Rice Fergus Miller, Inc. - a B Corp’s Post

We are proud to partner with our member agency, Draper City, to provide a sustainable water supply to the State of Utah's exciting new development in our service area: The Point. Jacob Young, our Deputy General Manager attended the ground-breaking ceremony, and is seen here with Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey (JVWCD Trustee and The Point Board Member), and Scott Cooley (Draper City Public Works Director & City Engineer). Alongside the city of Draper and the State of Utah, we're taking an integrated Land Use and Water Use planning approach to make it possible. The Point will serve as an innovation hub, connecting the Salt Lake Valley to Silicon Slopes at the point of the mountain in Draper. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gnv9tmmm

Considering the deputy PM’s plans to intensify the use of greybelt land, I’m interested in the part that industrial uses can play as future focus points in our towns. Traditionally very dirty sites with huge highways and car parks, these can react in the shift towards cleaner industry to become more tightly planned and at the heart of the community rather than on the fringes. These can be places to make and create as technology drives new industrial innovation. We created a vision for Tyseley Energy Park just outside Birmingham. It sits in an area in need of a boost and will provide hundreds of new jobs for the surrounding communities. But it is planned around sustainable mobility, access to green space and as a place to learn, collaborate and grow. Could we consider the rebirth of industrial estates all over the country to become places to build housing and new communities? To replan them focusing on people and innovation, making use of tired old sites that are often greybelt in nature? We are looking for new town centre uses as retail has vacated and with the shift towards greener industry and new technology, this seems like a good opportunity to rethink how we plan and use our town centres and build the towns of the future. https://lnkd.in/dKXHRRYw

♨ HOT OFF THE PRESS: Retrofitting existing buildings is a key solution to hitting US climate goals and providing energy-efficient and affordable housing for millions of people. With most of the buildings that will exist in 2050 already standing, the challenges of decarbonizing them are immense—high upfront costs, fragmented financing, and complex guidance among them. 📰 RMI's 🆕 report (https://lnkd.in/gbFTFYBD ) outlines how we’re tackling these obstacles in Massachusetts through the 1,000 Apartment Challenge in partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)/LISC Massachusetts, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and other stakeholders. 👷♀️ By building out a robust pipeline of deep energy retrofit "lighthouse projects", we've gained new insights into what it takes to drastically lower energy usage and fossil fuel pollution from affordable multifamily buildings while enhancing health and comfort for low-and middle-income residents. By overcoming the challenges and adopting the innovative solutions and technologies RMI lays out in this report, we can further scale building decarbonization efforts nationwide and create healthier, more energy-efficient homes for all. Download it for free here: https://lnkd.in/gbFTFYBD

California's Title 24 is reshaping energy use in commercial spaces, aiming for a sustainable future. But the immediate impact? Increased costs and extended timelines for businesses. This isn’t just about new buildings. Renovations that touch lighting or HVAC systems trigger compliance, pushing landlords and tenants to rethink their renovations and leases. It's a delicate balance, aiming for spaces that require less alteration. Lease negotiations have become a strategic game, with both sides aiming to shift the financial weight of compliance. Let’s make every kilowatt count and forge a greener future! #commercialrealestate #commercialspace #California #Energy #tenants #CRE

160°F asphalt: The hidden clean energy opportunity in our cities🏙️🌡️ While we often focus on generation, the urban heat island effect is forcing us to rethink energy's role in public health and city planning. This isn't just about cooling bills - it's a fundamental shift in how we approach urban sustainability. Combating urban heat requires a systems approach, blending policy, infrastructure, and behavior change. In a thought-provoking piece for The Clear Clean, Jessica Bergman, M.A.C 🌎🦄 breaks down the challenge: 1. Policy Innovation: Cool roof mandates and green infrastructure programs are reshaping cityscapes. 2. Grid Resilience: Demand response is evolving from a grid tool to a public health strategy. 3. Community Action: Cooling stations and volunteer networks are becoming critical infrastructure. For clean energy leaders, it's time to expand our focus: • Develop products that address both energy efficiency and heat mitigation • Partner with urban planners to integrate energy solutions into city design • Create community engagement programs that link energy use to public health Remember, the IRA provides incentives for building upgrades. By addressing urban heat, we can amplify its impact on public health and grid stability. Question: How can the clean energy sector better collaborate with urban planners and public health officials to address the urban heat island effect? #UrbanSustainability #CleanEnergySolutions #ClimateResilience https://lnkd.in/g8SQSxMc

