource Rain, visit chattanooga.gov. Go to www.chattanooga.gov/designchallenge

Companies look for more ways to go green

Construction in the US will increase across the board in 2014 and as Mike Leonard says, "despite many market pressures — and perhaps because of them — the practice of building green also is expected to grow this year." See entire article:

Tennessee Green Jobs

A large project to install a solar power generation site in McNairy County has landed Tennessee on a list of the top states creating green energy jobs this year. Click here for the complete story

New Green Guidelines could put Chattanooga at vanguard

Chattanooga will be the first city in the state and second nationally behind Washington, D.C. to develop a 'development credits' banking credit system. The developer could trade the credit on an open market that's to be created to an entirely different company. These credits are tied to our new LID/Green Infrastructure and stay on volume development requirements in the City. Starting in December 2014, a new development and significant re-development, project in the city will be required to keep/manage the 1st inch of rain fall on site - without releasing it: infiltrate, reuse, store or exfiltrate. If a site can do more than required, they can apply the 'credits' to another site under development or keep that credit and bank and trade or sell it.

Green-LEED Certification Buildings Worth the Cost

"Almost without exception, the building certification process helps businesses evaluate green investments comprehensively and maximize financial returns. Certified new construction has operating costs that are 13.6 percent less than traditional buildings. Existing buildings see an 8.5 percent reduction. (This an article from a friend of mine Mike Leonard) When you can see operating costs reduced this much, LEED, green building certification, becomes money in your pocket, along with user and environmental friendly. See the Article

How Much Water the Earth has?

You'd be surprised of what little water the Earth has and the percentage of clean water!!!

Read more here http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html#.T7EjkVaD-OZ