_____________________________________________________

Sustainable Building Solutions
www.SustainableBuildingSolutions.com

What are "Sustainable Building Solutions"?

Sustainable Building Solutions negatively impact the planet, people, plants and the climate. 

Did you know that buildings are the number one source of all greenhouse gas emissions?!? 

Sustainable Building Solutions' homes and buildings are designed to last up to 10 times longer than traditional buildings and homes, use 60% to 75% less energy, as compared to traditional homes and commercial buildings. We believe "the future belongs to the sustainable" and why we believe that the "Net Zero Energy Home" and "Net Zero Energy Building" will soon be the norm.

Sustainable Building Solutions homes and buildings are virtually:

*  Sustainable, and built to last over 300 years! 
*  Use about 60% to 75% less energy than typical homes or buildings and are also "Net Zero Energy" compliant, which
    means that the electricity not used by the building is sold & exported to the electric grid.
*  Fire-proof
*  Mold-proof
*  Termite-proof
*  Storm-resistant 
*  Conserve our natural resources and forests as we Use NO wood, and have high insulation value.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Sustainable Building Solutions
www.SustainableBuildingSolutions.com

What is Sustainable Urban Living?

To provide an answer to what is Sustainable Urban Living, first requires that we understand the definition of what is the meaning of the word "sustainable" and what is the meaning of "sustainable development."

To be "sustainable" means that we provide for today's societal needs and requirements without taking away resources from future generations.  Much like the national debt of several trillion dollars - that keeps growing every year - that is never repaid, and that we are leaving behind for our children, and grandchildren - we need to be mindful of the resources we are consuming today, and do so in a way that does not take away from our children and grandchildren.

"Sustainable Development" seeks to integrate two important themes: that environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run. Common use of the term "sustainability" began with the 1987 publication of the World Commission on Environment and Development report, Our Common Future. Also known as the Brundtland Report, this document defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This concept of sustainability encompasses ideas, aspirations and values that continue to inspire public and private organizations to become better stewards of the environment and that promote positive economic growth and social objectives. The principles of sustainability can stimulate technological innovation, advance competitiveness, and improve our quality of life.

Sustainable Urban Living integrates Mixed use Developments as a part of a community's Real Estate Master Plan, with an integrated transport system which uses buses, light rail, and with biking & hiking trails.  

Sustainable Urban Living plans for schools, parks and gardens, as well as alleviates problems associated with buildings that are not sustainable and prone to; fires, flooding earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, termites and high energy costs. 

Sustainable Urban Living communities are power and energy independent by utilizing Renewable Energy Technologies such as anaerobic digesters, biomethane, biomass gasification plants, net zero energy, solar energy systems, solar power parks, wind power generation and recycling operations.  

A Sustainable Urban Living also seeks to integrate multi-generations that keep families intact by employing the use of "back-homes," granny-flats, casitas, and ohanas, as a small home in the back yard of the main home, where the grandfather and grandmother might someday retire to, and be near their children and grandchildren. Finally, Sustainable Urban Living communities seek to maximize both economic and environmental benefits that flow from these initiatives. 

The Goals of  our "Sustainable Urban Living" or "Sustainable Urbanization" business models and real estate developments include:

Cities have moved to the forefront of global socio-economic change, with half of the world’s population now living in urban areas and the other half increasingly dependent upon cities for their economic, social and political progress. Factors such as globalization and democratization have increased the importance of cities for sustainable development. 

Accordingly it is generally accepted that cities not only pose potential threats to sustainable development but also hold promising opportunities for social and economic advancement and for environmental improvements at local, national, and global levels. 


The Following Article, "The Six C's of Sustainable Urbanization" is by Gary Pivo, who is the Chair of the Department of Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. 

The Six C’s of Sustainable Urbanization

Cascadia's bustling Mainstreet; New approaches to urbanization can save region's high quality of life

There are 7 million residents stretched along 'Mainstreet Cascadia,' the I-5 corridor between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B. C. Millions more are coming — the Puget Sound alone area will absorb 1.2 million more people in the next 20 years. Those who live in this vital region are beginning to wonder what it will take to sustain our quality of life. Is there such a thing as sustainable urbanization, and, if so, what are its principles?

The latest Puget Sound growth boom requires us to examine what's happening with growth in our region.

