My Eco-Hero: Jordan Stewart, Green Commuter

Posted on 21. Apr, 2010 by in News, Sustainability

Jordan Stewart, Eco-HeroAs I was reading about the Eco-Heroes in the 2010 issue of the Arkansas Green Guide, my mind kept trailing off to thoughts of my Eco-Hero.  From my perspective, he is the greenest commuter in the state of Arkansas. (Maybe I’m biased.  I’m his mother!)

BEEP!  BEEP! BEEP! It’s 6 a.m., still dark outside, and Jordan Stewart’s alarm is sounding off, letting him know it’s time to get up and get ready for work.  After showering and ironing his clothes (including his long thermal underwear) he loads up on his three-wheeled bike (rain, snow, hot, cold) and makes his way to Harp’s Grocery store in Har-Ber Meadows.  Whether his trip is to work, grocery store, bank, dentist, hair cut, restaurant, etc., Jordan’s mode of transportation is his trusted bicycle.

What makes Jordan the greenest commuter I know?  Unlike most of us, the thought of driving verses walking rarely crosses his mind.  Although he may mutter something under his scarf when it is 30 degrees outside, he still backs his bike out of the garage and starts pedaling.  

Living with Down Syndrome, biking is not an “alternative” transportation option for Jordan. It is his main mode of transportation!

Fortunately for Jordan, Har-Ber Meadows is a master planned community where community members can live, work, play and attend to most basic services without the use of a car. 

Community connectivity is not only great for the environment, but it helps Jordan to be as independent as possible in his daily living.  

Jordan now has pedestrian or “pedal” access to almost “10 basic services” (LEED terminology) for most of his needs.  On a regular basis, he rides his bike to:

  • Flying Burrito , Buffalo Wild Wings or Quiznos  for lunch
  • SportClips for the buzz cut
  • Harp’s for groceries
  • Signature Bank to deposit his hard earned money
  • Dr. Duckworth for regular teeth cleaning
  •  Shake’s for frozen custard

Once again, another Eco-Hero has shown us that there is a triple bottom line return on investment (ROI) when we make sustainable transportation choices.

  1. Environment ROI for biking vs. driving => less green house gases and less need for roads and parking lots
  2. Economic ROI for biking vs. driving => less money spent on gas and auto maintenance
  3. Social ROI for biking vs. driving => healthier commuters and independent productive citizens

He may not be a chancellor, sustainability coordinator, or green builder, but he’s my Eco-Hero and I plan to be more like him in my commuter decisions.
Karen Stewart, LEED AP

New EPA Website Helps Homeowners Cut Energy Costs

Posted on 20. Dec, 2009 by in Green Homes, News

According to a federal survey completed in 2007, there are more than 128 million homes in the United States. This accounts for nearly 54% of the national energy use.

To reduce energy costs, many homeowners across the nation have implemented the “low-hanging fruit” conservation strategies such as changing to CFL’s, insulating the hot water heater, and installing a programmable thermostat.

If you would like to implement a holistic approach and take your home conservation strategies to the next level, check out the new EPA website for green homes.

The EPA Green Home website has tools to help you achieve the following:

  • Reduce energy use
  • Use renewable energy
  • Reduce water use and protect water resources
  • Select the most environmentally friendly location for a new home
  • Choose green building materials and household products
  • Reduce waste from home construction and household activities
  • Increase recycling
  • Improve the indoor environmental quality of your home

Federal Dollars Growing Green Jobs

Posted on 12. Dec, 2009 by in News

If you are a visual person like me, you may be intrigued by the graphic “Growing the Green Job Boom” by GOOD Magazine and Green For All.  It is a great representation that shows how stimulus money is being spent across our nation for weatherization assistance programs, energy efficiency & conservation, and state energy programs. 

You can’t help but notice the $130.8 million that is going to Texas for weatherization assistance programs!  That’s a lot of energy audits, windows, caulking and insulation.

Kudos to Kansas City, Missouri for creating the “Green Impact Zone” to create jobs and to improve energy efficiencies.

Can any of you find Arkansas on the illustration?  What is up with that?  Perhaps the information needs to be updated.

You can download the graphics here.

The Triple Bottom Line Cost of our Fossil Fuel Addiction

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by in Triple Bottom Line

The mission of EcoPotential is to improve the quality of life through green building and sustainability education and practices. Within the DNA of sustainability is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).  What is the Triple Bottom Line?  Simply put, it is the expansion of our traditional accounting systems to include the environment and people when calculating our return on investment (ROI). TBL accounting requires that we invest not only in financial, but environmental and social capital as well.  Often the TBL is referred to as Social, Economic and Environment or People, Profit and Planet.  Click  Triple Bottom Line to learn more.

When we continue to harvest and burn fossil fuels irresponsibly, we are focused only on the financial bottom line or economic return on investment. The social impacts of environmental degradation and dependency on foreign oil should be considered in the ROI calculation.

The documentary, Crude, considers the environmental and social impacts of our fossil fuel addiction.

The documentary is about a landmark case between 30,000 indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador and the oil giant, Chevron.
“The plaintiffs allege that the pollution has created a “death zone” in an area the size of Rhode Island, resulting in increased rates of cancer, leukemia, birth defects, and a multiplicity of other health ailments.” Of course, there is much debate on both sides of the lawsuit, as there will always be when large amounts of money are at stake.

Crude: Movie Trailer 

Green Building: Jobs of the Future

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by in Green Jobs, LEED Training

Trying to decide if becoming a LEED Green Associate is right for you?

Watch this great video from the Washington State Department of Ecology about the benefits of green building and preparing for future jobs.

 

Green building is embedded in the future careers for architects, engineers, building trades, real estate professionals, and just about anyone who has decision making responsibilities in the design, construction, operation, and deconstruction of a building. 

Quotes from the video:
“You better be thinking about green building, or the market will pass you by.”
“Green building is making construction jobs cool again.”
“Good job, good pay and doing the right thing for the environment.”

Note that the video recommends that students and young professionals should become LEED AP’s!  Great advice.  The first step in that direction is to become a LEED Green Associate.

Welcome to the new EcoPotential website!

Posted on 03. Oct, 2009 by in News

Welcome to our new site!

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