Energy Efficiency Bill Would Encourage Vendors to Bid on Projects

Lawmakers are trying to craft fixes to a program to help local and state governments save taxpayer money by reducing how much energy they use. But whether the changes go far enough is a matter of dispute -- even among the proposal's proponents.

The bill (S-1753) aims to overhaul the Energy Savings Improvement Program, which advocates say could save hundreds of millions of dollars for governments if impediments discouraging energy companies from participating in the effort were removed.

Without giving these companies more flexibility in deciding who actually performs the energy efficiency work, they will never invest in long-term contracts that guarantee energy savings, according to some who have followed the bill through the legislature.

The original law, approved more than three years ago, was designed to allow government entities to enter into performance-based contracts with energy service companies, enabling them to cut energy use without any capital expenditures. The agencies pay off the projects over a 15- to 20-year period through the energy savings they capture, which can run as much as 25 percent.

Among other things, the bill moving through the legislature, would eliminate a requirement that state contracts be awarded to the lowest bidder. Instead, it would allow contracts to be awarded on a basis of best value, a standard that would allow New Jersey to award deals based on which bids provide the greatest energy savings.

“There are literally hundreds of millions of dollars of projects that can be done,’’ said Steve Goldenberg, an energy lawyer who has been pushing for changes in the law.

According to studies the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on utility bills, a large portion of which is waste. Homeowners lose an estimated $40 of every $100 spent on heating and cooling to leakage alone.

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(Excerpt of article posted by Tom Johnson, March 27, 2012 in  the Energy & Environment news section of NJ Spotlight. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO INC.)

Economic and environmental concerns are forcing dramatic changes in regulation in governments all across the world in how resources are used and managed. Weaknesses in the current system are being exposed leading to debate on how to build a sustainable future for our society. Rising energy costs combined with decreasing resources and devastating climate changes are creating a need for more efficient processes. Through the rapidly renewable resource of bamboo, Lamboo is creating energy efficient systems and products to meet future demand. Every aspect of bamboo makes it ideal for a future where sustainability and performance must both be maintained.

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

Blog by: Dustin Dennison

International Interest Grows in Green-Building Certification

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Last month, the new U.S. Embassy compound in Madagascar, which includes high-efficiency windows and low-flow toilets, received certification as a green building. Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, also earned a green stamp of approval recently, as did the Seoul Finance Center in South Korea.

As companies and governments look to burnish their environmental credentials around the world, many are devoting extra time and money to certifying their buildings as green. The buildings in Madagascar, Taipei and Seoul are among those that have turned to a U.S.-based process called LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which offers third-party verification. Other green-building standards, like the British-based BREEAM and DGNB in Germany, are also spreading outside their home countries.

Green-building certification is “becoming accepted as a badge of genuine quality,” said Raphael Sperry, a senior consultant with Simon & Associates Green Building Consultants in San Francisco, who is LEED-accredited in his profession. International tenants in particular, he noted, may seek out buildings with recognized green stamps, which should mean low bills for energy and water and a pleasant working environment.

Scot Horst, the senior vice president for LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council, the Washington-based group that administers the certification program, cited a “dramatic uptick” in international interest.

      Read entire article

 (Excerpt taken from The New York Times Green Column Author Kate Galbraith  March 2012)

Reports are published everyday that reinforce the importance of sustainable development and how critical of an era we live in today. In order to build a better future there must be better practices put in to place that will benefit society while limiting environmental impact. Lamboo technologies is answering this call with engineered laminated bamboo materials, a product that is rapidly renewable and incredibly strong and durable. Lamboo strives to be a leading innovator in sustainable products with certifications like LEED credits to meet future design needs. 

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Lamboo & Arnold Companies

Lamboo is proud to partner with Arnold Companies to offer products through our Lamboo® Design™ Series. The Arnold Companies represent four independent contract furniture manufacturers that have been serving the design and corporate community since 1962. Arnold companies offer a highly versatile line of quality products with applications ideal for our engineered laminated bamboo materials.