A Trojan horse rolls into Colorado's cities: a $20 million federal grant for "healthy communities," concealing a controversial payload. The horse's benign exterior: - Promises of sustainability and safety Its hidden belly: - 20% emissions cut by 2030 - $3.1 billion from building owners - $10.8 billion in promised benefits - Major lawsuit and social equity mandates - Stealth assault on natural gas Hotel and apartment groups see through the ruse, citing Berkeley's overturned gas ban. The Ninth Circuit's ruling could dismantle similar Trojan horses nationwide. If this Trojan horse succeeds: A new city model emerges, with sustainability and social equity at its core. If repelled: A cautionary tale for urban planners.

New Yorkers and friends: Have you ever walked down the street of Manhattan and wondered WHAT THE HECK are those orange steam pipes protruding from the roadway? Tope Alake and Linda Poon have the answer for you. The stacks are used as a temporary venting system when rain water or other liquid comes in contact with the main pipes of NYC's massive underground steam system that you maybe didn't even know existed. The 106-mile subterranean network delivers 370-degree vapor to a small subsect of New York’s skyline, including Madison Square Garden, the UN and a lot of the city's famous museums. It’s one of hundreds of century-old steam systems still operating across the US in dense downtowns as well as at mega-facilities like college campuses and airports — and by far the country’s biggest. And it could get bigger, thanks to a push to decarbonize. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eJSsxZ94 #nyc #esg #climatechange #cities #urbaninfrastructure #heating

Sustainable Development with a Tailwind: Electrification In 2023 we completed Crystal Cove & Alta, 162 luxury apartments that set a new tone for sustainable multifamily development in Northeastern Wisconsin. By leveraging highly efficient heat pump technology, we've eliminated the need for natural gas boilers and furnaces, significantly reducing their long term carbon footprint. This investment aligns perfectly with Wisconsin utilities investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in sustainable infrastructure. Over the next six years, as our local utility reduces their carbon emissions by 80%, our properties will continue to become even less carbon-intensive with no additional cost or labor necessary. Take a spin through via a 360 tour: Crystal Cove: https://lnkd.in/dD9Cx_x7 Alta: https://lnkd.in/dtGfs-7i Join us in celebrating this milestone towards a greener, more sustainable future! #sustainable #Electrification #GreenFuture #sustainableliving #greenbay #sustainability

Down with autocentric Transit Oriented Development & Corridor planning! This month, join me and The Passive House Network for a presentation and conversation on my new book, Building for People. I'll be making the case for low-carbon neighborhoods and discussing strategies and tools for developing these residential and mixed-use districts. We'll be looking at examples from Europe and North America, to show the potential for new climate-adaptive ecodistricts that directly and equitably address our housing shortages while simultaneously planning for climate change. We will be looking at how highly livable places with car-free and car-light communities enable low carbon living, and why the need to incorporate abundant affordable and #socialhousing for a good economic and social mix of residents. We'll also touch on some of the #climateadaptation, livability, quality of life, and #publichealth implications of these places - and why the status quo is so bankrupt and broken. Join us on Tuesday, December 17th, from 12-1 PM ET. To learn more and register, go here: https://lnkd.in/gUYiWgiB (also they picked a perfect picture - bikes FTW!) #architecture #housing #urbanplanning #stadtplanung #policy #climateaction #efficiencynow #electrification #ecodistricts #multifamily #passivhaus #passivehouse #realestate #sustainability

The Windy City leads the nation in self storage conversions, with almost 7.3 million square feet of space successfully redeveloped into storage spaces, encompassing 72 properties. These projects account for nearly half of Chicago’s total self storage inventory. They're a welcome addition to the total supply, as the city’s inventory per capita currently stands at a modest 3.3 square feet. Check out the full report here: https://bit.ly/4fhGMR1 #selfstorageconversions #development #sustainability #chicago