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WGK |
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Engineers & Surveyors |
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Volume 1, Issue 12, July 1, 2009 |
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One
of the Twelve TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os
Hillman 2 Corinthians 5:15 It is believed that there were about 5,000
believers during the time of Christ. Among those believers, it was thought
there were three types. The largest number of believers were those who came
to Jesus for salvation. They served Him little beyond coming to Him to
receive salvation. A much smaller number, say 500, actually followed Him and
served Him. Then, there were the disciples. These were those who identified
with Jesus. They lived the life that Jesus lived. Each of these ultimately
died in difficult circumstances. They experienced the hardships, the
miracles, and the fellowship with God in human form. |
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There’s been a lot of attention in the
news lately about going “GREEN.” Is this just the latest buzzword in the
never-ending quest to be the most politically correct? Amongst all the hype and hyperbole, is
there really something of value to be gained from green projects and
programs? Possibly - but where to start? The discussion of green construction
inevitably begins with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and their
process of certification. The
“Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” better known as LEED, is a program whereby a building
project earns points for being designed and built in an environmentally
friendly manner. Facilities are judged
by their performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:
sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials
selection and indoor environmental quality.
Certifications are tiered based upon the number of points earned:
Certified (40–49 points), Silver (50–59 points), Gold (60–79 points) and
Platinum (80 points and above). While
LEED was intended to be a voluntary system, many government agencies are now
requiring certification for new construction.
Beyond government mandates, what are the costs and benefits of
LEED? A study done by the American
Chemistry Council found the additional design, commissioning, and
administration required for LEED certification would add between 1.5% to 3.1%
to the total construction costs. The
study further found that green products would add between 3% to 8% to the
cost of a “typically” constructed building.
Keeping these costs in mind, a study by New Buildings Institute of 121
LEED certified facilities showed average LEED energy use was 25-30% better
than the National average. |
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A forerunner of the LEED program is
“Energy Star.” You’ve probably seen
those little stickers on the appliances at Cowboy Maloney’s, but Energy Star
is about much more than an energy efficient washing machine. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy whose goal
is to “help us all save money and protect the environment through energy
efficient products and practices.” One
way they do this is by providing facility owners with online tools to help
track current energy usage and provide help in setting goals to reduce
consumption. Naturally, achieving
performance standards can earn bragging rights in the “Energy Star Challenge”
and maybe one of those nifty little stickers to place on your building. But the real reward is in terms of the
dollars saved through reduced energy consumption. Many communities are trying
to green up their image through implementing the International Energy
Conservation Code (IECC). In
communities where these standards are codified into the local building codes,
developers are required to show compliance through the use of U.S. Department
of Energy software called “ResCheck” (for residential construction) and
“ComCheck” (for commercial construction).
These free programs allows developers to enter all the design
parameters related to energy consumption in the facility (types of insulation,
windows, HVAC, etc) and produce a yes/no response with regard to code
compliance. Not to be outdone, the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (better known as the Stimulus Bill) has
provisions in it requiring “green” benefits from a portion of proposed
projects. For example: ·
$16.8 billion to the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy divided across several programs. ·
$4,500,000,000 for measures necessary to convert GSA
facilities to High-Performance Green Buildings. ·
$4,000,000,000 for capitalization grants for the Clean
Water State Revolving Funds and $2,000,000,000 for capitalization grants Safe
Drinking Water Revolving Funds with 20 percent of the funds for projects to
address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency improvements or
other environmentally innovative activities. ·
$250,000,000 for grants or loans for energy retrofit and
green investments in assisted housing. It would seem it’s not so easy being
green. Given all the government plans
and programs with their endless administrative requirements, is there an easier
way to improve efficiency without
the need for all the overhead? To put
it another way, is there a lighter shade of green? Here are few things to consider to help
become a little greener AND save money in the process: ·
Green practices in construction: A Google search produced 1.25 million hits
for “green construction” containing such simple solutions as passive solar
design, shade trees, and energy efficient windows. Use the tools and advice from programs like
LEED and Energy Star to the maximum extent possible. You don’t have to get “certified” to take
advantage of their shared expertise. ·
Tighten up your sewers:
By reducing infiltration and inflow, you reduce the amount of water
requiring pumping and treating, thereby saving energy and extending equipment
life. ·
Track water utilization:
Compare water usage with billing.
How much is lost? Where did it
go? Wasting water wastes money. ·
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: According to Energy Star, “An ENERGY STAR
qualified compact fluorescent light bulb will save about $30 over its
lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy
and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.” ·
Timing Traffic Lights: The National Transportation
Operations Coalition (NTOC) National Traffic Signal Report Card (2007)
estimated fuel consumption reductions of up to 10 percent for improved
traffic light timing. A driver who
uses one tank of gas a week would save five full tanks per year per household,
or approximately $240. Nationwide, this
would amount to a savings of almost 17 billion gallons of motor fuel per
year. The
amount of information and advice can sometimes seem overwhelming. Consider
what you hear and read critically and adopt practices based upon what makes
the most sense for your community.
While being “certified-green” may not be easy, there are many
opportunities short of certification to decrease your environmental footprint
and save money in the process. A greener environment need not cost a lot
of green nor leave you feeling green around the gills. Article by:
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HAPPY 4th OF JULY FROM WGK
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Are you
STRESSED Out?
Other serious health problems also can cause some
of these symptoms so if you’re not sure if STRESS
is the cause or if you’ve taken steps to control your STRESS but symptoms continue, see your
doctor. Also, if you have chest pain,
that especially occurs during physical activity or is accompanied by
shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea or pain radiating into your
shoulder and arm, get emergency help immediately. These signs and symptoms may indicate a
heart attack and not simply STRESS symptoms. Some effects of STRESS
on your body are: Headache Chest
pain Heart
disease Heart
palpitations High
blood pressure Stomach
upset Sleep
problems If you have STRESS symptoms, taking steps to manage
your STRESS can have numerous health
benefits. For more information on STRESS management please Click Here. |
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THE WGK TEAM WGK sponsored the Girls Little League Team in Wesson
this summer who called themselves, none other than “The WGK Team.” Pictured below are Jasmine Wilson, Arie
Douglas & Shelby Maxwell who worked together and got someone out at
second base.
9 year old Jasmine Wilson (pictured left) is very proud to
be on the WGK Team and just loves playing.
However, she is “quick” to tell you that she loves Jesus even more
than softball. Jasmine accepted Christ
as her savior and was baptized on Father’s Day of this year. Congratulations to the WGK Girls Little League Team for
representing WGK & to Jasmine for making such a huge decision in her
life. |
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If something is happening in your town/city that you want to
include in this section |
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Balloons,
games, space walk and an assortment of food. Live entertainment
For more information
please call |
Turn off
Hwy 16 at the For more
information please |
An
annual event which offers a Downtown
Waterfront For
more information please call |
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Gold in the Hills Production Gold in
the Hills, the Guinness Book of World Records’ longest continuously-running
melodrama. $10 for adults and $5 Parkside
Playhouse, For further information
please |
Through December 4, 2009 Every first Friday evening from 5:00 pm
until 8:00 pm downtown Historic
Downtown www.natchezdowntown.blogspot.com For
further information please contact |
Mississippi
Championship
For further information please contact Alvin Davis at
601-859-4358. |
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