Their primary products include:

• Conference room furniture
• Cabinets
• Desks
• Commercial
• Residential
• Reception desks
• Workstations 
• Modular courtroom furniture
• Library furniture
• Shelving
• Circulation desks
• Bookcases
  
  

Lamboo is committed to maintaining the level of high excellence that is synonymous with Arnold Companies products, with the rapidly renewable resource of bamboo. The engineered components will ensure that Arnold products are not only long lasting and durable but pleasing to the eye as well.

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our
website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

'Peak timber' concerns in tropics

Current tropical timber practices are not sustainable and nations should consider the "implications of 'peak timber'", a study has suggested.

A team of researchers says the standard cutting cycle of 30-40 years is too short to allow trees to grow to a volume required by commercial loggers.
As a result, they add, the pressure to harvest primary forests will continue, leading to ongoing deforestation.
The findings have been published in the journal Biological Conservation.
The scientists used logging on the Solomon Islands as an example because it was, in some respects, "a microcosm of the challenges facing sustainable forest management in the tropics".
They said the industry had been a major source of government revenue for a number of years.
Yet, they added: "For nearly a decade, the nation had been warned that the volume of timber annually harvested from native forests was too high and, if unchecked, that timber stocks would be seriously depleted by 2012.
"In 2009, the Central Bank of the Solomon Islands asserted that (the) exhaustion of timber stocks had arrived even earlier that predicted and its economic consequences were likely to be severe."

 

(Tropical timber production exceeds forests' ability to replace the felled trees, the study says)

Pushing the limit

The team - made up by Dr Phil Shearman and Jane Bryan from the Australian National University, and Prof William Laurance from James Cook University, Australia - said the trajectory of the country's timber production (a rapid increase in production, followed by a peak and then a decline) was akin to the 'Hubbert curve', which has been observed in the exploitation of non-renewable resources, such as oil.
"It is occurring in the Solomons because timber extraction has occurred at a rate far in excess of the capacity of the forests to regenerate commercial timber stocks," they wrote.
The researchers suggested that there were three main factors that made it difficult to find examples of sustainable forestry in the tropics:

• Low level of marketable timber production - many tree species having unsuitable wood properties, and the slow growth rate of commercially viable specimens is another factor
• Collateral damage - while logging in the tropics tends to focus on a small fraction of the trees, many others are damaged or killed as a result of the network of access roads to the area being logged
• Second-wave clearance - the "labyrinths of logging roads have opened up vast swaths... for colonisation, hunting, illegal mining and other destructive activities"

As well as these factors, the problem of illegal logging was also threatening primary forest cover in many nations.

(Deforestation accounts for up to 20% of annual greenhouse gas emissions from human activities)

The team concluded with a stark warning: "Unless something fundamental changes... we believe that logged tropical forests will continue to be over-harvested and, far too frequently, cleared afterwards, leading to an inevitable global decline in native timber supplies.
"It has become common these days to speak of 'peak oil'. In the tropics, we assert, we should also begin to seriously consider the implications of 'peak timber'."

(Excerpt from BBC News reporter Mark Kinver)

The environmental and economic challenges brought about by the production of timber is something that cannot be ignored. The exhaustion of natural resources such as timber leaves a void that needs to be addressed with sustainable alternatives. 

Bamboo, reaching maturity in 4 years and not requiring replanting is one of options that will be ever increasingly looked upon as timber resources decline.

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our
website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

LEED 2012 Development

The hallmark of LEED and its ability to affect market transformation is its continuous improvement cycle that enables the rating system to increase in scope and stringency as market readiness increases and new technologies become widely available. With LEED 2009, the primary changes were foundational changes, such as rating system content alignment, credit point value allocation, the development of LEED Online v3, and changes to the professional credentials and certification process. These foundational changes continue to be refined in the context of LEED 2009, but will not be fundamentally changed again with the next update of LEED.

