One of the ten best in the country, says Natural Home Magazine

Pringle Creek Community is on Natural Home Magazine’s list of the top ten green housing developments. It’s a ten-way tie; the developments are listed alphabetically by city. In addition to recognizing the potential for carbon-neutral living and net-zero energy homes at Pringle Creek (all Pringle Creek homes are expected to achieve LEED-Silver, Gold or Platinum), the magazine takes note of these great features:

• Geothermal heating in 70 homes, commercial and mixed-use buildings
• Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber
• Green restoration of historic buildings and greenhouses
• Porous asphalt street system for managing rainwater
• Onsite biodiesel co-op; community flex car (car-sharing)
• Creek and wetlands restoration; tree preservation plan
• Community garden and orchards

Three other developments from the Pacific Northwest made the list: Issaquah Highlands and High Point from the Seattle area, and Helensview from the Portland area.

Thank you Statesman Journal for reporting on Pringle Creek making this list.

"Green" asphalt

Pringle Creek and its amazing porous asphalt are the cover story of the Aphalt Pavement Association of Oregon’s magazine. Online the issue is a large (3MB) pdf: Forget Yellow Brick Roads, Think Green Asphalt Streets! Good title.

Pringle Creek developers are not among the skeptics. The community is the first of significant size to use 100% permeable pavement in its streets. And with 9,000 linear feet of streets and alleyways, it is believed to be the largest residential application of porous asphalt in the country.
“Sustainability is the real motivator for us,” said Don Myers, Pringle Creek project manager and president of Sustainable Development, Inc. in Salem. “People are drawn to it, and it supports our company’s philosophy of environmental stewardship,” he added.

The article has a full technical explanation of how the roads were built, how the pavement works. I prefer to think it’s magic. Watch our little 10-second video below and tell me it’s not magical.

Marion County leads state in recycling

Congratulations to our friends at Marion County Public Works – Environmental Services. Marion County is leading the state in recycling and composting. We have a 57.5 percent recovery rate. Well done, folks.

That 57.5 percent is slightly higher than the other counties in the Willamette Valley and the Portland Metro area; it is significantly higher than the counties throughout the rest of the state. In fact, statewide, the material recovery rate is falling and per-capita waste generation is rising. “Oregonians are generating waste at record-high levels,” 3,122 pounds per Oregonian per year. The goal has been to stay at the same level but it has gone up 4.1 percent.

Paragraphs below are from the DEQ press release:

In 2006, the state posted a 47.6 percent recovery rate, down from 2005’s 49.1 percent and short of the 2009 goal of 50 percent. The total amount of waste recovered increased slightly in 2006, but the amount of waste generated increased even more.

What Consumers Can Do

DEQ’s Web site offers consumers a series of tips, fact sheets and other documents they can use to help them make the best choices in dealing with their solid waste and other forms of pollution. Please go to DEQ’s Solid Waste Web page. DEQ’s Sustainability Web page also contains additional consumer tips [including] 10 ways consumers can prevent pollution, conserve resources and save money.

Think and give rice

Here is a website I don't mind promulgating (is that correct usage?). It’s Freerice.com. If you surf over there and test your knowledge by answering multiple choice vocabulary questions, your correct answers, if you have any, will cause a donation of rice to the UN World Food Program. How cool is that? It's as fun and addictive as solitaire, but it helps your vocabulary and helps the hungry.

The website started on 10/7/07. It has grown quickly and hit a high of 299,292,160 grains of rice donated on 12/5. The daily totals are lower on weekends, suggesting that employers may be the true contributers--maybe I should have qualms (good Scrabble word) about promulgating it after all. Freerice.com is connected to poverty.com, which was started in January by “a private individual” John Breen. Nice going, Mr. Breen.

Oregon can be a leader in sustainability

Almost a year ago we wrote about, with some excitement, the Oregon Leadership Summit #5 and how the business leaders in Oregon were committing to branding our state and region as world leaders of sustainable development. Summit #6, held earlier this week in Portland, focused on “taking this commitment to the next stage of action.”

The big topics of the day were “moving forward on transportation” and "proposals to gain green advantage." Dignataries participating in the summit included our governor, both US senators, and several state representatives and senators. Several new initiative proposals were prepared for discussion, such as Oregon as a Center for Sustainability Learning by Mark Edlen of Gerding/Edlen Development and Sue Bragdon of the Oregon University System.

The Oregonian article about the summit is not particularly encouraging. I like this part:

Attendees were asked to vote electronically on the question, "Do you support the Oregon Business Plan's strategy to distinguish Oregon as a global leader in sustainable economic development?"

Of the 600 or so who voted, 96 percent clicked on their remote-control voting machines that they supported or strongly supported the move. Three percent said they were neutral, while 1 percent was strongly opposed.

