Climate Action Plan Public Meeting

There will be a public information and participation session for the CBJ's Climate Action Plan May 25th. The plan focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the local government's operations and from the community as a whole.


We hope you'll join us Wednesday, May 25th from 5:00-7:00 at the Assembly Chambers.


At this meeting, the 2010 Juneau Emissions Inventory and the Draft Climate Action Plan will be presented.


For more information about the Climate Action Plan, visit: http://www.sheinbergassociates.com/proj_cap.html

Living in a Tiny Home

Ever read The Boxcar Children series growing up? I did, and always had a fantasy about converting a boxcar into a cozy getaway. Modern designers have caught on to that attraction too, and a simple approach to living green is becoming more popular. Building and living in small houses—including a converted rail car—is the subject of the Tiny House Blog. It's just $150/month to lease the boxcar. Juneau-raised Tristan McAllister films this video tour, Life in a Rail Car, of the train-home. The rail car is listed at $225,000—probably more than the boxcar children—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden—could afford.

Another small living story focuses on Jay Shafer, who lives in an 89-square foot home he built himself. In an interview, Jay discusses with Tiny House author/builder Deek Diedricksen that in the U.S. we operate on a much larger scale than elsewhere in the world. On average, Americans' homes are four times the size as our international equals’. Jay, a designer specializing in sustainable architecture and urban planning, says it makes sense to live more compactly. We pour tons of time and money improving the energy efficiency of our larger homes, but smaller designs decrease the space to heat from the start. Jay touts the sustainable habits that stem from living in a small home, such as double-using something. A saucepan, for example, can double as your tea kettle to save storage space and materials (then use it as an iron while it’s hot). Jay owns Tumbleweed Tiny Houses Company, where you can buy small house plans to build yourself, or have a ready-made home delivered to you (yep, they’re so small they fit on a trailer).

Check out these websites for innovative ideas starting from scratch, building plans, or for tips on how to maximize current space:

Tiny House Blog by Kent Griswold.
Small House Society Dedicated to the promotion of smaller housing alternatives which can be more affordable and ecological.
Small House Style Web magazine dedicated to everything small house.

Juneau Adopts Green Building Standard

Juneau has a green building standard now. The Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance in January that mandates new construction of CBJ buildings achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The requirement applies to buildings with a price tag of $5M or more.

Nationally, buildings use 39% of primary energy, 72% of all electricity, and account for 38% of CO₂ emissions. In Juneau, buildings emit 41% of total carbon emissions. Green building is expected to support 7.9M jobs and pump $554 into the U.S. economy between 2009 and 2013—Juneau should see a similar boost in our local economy.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system established by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides third party verification. A report card for buildings, the point-based system awards projects for energy and cost savings, indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.

There are high performance buildings in Juneau already. Harborview and Glacier Valley Schools were recently renovated to meet LEED certification. The Juneau School District earned the EPA’s Energy Star rating (a separate distinction). Just with energy efficiency efforts throughout the district, they expect to save $1 million in three years on their energy bill.

Juneau joins over 442 local governments nationwide to take the initiative on LEED. In Alaska, three local governments have a green building policy: Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough, and now Juneau. The ordinance will help CBJ achieve its objective of reducing carbon emissions 20% by 2012.

Read more about the green building scene in Sustainability Commissioner member Sarah Lewis’ recent Empire article.

'No Impact Man' film screening Jan. 3rd

Start the New Year by watching No Impact Man and be inspired to live more simply during 2011.

Join the Juneau Commission on Sustainability and Southeast's Slow Food group at the Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship's Conscientious Projector's screening of No Impact Man January 3rd at the Nickelodeon Theatre. A panel disussion will follow. Admission is free. See you there!

Douglas community garden work party on 10/10/10

Join the Juneau Commission on Sustainability to work on the Douglas community gardens on Sunday, October 10^th from 10am-2pm. The event is to do our part to prevent negative effects of climate change as part of the 350.org global action day. Meet at the downtown Douglas parking lot on the corner of St. Ann’s and ADF&G. Bring work gloves, and durable, waterproof clothing.

Researching Organic Potatoes

Research at Washington State University is supporting the idea that organic potato farming methods can better control pests. Check it out! http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012250093_taters01m.html

Plant some potatoes - they are easy to grow in Juneau. These were planted in large potting buckets, laying the potatoes in between dirt and straw.