Florida Celebrates Water Reuse Week May 19-25

Water reuse or reclaimed water is a great way for Florida to lower its use of water. Water reuse is the process of taking domestic wastewater, giving it a high degree of treatment, and using  it for irrigating yards and golf courses. Extensive treatment and disinfection ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected. At TREEO our lawn is irrigated using reclaimed water from the Gainesville Regional Utilities Kanapaha Reclamation Facility. We also irrigate the berms, shown in the picture below, that are part of our water feature.

I wish my subdivision used reclaimed water. I hate paying for potable water to water my lawn. Of course I'm very stingy in putting any water on my yard, but during certain times of the year it is necessary to meet the standards set by the homeowners association.

According the Florida Department of Environmental Protection webpage,
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/reuse/, Florida leads the nation in reclaimed water usage.

Use this week to think about other ways you can use less water.

Energy Efficiency at Treatment Plants

How many of us, I wonder, stop to think about the process involved in receiving water once we turn on the faucet or consider what happens when we flush the toilet. No doubt we look at our utility bill and ponder the fees and services shown therein.

Fortunately there is trend emerging among treatment plants as these facilities look for and implement efficient and energy saving processes, as evidenced in the Florida Water Resources Journal article, Coming Full Circle: Moving Wastewater Treatment Plants Toward Energy Neutrality

by Matthew P. Van Horne, Joe Rohrbacher, and Paul Pitt

 

Here is  portion of the article:

Water and wastewater conveyance and treatment account for approximately 3 percent of energy consumption in the U.S. and may represent a third of a municipality’s total energy costs (USEPA). On a national scale, wastewater treatment consumes approximately 21 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) each year, which corresponds to the equivalent of 1.8 million typical households.

Escalation of energy costs is expected, and recent emphasis on sustainability has also led many utilities to consider improvements to optimize energy usage, both for financial and environmental

reasons. Coupling these drivers with the fact that raw wastewater can contain up to ten times the energy required to treat it (through a combination of chemical, thermal, and hydraulic energy), opportunities exist within the wastewater treatment sector to move the treatment process closer to an energy neutral state. An energy neutral facility can be generally defined as a facility that produces at least as much energy as it consumes, and over some period of time, has zero net energy inputs from external sources.

To learn more……………

UF TREEO offers related courses for Operators:

• Energy Conservation at Water & Wastewater Treatment Facilities
• Process Control of Advanced Waste Treatment Plants 
• Water Reclamation & Treatment Processes 
• Sequencing Batch Reactor Operation, Make it Work for You

  

Occupational Noise Exposure

Every year, approximately 30 million people in the United States are occupationally exposed to hazardous noise. Noise-related hearing loss has been listed as one of the most prevalent occupational health concerns in the United States for more than 25 years. Thousands of workers every year suffer from preventable hearing loss due to high workplace noise levels. Since 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that nearly 125,000 workers have suffered significant, permanent hearing loss. In 2009 alone, BLS reported more than 21,000 hearing loss cases. To learn more about this click here.

Do you know the warning signs of too much noise in the workplace? See the answer here.

In 1981, OSHA implemented new requirements to protect all workers in general industry, do you know what those requirements are? Click here to find out.

Earth Day - April 22, 2013

Earth Day is fast approaching, are you ready for April 22, 2013? 

Earth Day is an annual event recognized worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year.

Do you think we can change the way we look at Earth Day? Instead of treating it as an annual event, make every day Earth Day, where we commit to do something positive and helpful for our environment daily.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a great website to help with this concept as well as simply getting you involved in some aspect of Earth Day.

There are many events and opportunities for you to take action for Earth Day; what will you commit to do? How about joining the Pick 5 Campaign? This is where you can choose to do an activity in Water, Land, Air, Energy, or Waste or you can share your own ideas. There is also the State of the Environment Photo Project that you can participate in.