Before the next governor is seated four years from now, our region will experience some of the fastest growth since World War II. Unless the growth is carefully managed using principals of sustainable urbanization, it will be impossible to maintain our region's high qualtiy of life.

By our region, I mean the corridor along Interstate 5 from Eugene, Ore., into Vancouver, British Columbia — a route named by some planners and researchers "Mainstreet Cascadia."

While some politicians and lobbyists work to weaken our state's Growth Management Act, we would be wise to remember what it takes to sustain our region's high quality of life and what occurs when communities succumb to unplanned development.

In the cities and counties stretched along Mainstreet Cascadia live over seven million people. Three-quarters of them live in the urban areas that center on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. All three of these centers have experienced tremendous population growth over the past few decades.

The numbers show that the population of both greater Vancouver and Metropolitan Portland doubled between 1960 and 1990. Population in the Puget Sound region grew by over 80 percent. These are some of the highest metropolitan growth rates in North America.

The next four years should bring Washington's fastest growth rate in 50 years and planners expect population growth to remain heavy for the foreseeable future. They project that by 2020, the Puget Sound area will absorb 1.2 million more people. The same numbers are projected to be added in Greater Vancouver. Metropolitan Portland is expected to add 700,000 newcomers. Growth is being generated by births exceeding deaths in the region, by domestic (U.S.) migration, and by migration from overseas - with migration playing a somewhat larger role than local births.

As populations grow, indications are that people all along Mainstreet Cascadia are deeply concerned about the direction of greater urbanization. A survey done in 1992 by the Oregon Business Council found that the biggest fears of Oregon's citizens were overpopulation, environmental destruction, the loss of forests, and uncontrolled growth. At that point in time, growth was a bigger worry than either crime or the economy. A survey in British Columbia (Ministry of Municipal Affairs, 1994) found that more than half the people questioned felt that growth was negatively affecting their quality of life. In 1993, a survey of citizens in the four-county area around Seattle showed growth and traffic as among top citizen worries.

People are reacting to situations like these:

• In the relatively small university town of Eugene, at least half the local residents find that roads are congested at various times during the day, and the vast majority of residents find them congested during rush hours.

• In the Greater Vancouver area, with its superior transit service, there was a 1985-1992 aggregate decline of about 12 percent in the share of all trips made by transit, and an increase of about 5 percent in the share of drivers driving alone (despite the fact that in certain Sky Train-served areas of Vancouver, transit managed to hold its own).

• In agricultural areas around Greater Vancouver that are part of an official agricultural preservation program, 8.5 percent of the farmland was still lost to urban uses between 1973 and 1990. This was over 20 times the rate of transformation in more remote areas of British Columbia.

• Urban growth has outpaced infrastructure capacity. Water facilities in the Portland area, for example, will need to be greatly expanded to accommodate the growth anticipated there.

These examples of urban growth trends - more auto congestion, a decline in transit and carpooling, the consumption of land for building more subdivisions at the expense of preserving agricultural and forest lands — and many others, such as loss of wetlands and water pollution from urban runoff and construction activities, have planners increasingly concerned with the issue of sustainability. Is there such a thing as sustainable urbanization, and, if so, what are its principles?

Sustainable development has been defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). Only in recent years has the concept of sustainable development begun to be applied to the field of urban planning. Government agencies at all levels are adopting plans to make urban growth more sustainable. A close examination of such plans shows six basic principles derived from research -we might call them the six C's — being applied.

1. Compactness. The first principle is that more compact, densely developed cities are less auto dependent, less expensive to serve with infrastructure, and put less pressure on nearby farm, forest, and environmentally sensitive areas. One of my own studies has shown that the percentage of people who bus to work increases as the population density rises in the city where they live. A1994 report on growth options for King County concluded that an urban containment strategy would save taxpayers money over the long run. In Oregon, research has shown that farms and forests are more effectively sustained when urban growth is more compact.

2. Completeness. A second principle of sustainable urbanization is that communities should be made more complete. A complete community is one in which the segregation of urban activities has been reduced. The residents of a complete community have the opportunity to work and shop in close proximity to their homes. The elimination of long commutes reduces traffic congestion, air pollution, energy use, and water pollution — to say nothing of psychic stress.

