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Sustainability at ORNL > Questions, Comments, Ideas > Information Exchange

1/8/2010

infrared scanning to detect air leakage and insulation gaps in buildings
I am in Bldg 6012 and our offices seem to be drafty, especially under our A/C units. It is more noticeable during cold days.  Perhaps energy auditors can use infrared scanning to detect air leakage or gaps in insulation for buildings at the Lab.
Posted at 2:49 PM by D'Azevedo, Ed F. | Category: Saving energy at ORNL | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/6/2010

Green Office competition
The City of Chicago's "Green Office Challenge" is a competition between companies and property owners to see who can implement the most green practices. See their website. (I see that the place where my son works is a participant.)

The program isn't entirely applicable to ORNL, but I think something similar could be done as a competition between divisions.
Posted at 6:04 PM by Smith, Ellen D. | Category: Saving energy at ORNL | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

5/11/2009

Rooftop Container Gardens
There is plenty of rooftop space around the lab, that could serve as container gardening space for lab employees. This would give people a convenient space for a quick break and an easy outlet for their green thumbs.
 
If the rooftops prove too logistically difficult, then street level container gardens would be a good option. Several plots around the campus could be set aside so that people wouldn't have far to go to take a look at their plants. To speed things up, people could take greater advantage of the Bike It Green program.
 
Either approach would circumnavigate our legacy issues.
Posted at 8:01 AM by Livesay, Jake | Category: ORNL grounds and landscaping | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/25/2009

Composting from Work
I bought a small plastic wastebasket and placed it next to the aluminum can recycling barrel in our office kitchen. I added signs that say:
 
Compost
-Apple cores, banana peels, etc...
-Tea Bags
-Coffee Grounds
-Paper Towels
 
I'll collect it at the end of the week and add it to my home composter (an Earth Machine). This diverts a little of waste from the landfill and helps my garden at the same time.
Posted at 6:09 PM by Livesay, Jake | Category: ORNL grounds and landscaping | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/15/2009

Knox Urban Evolution
An event called the Knox Urban Evolution will be held on Friday, May 1, 6-10 pm, at:
 
8 Shooters Studio
1200 N Central St
Knoxville, TN 37917
 
There will be art and photography related to urban agriculture, as well as people representing several local initiatives. There will be free plants, tips, and techniques for found-container gardening and lots of new contacts.
 
Come and celebrate the planting season with open minded folks. Please feel free to contact me for further details and a flier or check on line at: http://tinrockets.blogspot.com/2009/04/knox-urban-evolution-gallery-show.html.
Posted at 10:19 AM by Livesay, Jake | Category: Events | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/6/2009

More road shoulders would contribute to bike safety
Extending the shoulders on Bethel Valley Road all the way to Scarboro Road and adding shoulders on Scarboro Road would make bike riding to work safer and encourage more people to ride their bikes, thus saving gas.

Each day I ride my bike to work, I save about a gallon of gas since the round trip for me is 20 miles. The ride takes about 45 minutes each way.
Posted at 10:32 AM by Barron Jr, Tom O. | Category: ORNL transportation and parking | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)

3/6/2009

Coffee grounds and tea bags
The coffee grounds and tea bags used every day across the lab could be used as soil amendments. People could take them home at the end of the week or drop them off somewhere for the landscapers, to be worked into the soil.
 
Composting could also be done with the kitchen waste from the cafeteria. This would be especially nice if vegetable gardening were done onsite.
Posted at 1:39 PM by Livesay, Jake | Category: ORNL grounds and landscaping | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2/17/2009

Reset traffic light at 1st Avenue and Bethel Valley Road
Christine Goudy suggests:

At ORNL, set the 1st Avenue Signal to respond more quickly to traffic attempting to turn left onto Bethel Valley Road. Even late in the evening with no one in sight, the signal still takes a while to turn green for traffic exiting from 1st Avenue onto Bethel Valley Road. Idling engines waste gas and put exhaust compounds into the air.
Posted at 9:34 AM by Salk, Marti | Category: ORNL transportation and parking | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (3)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs
Christine Goudy comments:

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are very energy efficient, but no local communities are making it possible to easily dispose of them properly. I didn't even know they are considered hazardous waste when we started using them in California several years ago. We suspect many people are still just dumping them in the trash, where they end up in landfills. If CFLs are going to be environmentally and energy friendly, disposal must be part of every community's normal trash/waste management system. If we had small bins specially marked, we could just gather bulbs as they wear out and have them picked up.
Posted at 9:20 AM by Salk, Marti | Category: Disposal | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)

2/16/2009

Applying expertise at the Lab on home energy issues
Steve Withrow suggests:

ORNL is learning a lot about making homes more energy efficient. Is this new sustainability website a suitable place to tap into the expertise here at the lab to get advice about home energy issues? I'd like to see an 'ask the expert' blog here.
Posted at 12:35 PM by Salk, Marti | Category: Share ORNL expertise | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)
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