• EcoMethod
• ReMethod
• Carbon Challenge
  • 2030 Challenge
  • Living Building Challenge
  • Oregon Carbon Challenge
  • The Big Look Task Force
  • Portland Development Commission - Strategic Plan 2008-2012
  • ODOT - Context Sensitive and Sustainable Solutions Approach (CS³)
  • Western Climate Initiative
  • USGBC LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design^®
• Goals
• How We Work Together

The Carbon Challenge

2030 Challenge

"In January of 2006, Architecture 2030 officially issued the '2030 Challenge', a measured and achievable strategy to dramatically reduce global GHG emissions and fossil-fuel consumption in the Building Sector by the year 2030. Specifically, the Challenge calls for:

1. All new buildings and developments to be designed to use half the fossil fuel energy that they would typically consume
2. At a minimum, an equal number of existing building area be renovated annually to use half the amount of fossil fuel energy they are currently consuming
3. The fossil fuel reductions standard for all new buildings be increased to 69% in 2010, 70% in 2015, 80-% in 2020, 90% in 2025 and carbon neutral by 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy)

The Challenge ...having been adopted by the AIA, U.S. Conference of Mayors (for all buildings in all cities), U.S. Green Building Council, National Association of Counties, California Public Utilities and Energy Commissions, and individual cities, counties and states. The Challenge targets... (were included in the) Energy Bill passed by Congress and signed by the President in January of this year (2008), are now required for all new and renovated federal buildings beginning in 2010."

EcoLogistics can support the goals of the 2030 challenge in a number of ways. First, the EcoMethod can provide the carbon emissions information and provide practical options to reduce the fossil fuels and energy used to construct the new, vastly more efficient buildings that will meet the 2030 plan's reduced energy consumption goals. Second, the huge level of renovations necessary to improve the existing building stock's consumption to half of the pre-renovation levels will emit significant carbon if the process of renovation is left unmanaged. Over 5 billion sf of building renovation per year for 30 years will create its own carbon emission problem if systems are not in place to minimize the GHG effects of that effort. These renovations will not involve simply changing out rooftop units and installing energy management software - they will require extensive renovation of building envelopes, and wholesale changes in conditioning delivery systems. Undoubtedly, the renovation projects will include new architectural improvements as well. These renovation processes emit large amounts of carbon and the EcoMethod can identify options to lower those emissions while managing your budget.Under the 2030 Blueprint, the Challenge recommends that "all developments using federal funds meet the 2030 Challenge targets to: create additional models of building energy efficiency for the marketplace... (and to) immediately stabilize and begin reducing energy demand in the Building Sector".

Those accepting the 2030 Challenge are required to create an Implementation Plan to detail the specific ways in which the participants will achieve the goals set out in The Challenge. One of the major requirements is:

"(to) Engage clients in discussions relating to energy efficiency. Explain that reducing carbon emissions from the building sector is now a major focus of the firm and that the firm plans to incorporate cost-effective design strategies that should not increase the overall cost of the work... encourage clients to review those costs to ascertain the true cost of each project."

The "true" cost of each project most certainly should include the emissions related to the construction process itself. The EcoMethod will identify those costs and quantify them so that the lowest cost solutions can be incorporated and so that the market can be educated that carbon reduction options are being evaluated and rewarded.

Portland Development Commission Sustainability Plan

Portland City Council passed Resolution No. 36468 in December 20, 2006 establishing the Sustainable City Government Partnership that applied to all bureaus and offices. In the PDC Sustainability Plan dated September 28, 2007, the PDC identifies its alignment with the goals of Architecture 2030. In this plan the PDC acknowledges that "Traditional building construction, however, also affects human health, community cohesiveness and equity, natural resources, energy use and waste creation." The EcoMethod will directly identify these impacts and provide information necessary to mitigate them. All six of PDC's Sustainability Plan Goals can be furthered by partnering with EcoLogistics to develop the EcoMethod technology to best suit their projects.