3. Conservation. A third principle of sustainable urbanization — conservation — involves the use of a number of tools (in addition to development regulations) to protect environmentally sensitive areas. Such tools may include tax incentives, fee-simple and less-than-fee-simple land acquisition, cluster development, and the use of transferable development rights, to name just a few. In the category of development regulations, we know that the elimination of free or abundant parking promotes alternatives to single-occupancy driving, thereby saving energy, reducing air pollution, and helping to control the buildup of greenhouse gases.

4-6. Comfort, coordination and collaboration. Comfort takes note of the fact that it is important to create public spaces and routes that are pleasant for pedestrians and for non-auto users, such as bicyclists. A study in Portland found that more people walk when there are continuous sidewalks, streets are easy to cross and not confusing, and the topography is conducive to walking.

Coordination involves joint planning by numerous jurisdictions. One example is creating a land use and transportation plan for Oregon's Willamette Valley from Portland to Eugene. The same project — Partnership for the Willamette Valley's Future - illustrates the principle of collaboration. Funded by the state of Oregon, federal agencies and private foundations, this effort is bringing together Oregon community leaders from many interest sectors in order to establish ongoing dialogue about issues of common concern in the Willamette Valley.

If we view the principles above in the light of trends, we see that, over the past few decades, Mainstreet Cascadia's "average citizen" has experienced less compactness (and slightly more completeness). The development of many new low-density settlements on the urban fringe has offset increasing density in some older communities and has consumed amounts of land at rates two to three times the rate of population growth.

Not only are many people living in non-compact communities, but the density at which they are living is generally too low to be effectively served by public transportation.

My own studies have shown that, in 1970, about one in three people in Washington was living at densities high enough to support public transit. By 1990, only one person in five was living in such places. In addition, job growth in suburbs and along freeway corridors has reduced the relevance of commuting into the central city. In Greater Vancouver, for example, downtown Vancouver's share of its region's jobs fell from 51 percent in 1971 to only 39 percent in 1991.

Despite these trends, some towns and cities can be studied as models for other communities to follow in seeking to achieve greater sustainability.

Seattle, already Washington's most compact and complete community along Mainstreet Cascadia, has adopted a policy of putting people in compact villages served by public transit. Across Lake Washington, the city of Kirkland is unusual for the number of residents who also work in Kirkland (about 23 percent) and use bus transit to get to work (about 12 percent). It's the most compact and complete suburb in Washington.

In order to assist political and other leaders in developing policy directions, work has been done to locate other "low-impact cities" in the region under discussion. Communities were rated for housing density, job density, jobs and housing in proximity, and housing and shopping/service opportunities in proximity.

The "winners" turned out to represent a variety of community types, from a large city like Seattle or Vancouver, B.C., to a small town like Bothell or a rural center like St. Helens, Ore., (population 7,500). Research showed that for the most compact and complete communities, a median of nearly 30 percent of workers work near where they live, compared to under 10 percent in other communities. Other studies have shown that there is an unmet demand for housing close to where people work. Public policies are needed that enable potential housing sites that are close to jobs to compete for development with sites in more remote locations.

While increasing housing density has been controver­sial policy, various demographic trends and new research suggest that there is room for progress toward more compact communities. We know that shifts are occurring in the average age of populations and in household structures. People are getting older and households are getting smaller. This is causing an increase in demand for smaller housing units and for attached types of housing.

In addition, design studies have reached two conclusions:

• One is that traditional, single-family housing can be built at densities much higher than those currently being achieved that still provide the privacy, open space, and other features associated with single-family living. For instance, Kirkland has used half as much land as other King County cities for each new single-family lot it created between the mid-'80s and '90s.

• The other design conclusion is that the perception of density and actual density are two very different things. People perceive a place to be lower in density if there is greater building articulation, less "facade" area, and smaller, "house-like" dwellings.

Of this we can be certain: Unless we work to incorporate principles of sustainability into our planning, we face a future of more traffic, more environmental loss and pollution, and increasingly deficient infrastructures. Past and current patterns of urban growth cannot sustain the high quality of life that we associate with Mainstreet Cascadia.

What is a Comprehensive Master Plan?