For LEED 2012, USGBC will focus on increasing the technical rigor of the rating system, expanding the market sectors able to use LEED, and striving for simplicity in terms of usability. LEED 2012 builds on LEED 2009 in a thoughtful way. It optimizes the foundations in LEED 2009, and will continue to improve the clarity, usability, functionality and interconnectedness of the rating systems through future version development.

(Excerpt from USGBC, read more)

Lamboo Inc. is committed to maintaining its status as an innovative leader in the development of environmentally responsible technologies for the architectural industry. Lamboo products are not only higher performing but are also eligible for LEED credits on qualifying products. Please refer to USGBC website for more information on qualifying projects.

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our
website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

IC2 Technologies & Lamboo Inc.

Specializing in the manufacturing of high energy-efficient timber-integrated hybrid outer shells, IC2 is an industry leader in the construction of passive houses and carbon-neutral buildings. Their expertise in conducting building energy simulations combined with an integrated design approach enables IC2 to facilitate the development of innovative, ambitious solutions and accelerate the realization of housing projects that are 60 to 90 percent more energy efficient.

With the integration of Lamboo® Renewall™ materials IC2 is committed to being the leading innovator in the construction of carbon-neutral buildings.The superior performance and sustainability of our laminated bamboo materials makes it a perfect fit for IC2 projects  to reduce their carbon footprint while providing long lasting, durable systems.

Renewall™ products can attain up to 5 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Credits under the following:

• MR Credit 6 - Rapidly renewable materials
• IEQ Credit 4.4 - Low-emitting materials
• ID Credit 1 - Innovation in Design
  (Environmentally Preferable Material)
• ID Credit 2 - Innovation in Design
  (Life Cycle Assessment / Environmental Impact)
• FSC Certification - Available Upon Request

To learn more about Lamboo, IC2 Technologies, or our products please visit our

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us.

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

Greening of Building Sector on Track to Deliver Trillions in Savings by 2030

(Wayne Lyman Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Ore. received LEED gold
certification from the U.S. Green Building Council/Credit: functoruser, flickr)

Architecture 2030, a building sector research and advocacy group, issued a report last week asserting that the greening of the U.S. building sector is on track to deliver far more energy savings than government officials predicted only a handful of years ago, with important implications for the country's energy and climate picture. 

The report looked at data released without fanfare almost a year ago by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the analysis arm of the Department of Energy, which publishes projections for U.S. energy supply and demand each spring. Architecture 2030 compared EIA's 2005 and 2011 projections and found something that surprised them. The EIA had quietly, but dramatically, lowered long-term projections for energy use and carbon emissions from America's homes, office buildings and other commercial properties.

Energy consumption from buildings will increase by 14 percent from 2005 to 2030, the EIA said, down from the 44 percent spike it predicted seven years ago. Architecture 2030 says it amounts to eliminating the electricity output from 490 500-megawatt coal-fired plants over the same 25-year period.

The new projections mean Americans will save an additional $3.7 trillion on energy bills through 2030.

Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings are slated to increase by less than 5 percent, compared to an estimated 53 percent rise in 2005, the data also revealed. Currently, buildings account for 40 percent of both U.S. electricity consumption and heat-trapping gas emissions.

Edward Mazria, founder and CEO of Architecture 2030, which advocates for a carbon- neutral building sector, said his group's analysis of the data is the first to publicize the green building movement's contributions to national energy use so far and into the future. "This is a huge national snapshot of where we've been and where we're heading," he told InsideClimate News.

Mazria says the main driver of the new projections is the hike in building energy standards. "It's policies, it's building codes, it's better building design and more efficient technologies. We're building to a better standard," he said. The group wants the report to provide policymakers and builders a reason to continue on this path.

But EIA says there is more to it than that. Agency analysts told InsideClimate News that Architecture 2030's report downplays factors that have nothing to do with making buildings greener like the huge slowdown in construction from the recession that means fewer buildings have been, and will get, built.