There are even things you can do at home or in the garden, the EPA website offers tips for home safety, avoiding potential risks, and preventing pollution by recycling and conserving water and energy.

There are many options available in locally and globally and you have five days left to plan something. It would be great to receive your comments letting us know how you made a difference this Earth Day, April 22, 2013.

Water Conservation Month

April is Water Conservation Month.  This is a great time to evaluate your water conservation 'know-how.' Have you ever stopped to consider these questions:

• How much water do you use per day?
• Did you know that pet waste left lying about is a major source of contamination to our water bodies?
• Do you have a Water Wise landscape? Outdoor water use accounts for about 60% of residential water use.

During this month let’s all try to focus on our water habits and look for ways to conserve more water throughout our daily routine.  The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department’s website provides a wealth of information to get you started conserving for the entire year and not just for the month of April.

 

UF TREEO is committed to water conservation, several years ago we moved from providing bottled water to our students to a water fountain, this switch has saved over $900 a year on bottled water costs, which has more than paid for the installation and use of the drinking fountain.

 

Hopefully at the conclusion of the month of April you will have implemented some great water saving habits that will stay with you throughout the years to come.

 

You may be interested in the UF TREEO  Water Conservation Certificate Program, a suite of online courses that deal with all aspects of water conservation, click here for more details.

 

 

Energy Efficiency in 2013

According to New Building Institute (nbi) 2013 will be a good year for energy efficiency, primarily due to the activities of 2012.

• more than 1 million low-income homes and apartments were weatherized
• energy efficiency loan programs were established in more than 30 states
• states established new energy efficiency policies
• new fuel economy standards were finalized at the federal level

It is anticipated that these and other trends will continue in 2013, some things already in the works include:

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is to release 11 new product efficiency standards (including ones that were not finalized in 2012), as well as new efficiency requirements for manufactured housing
• EPA will be implementing several recent emissions standards as well as finalizing carbon dioxide emission standards for new power plants.

Click here to learn more of what is in store.

 

UF TREEO provides training to those interested in Building Energy Efficiencies, to see the full list click here. 

 

SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT

Enjoy this Press Release from the Department of Environmental Protection on Solid Waste Recycling. Is your county listed in the top 10?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2013

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

ANNUAL SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT SHOWS RECYCLING RATE REMAINED STEADY IN 2011

~Department encourages businesses, schools and groups to report recycling rates~

TALLAHASSEE – Updated recycling data released today by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows that 23 counties reported a 30 percent or higher recycling rate and Florida has maintained at least a 30 percent recycling rate for a second consecutive year. The data shows that nine counties had a recycling rate of 40 percent or more.

Recycling rates are calculated by dividing the total weight of recycled municipal solid waste by the total weight of municipal solid waste. The 2011 data is the most up to date. Under previous statute, counties had until November to report the previous year's data. Under new staturtory deadlines, counties must report data by April 1 each year. After review, the Department anticipates having the 2012 data available this July.

“Florida is making strides to reach the 2020 recycling goal of 75 percent," said Jorge Caspary, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “However, Florida’s businesses must become more involved in recycling in order for us to achieve success.”

In November, the Department expanded its Recycling Recognition Program to encourage the commercial sector, schools, public groups and residents not only to recycle more, but also to increase reporting. The Department has an easy tool for companies to track and compare its recycling efforts to that of other businesses -- the Florida DEP Business Recycling Tracking Tool. Through the website, which includes free registration, companies can track different types of recycling efforts and produce reports on how those efforts are helping to shrink their carbon footprint. The tracking will help the Department to recognized companies that are doing more to go green.

Recycling provides a direct cost savings to most businesses because the more that is recycled means less waste generated and thus there are lower operating cost for waste management. Residents have motivation to recycle because it allows for reuse of household products and also cuts down on the amount and cost of waste sent to local landfills. The Department encourages residents to recycle at home and find out what recycling efforts are underway at their local schools, their workplace and their community groups. County recycling coordinators can help businesses, institutions and community groups create or improve their recycling efforts.