A city or county's Comprehensive Master Plan or "CMP" is best described as a vision of what the city or county will look like over the next 20 to 50 years. The Comprehensive Master Plan is an ever-evolving document that establishes a common vision for what the city or county will look like in the future.  The CMP provides guidance for a variety of issues that directly affect the quality of life for the citizens and residents of the city or county and includes the creation of a sense of community in existing and new developments, provisions for services, growth management, open space protection, environmental protection, transportation and water, and ever-increasing needs for including sustainable growth and how to become a more sustainable city or county. The community vision contained in the Comprehensive Master Plan guides decision makers and helps to prioritize community values goals and objectives.

How a Comprehensive Master Plan Provides Vision for a Community

The Comprehensive Master Plan should be used as a guide for future growth and help improve the quality of life as well as all quality of life issues.

Open spaces and view corridors are of primary importance to the many communities. While showing concern for a community's unique and natural surroundings, the Comprehensive Master Plan must also ensure a balance within the community and its' businesses and residential tax base. Rural and urban growth issues should be a constant and ongoing dialogue in the community. The general background of the residents is such that transportation, communication and cultural facilities are increasingly important and need to be integrated into the evolving planning process.

To achieve such balance in a community's Comprehensive Master Plan, sensitivity to the real carrying capacity of the land in the community is critical. This sensitivity involves constant oversight, through application of Comprehensive Master Plan policies, in the following areas:

Water quality and supply 
Power and Energy supply
Wildlife habitat and movement corridors 
Open space and view corridors 
A healthy balance between urban, agricultural and rural lifestyles 
Adequate infrastructure
Affordable housing mix
Sustainability
Adequate and alternative modes of transportation and sufficient road development 
Preservation and recognition of pre-historic and recorded community history 

Conclusion

Every community whether a city or a county, should have a Comprehensive Master Plan - or, be improving on the existing one.  We can help your city or county update, complete or develop a Comprehensive Master Plan. Call/email us for an initial no-cost evaluation and to learn more about how we may be able to assist you and your community with a Comprehensive Master Plan that meets your community's goals and objectives - and makes it a better place for all.

We believe "the future belongs to the sustainable."  In fact, we believe our future depends on sustainability.  

What is a Real Estate Master Plan?

A real estate master plan is a roadmap to the future with respect to a specific real estate location or parcel. 

There are many different definitions for describing a Real Estate Master Plan. A well-thought-out Real Estate Master Plan should provide the client with:

* A detailed, short-term, medium-term and long-range plan that determines how the specific real estate parcel will provide services to the community in the coming years and plan for future growth.

* Identify all positive and negative features and attributes of the specific parcel and how it best fits into the needs and requirements of the community. 

* The economics, and feasibility of the proposed real estate master plan. 

* Address issues such as environmental, physical facilities/city services, which will be required during the coming years. i.e. water, wastewater treatment, fire, police, environmental studies/impact of subject parcel, present and future regulatory requirements, and project funding.

* Review and analyze a city's existing planning and zoning laws/regulations that impact, or may affect the specific parcel. 

A Real Estate Master Plan is a written and a schematic drawing depicting your present real estate site and any buildings and facilities, as well as parking, trees, topography, creeks/water features, overhead power lines, easements, streets, and any other environmental features, and the owner's "vision" or future plans for expansions, utilities, streets and buildings are overlaid. The plan also shows phasing of future expansion, for example: when the worship attendance reaches 400, expand the sanctuary and add classrooms. 

The Real Estate Master Plan is, as previously mentioned, a road map to the client's future and vision of the real estate, beginning with where "we" are now, where we've been, and how we achieve the desired dreams and goals of the owner. The Real Estate Master Plan includes specific recommendations, implementation strategies, and the vision of the owner with his/her/their goals and objectives. 

Why you need a Real Estate Master Plan

The most important aspect of master planning is for us to professionally interpret the owner's vision and dream into a " road map" for the future for their property. Any property owner that is considering a new site should have a feasibility site study completed.

Many times, a buyer will ask us to perform a feasibility study, which is the first step to a more formal Real Estate Master Plan, and they think they have a great price on a parcel or tract. Without our expertise, the buyer may have actually overpaid for the parcel due to the environmental, planning/zoning, or other unknown variables, and in reality the buyer thinking he was getting a great bargain on 40 acres for the price of 10, was only able to use 5 acres out of the 40 acres, for a real price 60 acres! Our feasibility studies identify these hidden problems and negative attributes of specific parcels, and helps the buyer discover the true value of the site as well as its' future potential.