For the most part, though, EIA officials agree with the bottom line of Mazria's report that green improvements are saving energy. "Over the years, our projections for buildings' energy consumption have decreased, and a lot of that is due to increases in efficiency," Erin Boedecker, the lead building analyst at EIA, said.

The Rise of the Green Building

Since 2005, the federal government and most states have adopted various building codes and efficiency tax incentives that have helped spur a green-building boom.
Most notably, a mandate under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act requires all federal buildings to reduce energy use by 30 percent in 2015 compared to 2003 levels. In 2010, California passed the nation's first mandatory statewide green building code, which took effect last year. Meanwhile, more than half of all states have adopted the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, a standard created by the International Code Council, a U.S.-based nonprofit, which requires buildings to meet efficiency standards for heating units and air conditioners, water heaters and lighting.

Laitner of ACEEE cited figures from a 2009 publication by economists Robert Ayer and Benjamin Warr, which found that nearly 90 percent of the energy Americans consume is wasted due to inefficiencies. A standard 100-watt light bulb, for instance, might only convert eight percent of the electricity it uses to create light, while the rest is used to give off unnecessary heat, he said.

Many of the country's leaders are operating under the false assumption that we must boost energy supplies to grow the economy, Laitner said, and fail to consider how using less energy would have a similar result. Energy efficiency "is an invisible resource. It doesn't come to mind when we think about what we have to do to power our economy," he said.

Pyke of the U.S. Green Building Council agreed. "Changes to the built environment can and must bring down overall energy demand in the U.S.," he said.

(Excerpt of article from InsideClimateNews.org)

Lamboo & Splinakis Ship Designs

Lamboo Inc. has partnered with Splinakis Ship Design within the nautical industry for mega-yacht projects focusing on quality and sustainability. Pictured below is Andrea Splinakis with Lamboo President Luke Schuette and Peter Illig General Manager of the Switizerland office. Splinakis is the owner of Splinakis Ship Design that is based out of Italy with operations in Nigeria and Korea serving clients across the globe.

Splinakis Ship Design in cooperation with partners is offering Lamboo's nautical grade laminated bamboo components within projects to take full advantage of its superior characteristics. Lamboo®  Elite™  material is great for the environment while featuring proprietary adhesives that resist moisture, bacteria/fungal growth, and being flame retardant as well.

(Image from J. Sung Design) 

The treacherous conditions of the sea make performance and durability critical factors in ship design and implementation to ensure safety for those who sail it. Splinakis Ship Design is committed to using the very best technology and design practices to meet these strenuous requirements and utilizing Lamboo is one way they are doing it.

To learn more about Lamboo, our operations, or products please visit our

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us.

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

Sustainability of Bamboo

A number of bamboo product manufacturers have chosen to use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification as a demonstration of sustainability. However, FSC was designed for timber forests and not bamboo grass farms. Accordingly, Lamboo has chosen to go above and beyond FSC, and utilizes the global expertise of The Forest Trust to maintain a transparent system to ensure we obtain our bamboo from sustainably managed sources. Further, we use this system to verify that our manufacturing and distribution structures achieve the highest levels of sustainability.

Bamboo as a resource is the most sustainable plant used in the manufacturing of structural and architectural systems. Bamboo in comparison to timber takes 4 years to fully mature, where as timber on average takes 25 to 50 years to mature. Lamboo has 3 times the structural capacity of timber, achieving longer spans which allows for use of less material. Bamboo can be harvested without replanting, due to its root structure and grass like features, which also helps eliminate soil erosion. Unlike other crops, bamboo requires little or no pesticides to grow, because of a natural bio-agent that is bound to the plant at the molecular level.

To learn more about Lamboo, our operations, or products please visit our 

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us.

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated

In addition to our commitment to innovation in sustainable design practices Lamboo is focused on operations that surpass ethical standards in the industry.  Lamboo, Inc. meets BBB accreditation standards, and strives to maintain good faith both with stakeholders and consumers. Lamboo holds a A+ rating with this agency.

To learn more about Lamboo, our practices, or products please visit our 

website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us.

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated