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Lead-based Paint Dangerous for Children

Young children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning since they are more likely to ingest lead paint chips, flakes, or dust and are more sensitive to the adverse health effects of lead. Elevated lead levels in young children can trigger

• learning disabilities
• decreased growth
• hyperactivity
• impaired hearing
• brain damage

Lead can be found in a number of places inside and outside the home. For example, lead can be found in household dust from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into the house. It can also be found in drinking water coming from old lead pipes, fixtures and solder.

"Childhood lead poisoning is easily preventable with the right information and awareness. This grant will help Arizona tribal communities raise awareness about preventing lead's adverse health effects," said Administrator Jackson. "This project is an important example of the efforts happening across the country to protect our children from a major health threat."

Lead-based Paint Outreach to Native American Tribes

The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona is developing culturally specific outreach materials to educate tribal families, especially parents of young children, and tribal staff on the health risks to children from exposure to lead-based paint.

Lead Awareness for Facility Maintenance Personnel

The program specifically reaches out to facility maintenance personnel to stress the importance of using lead-safe work practices when renovating buildings.

The use of lead-based paint in U.S. residential housing was banned in 1978.

Approximately 75% of the U.S. housing stock built before 1978, or 64 million homes, contain some lead-based paint.

For information on EPA's lead paint program, go to: http://www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/lead

For information on lead in paint, dust and soil, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead

For information on protecting your family from lead hazards, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#where

California regulators have approved using residential "gray water" by issuing an emergency decision that allows residents to create simple water-reuse systems without a construction permit.

The California Building Standards Commission had expected an overhaul of gray-water rules to take effect in 2011. But on Thursday, it adopted the regulations on an emergency basis due to the deepening drought. Local health agencies may adopt stricter conditions than the state's after they hold public hearings.

Gray water includes wastewater from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks, laundry tubs and washing machines, but not from toilets, kitchen sinks or dishwashers.

Homeowners still must follow state guidelines for installation and use. The rules require minimal contact between people and the gray water, for instance by covering the water-release point with at least 2 inches of rock, mulch or other material.

'GRAY WATER' FACTS

New state rules provide permit exemptions for some residential gray-water systems, but people still have to follow several requirements. They include:

 The system must allow users to direct water to an irrigation field or the sewer.

 Ponding and gray-water runoff are prohibited.

 Gray water can be released above ground, but the discharge point must be covered by at least 2 inches of mulch, rock or other material that minimizes human contact.

 Water used to wash diapers or other soiled garments must be sent to the sewer.

 Gray water shouldn't be used on root vegetables.

Online: For more information about California's new standards for gray-water systems, go to uniontrib.com/more/gray.

Roughly 1.7 million gray-water systems are installed statewide. Most are illegal because homeowners almost always avoid permits and the associated fees.

Do-it-yourselfers can build a gray-water system for $200 or less, but permitting-process costs can more than double the expense.

A standard home generates about 160 gallons of gray water per day, or nearly 60,000 gallons per year, state officials said. A family of four could reuse 22,000 gallons a year by tapping the rinse water from its washing machine.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is working toward a building energy labeling program  -- the Buliding EQ label.

For years, ASHRAE has sought ways to help move the nation's building stock toward net-zero-energy use.

The new Building Energy Quotient program seeks the answers to that question with metrics for measuring both the energy the building is designed to use and the energy actually being consumed. The ASHRAE program is being designed to close the gaps between intention and operation.

ASHRAE
http://buildingeq.com/

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), HUD was granted authority to provide $250 million in grants and loans and other assistance to increase energy efficiency in the HUD-assisted, project-based, multifamily stock.

HUD will begin accepting application for the Green Retrofit Program (GRP) beginning June 15, 2009. The amount of a green retrofit grant or loan can be up to $15,000 a unit and is expected to average less than $10,000 a unit across all funded projects. Though the requirements and details differ by eligible housing program, in general, the funds are to be used to reduce ongoing utility consumption, benefit resident health, or to benefit the wider environment. The projects are expected to be completed within 12 months and in no event should work extend more than 24 months. 

The program is being administered by HUD's Office of Affordable Housing Preservation (OAHP), which also operates the Mark-to-Market Green Initiative.  Though the GRP is a distinct program, it shares some elements of the existing program, including some of the Mark-to-Market terminology. In some instances, OAHP may make Green Retrofit funds contingent on the owner's agreement to a Mark-to-Market debt restructuring.

Full details, including a list of eligible programs and activities, can be found in Housing Notice 09-02, released May 13, 2009, and is available at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page?_pageid=153,7940934&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

On May 6, the secretaries of HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed an MOU  to facilitate use of DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funding in public housing and privately owned, federally assisted housing properties.

HUD-Qualified Housing
Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)

these properties, which are designated as "HUD-Qualified Housing," as well as those funded with the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) have sufficient income verification and rent controls to essentially prequalify them for the income and rent restrictions of the DOE's WAP program.

The WAP program requires that the households assisted have incomes no greater than two times the federal poverty level. In addition, when the funds are used in multifamily buildings, there must be sufficient controls to assure that WAP funded improvements are not used by owners to unduly raise rents and burden the low income people the program is intended to benefit.

Specifically, the MOU states that DOE will accept HUD's and the LIHTC program's beneficiary income eligibility determination and ongoing verification for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

To facilitate this, HUD will give DOE a list of "HUD-Qualified Housing" and LIHTC projects, and within 60 days HUD and DOE will provide joint guidance to states for evaluating income eligibility in order to implement the MOU. The agencies will also organize joint forums to educate stakeholders.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) provided $16 billion to DOE and HUD to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. The Weatherization Assistance Program, which has been funded in recent years at roughly $250 million, received an additional $5 billion in ARRA. Similarly, HUD received $4.5 billion in new funding to renovate and upgrade public housing and $250 million to retrofit the privately owned, federally assisted housing.

The MOU is at www.hud.gov/recovery/doemoucombined.pdf

Construction debris (C&D) is one of the largest contributors to landfills.  And landfills are the largest contributor to methane gas emissions to the atmosphere -- which is the greatest contributor to climate change.  So...when you are remodeling, think about reducing your waste, and sending the rest of it out for recycling...not feeding the landfill system.  And don't forget to request "RECYCLED CONTENT" in your new installations. Let's put demand in the right place!

Recycling is nothing new, but few among us have seen what happens to our plastic, paper, metal, and glass once it departs from our blue, curbside bins.

The photographer Mathieu Young takes us on an enlightening tour of the Waste Management Materials Recovery Facility in Pico Rivera, California.

This recycling operation in Southern California is a single facility that sorts nearly 6,000 tons of material per month, and it's quite a load to take in.

The Waste Management Pico Rivera MRF is a privately owned and operated 39,000 square foot recycling facility that sorts 5,800 tons of material per month.