Every site should be planned before ANY construction begins. Our goal is to help the owner produce an economically viable and profitable project without negatively impacting the opportunities for future development. Excellent master planning avoids costly mistakes and problems in the future. 

What's involved in updating the Real Estate Master Plan?

A Real Estate Master Plan may be updated every five to ten years for reasons that include:

* Growth, development and changes in the size of the community.
* Requirements to expand and upgrade facilities.
* To comply with new regulations.
* To prepare for future, planned growth as well as future financial planning and budgets.

How We Create a Real Estate Master Plan

We believe that the creation of a Real Estate Master Plan is a collaborative process. Depending on the size of the project, expert consultants may be required to evaluate a variety of potential technical solutions and develop recommendations. Just as importantly, a stakeholder's outreach program may be required. A stakeholder is anyone that may be positively or negatively impacted as a result of the new Real Estate Master Plan. Workshops, or a number of "charette's" may be provided for stakeholders to discuss and comment on issues including local/regional planning and zoning, streets, utilities, water quality, air quality, regulatory compliance, wastewater, taxes, and city services, including police/fire/library services.

A real estate master plan can be a quick " sketch" or more formal feasibility study to help a buyer decide if a yet unpurchased piece of land is feasible. It can also be a formal, colored site plan used for presentations and fund raisers. However, a master plan is not an attempt to generate a floor plan for every future building.

How Often Should a Site be Master Planned?

A site should be reviewed before each phase of construction. Businesses, communities, ministries and zoning requirements change over time. Therefore, the long range goals of the site will also change. A master plan is nothing more than a snapshot in time of current conditions and ministries. As times change, so do goals for the site. Hence why exact buildings plans during a master plan are not feasible.

How We Develop a Real Estate Master Plan

First a topographic survey of the property is obtained. Next the overall land is analyzed with respect to streets, easements, buffers, zoning, setbacks, flood plains and natural features. The land remaining is the actual usable acreage.

A concept Sketch is first derived by assessing the long range goals of the site and the vision of the buyer/owner. The required parking and building sizes are then estimated and ready for placement on the site. Parking should typically encircle the buildings and not be to one side, aiding in exterior circulation. Interior circulation should be reviewed and building entry points determined.

Grades are reviewed for multiple story facility use. Finally, site amenities such as green space, walking trails, gazebos, playgrounds, gardens, etc. are added in the remaining areas.

The concept is then refined into the final product. Many projects use this final drawing for a marketing or fundraising tool. It is important to remember that while building masses are shown with some detail for visual character, changes to the building shape and overall layout are to expected when each phase is completed.

Conclusion

Every site should have a Real Estate Master Plan before it is purchased and before every phase of construction. 

Contact/email us for an initial no-cost evaluation and to learn more about how we may be able to assist you with your new project - and help you avoid costly mistakes or purchasing an inadequate site that cannot meet your goals and objectives.  

A effective Real Estate Master Plan provides for the physical, social, and economic development of a site or project that provides the highest and best use as well as meeting the local codes of the community as may be found within that community's Planning and Zoning Department. The plan is to be comprehensive and developed in the context of meeting the customer's objectives. It will include action recommendations to guide the responsible township and county agencies in the plan's implementation.

A Real Estate Master Plan is a written and a schematic drawing depicting your current site and facilities, parking, trees, etc. and showing the location of future expansions. The plan also shows phasing of future expansion, for example: when the worship attendance reaches 400, expand the sanctuary and add classrooms.

A Real Estate Master Plan permits our customers to maximize the utilization of their site, save time and money, and it gives them a tool to use for annual planning, fund raising, and raising capital, etc.

We receive many calls from clients who are now "land locked", and who may have had enough property before building, but because they did not have a Master Plan, the original building was placed in such a way on the site that additions are difficult or impossible. Also, costly demolition may have to be done in order to accommodate an addition that was not considered in a Master Plan before construction began.

Our company offers "Sustainable Urban Living" products and services that include: Mixed Use Developments, Sustainable Architectural Designs for Buildings of the Future which will all be "Net Zero Energy."  We provide master planning services for creating "Traditional Neighborhood Development" communities.  We also offer Sustainable, Real Estate Master Planning and Real Estate Development services that incorporate our Sustainable Building Solutions through our turnkey Sustainable Building Technologies.