With that kind of support, we should be moving full steam ahead. But the article goes on to focus on participants who are concerned that promoting sustainability won’t bring in many manufacturing or other middle class jobs. To me, new manufacturing opportunities are part of the solution, but I thought the whole idea was to brand Oregon as sustainable and green in order to attract the new generation of green businesses and manufacturing jobs. Transportation alternatives, innovation, energy-efficiency, local food and a healthy environment are even more critical factors as we move forward into the knowledge and experience economies.

Let’s hope Oregon’s leaders came away from the conference with new energy. With Oregon's green reputation, leveraging a statewide mission and vision is just sitting in front of us. Pringle Creek, with its national green development award, has proven itself a showcase for this vision. I would like to see the rest of Salem doing more to connect to this huge movement. Oregon’s capital should be emblematic of sustainability and connected to this mega-trend.

Cottage Home #1 is award finalist!

Number one in so many ways already.
Pringle Creek Community’s first home, Cottage Home #1, is the first LEED-Platinum home in the Northwest and the highest point-getter in the highest LEED category (see here). Now it has a chance to win a gold award at the 2008 Energy Value Housing Awards.

The awards program, in its 13th year, is put on by the National Association of Home Builders. The program “was created to help educate the home building industry and the public about successful approaches to energy-efficient construction that can be implemented by mainstream builders.”

The 2008 winners will be announced at the EVHA banquet during the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida. Cottage Home #1 is a finalist in the “Production” category for the “Moderate” climate region. It is also in the running for the Builder of the Year award and the People's Choice award (you might get a chance to vote on the latter--if so, we will certainly let you know).

You may be thinking, “What is so special about this house that makes it a gold award contender?” If you want to read about the great features and benefits of this state-of-the-art home, click here.

Tokyo International University visits Pringle Creek

Last week, a group of students from Tokyo International University (which has a satellite campus at Willamette U) came by to learn about Pringle Creek. They had a great time touring around and were very engaged. The streets in particular amazed them; they videotaped a bucket of water being poured onto the street and vanishing into the porous asphalt (they all cheered and clapped loudly). They also were amazed by the massive wood beams we have in storage. These beams were milled onsite from winter blow-downs and hazard trees that will have a second life in new construction (instead of firewood). A cultural difference: Before the students went into the Cottage Home to look around, everyone removed their shoes and lined them up perfectly together, neatly. Typically students need to be asked to remove their shoes, which they then toss willy nilly on the porch.

These students have spent the last year living and studying in Oregon and are on their way back to Japan in December. They said what they loved most about Oregon was “all the beautiful nature.”

--santiago

First custom house

A couple weeks ago the permit was pulled on the home of Alan and Sue Wilson [introduced back in May, here]. Soon after that, the footing was poured. It was a beautiful fall day at Pringle Creek--the sunset maples in full glory.

The Wilson's home is the first custom house coming out of the ground. Phil Klaus of Spectra Construction is the builder. It will be a “tall house,” a wonderful, unique three-story design. The garage is tucked underneath, on the ground level, along with a bonus space that can be office, studio, guestroom, whatever. The second floor includes an open floor plan with living room, kitchen and dining room. Upstairs are the master bedroom suite and two additional bedrooms.

The Wilson’s house is slated for LEED gold. We're really going to enjoy watching this new housing style go up. Welcome to the neighborhood Alan and Sue!

Don Myers

Green tips

Pringle Creek Community is a pretty big project and features numerous cutting-edge sustainability features. It also incorporates New Urbanist planning ideas to foster community. We believe these are part of path to a better future. We applaud other developments doing similar things. We hope there will be many who follow our direction. In other words, we hope what we’re doing is part of something bigger.

In the same way, we all have to hope that when we make personal consumption changes--like installing an efficient showerhead--it leads to a greater movement by others who try to make a better future by making many little lifestyle changes.

Here is a website, The Daily Green, that we like. We have added to our list of websites on this page. This web publication regularly offers up new tips on greener living. You can sign up to get an email sent regularly.

Here’s my tip: Why not pack up your roller blades and ride your bike out to Pringle Creek for an hour of fun and fitness on our pervious streets, sidewalks and trails. It's just good to get outside and enjoy the fall colors.

Green + Solar Tour a Great Success

With over 350 participants and broad community support, the first-ever Salem Green + Solar Home Tour was a great success! Participants particularly enjoyed talking with homeowners at each of the 11 sites about the designs and products they’ve installed in their homes, from solar hot water systems to bamboo flooring. There were different types of homes represented on the tour, from single family to mixed-use condo, new construction to a 100-year-old remodel, a 3,000 sqft house to a 400 sqft house. The reception afterwards, at Pringle Creek, had over 150 people and was a lot of fun. I think the participants appreciated Pringle Creek’s involvement as host of the reception, and that we are an active supporter of the larger Salem community.

There was tremendous positive feedback and we will definitely be doing this event again next year. Thanks to the homeowners who opened their doors to the public and facilitated this valuable exchange of ideas. Also a special thanks to our community sponsors--your generous support made it happen.

--santiago