According to the updated report, Alachua County remains No. 1 in the state for recycling for the second year in a row. Gilchrist County was the most improved county in Florida, increasing its recycling rate from 17 percent in 2010 to 30 percent in 2011.

The top 10 counties based on recycling rate are:

         1. Alachua County - 50 percent 
         2. Lee County - 45 percent         
         2. Brevard County - 45 percent         
         2. Marion County - 45 percent         
         5. Escambia County - 43 percent         
         6. Martin County - 42 percent         
         6. Sarasota County - 42 percent         
         8. Leon County - 41 percent         
         9. Collier County - 40 percent        
       10. Madison County - 39 percent 

In 2008, the Florida Legislature enacted Florida Statute 403.7032, which established a new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent to be achieved by 2020. Recycling rates have been climbing slowly since 2006. These positive trends are the result of increased awareness by the public and businesses of the benefits of recycling. Recycling materials cuts down on landfill waste, sparks economic activity and reuses products that otherwise would become trash.

To see the complete 2011 Solid Waste Management Report visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/SWreportdata/11_data.htm

For more information about the Florida DEP Recycling Recognition Program visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/recognition.htm

Building Commissioning Saves Money and Energy

By John Chyz

Due to the nature of construction, virtually every building is a unique, one-off design, including the design of complex mechanical and electrical systems and their control systems.  The consequence of this sophistication and complexity is that high-performance buildings need to be carefully tuned and calibrated to ensure that their operation is as designed.  The commissioning process has been shown to be invaluable in providing a high degree of quality assurance for buildings with sophisticated energy and conditioning systems and is now virtually standard practice for green building certification. 

The world’s largest database of commissioning cost-benefit case studies was assembled by Dr. Evan Mills and his team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in 2004 and updated in 2009.  The results of the ensuing meta-analysis were eye opening.  Of data gathered for 643 buildings across 26 states, the median normalized cost to deliver commissioning was $0.30/ft2for existing buildings and $1.16/ft2 for new construction projects.  All told, according to Dr. Mills this represented an average of 0.4% of the overall construction cost.  Through the rectification of the 10,000+ deficiencies discovered, a median energy savings of 13% was realized for the new construction projects and 16% for the existing buildings and payback times of 4.2 years and 1.1 years respectively.  Furthermore, project teams that elected to implement a comprehensive commissioning process enjoyed nearly twice the overall median energy savings.

Perhaps the most compelling figures derived from Dr. Mills fall out of a simple extrapolation from the current stock of commercial buildings in the United States.  Applying the median energy savings derived from the control group nationally results in a projected energy savings of $30 billion by 2030, the equivalent of approximately 340 megatons of CO2 each year.  According to Dr. Mills, if each existing building in the U.S. were retro-commissioned every 5 years the commissioning industry would quickly swell to $4 billion per year, requiring an additional 1,500 – 25,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Rather than simply acting as a tool for the realization of energy savings, a well-executed building commissioning process may be more accurately described as a risk management strategy.  It ensures that building owners have been delivered with a building that meets with their expectations within the specified budget and provides insurance for policy managers that their initiatives accurately meet targeted goals.  Furthermore, the building commissioning process serves to detect and rectify issues that would eventually prove far more costly to the owner in the future from the standpoint of operation, maintenance, safety and unwanted litigation. 

John Chyz is Managing Director of the Cross Creek Initiative, a non-profit/university joint venture seeking to drive research initiatives and pioneer solutions for sustainable built environments.

As an Engineer, Green Globes Assessor (GGA), ASHRAE Certified Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP) and AEE Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), John brings a comprehensive skill-set to the Cross Creek team and each individual client.

John is the instructor and course developer of the UF TREEO Introduction to Building Commissioning course being taught April 17, 2013 in Gainesville.