What is Traditional Neighborhood Development?

A Traditional Neighborhood Development  (TND) is a human scale, walkable community with moderate to high residential densities and a mixed use core. Compared with conventional suburban developments, TNDs have a higher potential to increase modal split by encouraging and accommodating alternate transportation modes. Traditional Neighborhood Developments also have a higher potential for capturing internal trips, thus reducing vehicle miles traveled. 

A dense network of narrow streets with reduced curb radii is fundamental to Traditional Neighborhood Development design. This network of streets serves to both slow and disperse vehicular traffic and provide a pedestrian friendly atmosphere. The overall function, comfort and safety of a multipurpose or “shared” street are more important than its vehicular efficiency alone.

Traditional Neighborhood Developments have a high proportion of interconnected streets, sidewalks and paths. Streets and rights of ways are shared between vehicles (moving and parked), bicycles and pedestrians. The dense network of TND streets functions in an interdependent manner, providing continuous routes that enhance non-vehicular travel. Most Traditional Neighborhood Development streets are designed to minimize through traffic by the design of the street and the location of land uses. Streets are designed to only be as wide as needed to accommodate the usual vehicular mix for that street while providing adequate access for moving vans, garbage trucks, fire engines and school buses.

The Intent of the Traditional Neighborhood Development is that the development encourage walking and biking, enhance transit service opportunities, and improve traffic safety through promoting low speed, cautious driving while fully accommodating the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists.

That such developments should have the potential to reduce the number of external vehicle trips, and thus vehicle miles traveled, by 15% or more through provision of commercial, recreational and other resident-oriented destinations within a walkable community. That traffic impacts, both on-site and off-site, should be minimized.

Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) seeks to remedy the most pressing problems associated with recent suburban expansion - low-density, auto-oriented development, single-use developments lacking in context and distinction as a unique community.

Automobile dependence results from the segmentation of residential, commercial, and industrial uses as is often required in modern zoning. This design practice results in the loss of community vitality and makes neighborhoods unwelcoming to pedestrians and bicyclists. It also increases traffic. However zoning utilizing TND development that mixes uses in a compact area and forms can achieve a high quality neighborhood.

By promoting development in existing neighborhoods and village areas using Traditional Neighborhood Development, municipalities can take advantage of existing infrastructure instead of building new. Within greenfield projects, the very compact nature of a TND also reduces infrastructure costs.

Mixed-use projects reduce the need for total vehicle trips. In addition, residents within these projects are able to reduce households expenses associated with car trips. The normal level of constant activity associated with mixed-use projects also improves the sense of security.

By adopting design guidelines or form-based codes as a part of a Traditional Neighborhood Development overlay zone instead of the conventional zoning standards, municipalities can more closely regulate the design and character of development. The result can be better utilization of land area, improved tax benefits, and lower capital costs. When correctly designed, the costs to the developers are returned with higher value projects.

By specifying design standards to the developers who are financing the Traditional Neighborhood Developments, municipalities can use the project investment to create safer streets and public open spaces. By capitalizing on the strength of the local housing market and broader economic and market trends which are favoring TND, municipalities can build on the demand for New Urbanist, village style development.

By improving the potential for development in the existing village and town centers and adjoining sites, not only can municipalities capitalize on the existing infrastructure, they can also benefit from the tax returns to the community as a whole form a reinvigorated commercial center.

What is Urban Land Use Planning?

There are many definitions for Urban Land Use Planning. One that we like is by the Canadian Institute of Planners which defines Urban Land Use Planning as "the scientific, aesthetic, and orderly disposition of land, resources, facilities and services with a view to securing the physical, economic and social efficiency, health and well-being of urban and rural communities"

The purpose of Urban Land Use Planning is to help insure and optimize the social and environmental aspects of land-use. Urban Land Use Planning at the city and local levels is committed to the various public and private interests and based on the principle of the public interest.

_______________________________________________________

How we make and distribute electricity is changing! 

The electric power generation, transmission and distribution system (the electric "grid") is changing and evolving from the electric grid of the 19th and 20th centuries, which was inefficient, highly-polluting, very expensive and “dumb.”  

The "old" way of generating and distributing energy resembles this slide:

_______________________________________________________

Renewable Energy Institute

Copyright © 2005
All Rights Reserved