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Is Philly Building aAuthor: Steve Zwick
$438-Million Stormwater Market?
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Philadelphia Taps Stormwater Fees to Finance Green Infrastructure
NRDC Report: Rooftop to Rivers II
Green City, Clean Waters Brochure
This is the second in a continuing series. You will find Part One, Philadelphia Taps Stormwater Fees to Finance Green Infrastructure, here.Tweet
11 May 2012 | Alisa Valderrama was working on energy efficiency projects when she heard about what her colleagues in NRDC's Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Water Program were working on in Philadelphia.
More precisely, Valderrama, who is a Senior Project Finance Attorney with NRDC's three-year-old three-year-old Center For Market Innovation, was identifying finding ways to monetize long-term energy savings so that building owners could either borrow against them or offer them as future income to finance energy-efficiency retrofits to their buildings when she heard that the city of Philadelphia was offering financial rewards to property owners who retrofitted their parcels with green infrastructure like rooftop gardens, absorbant sidewalks, and grassy parking lots like the one at right.
"That's when it just clicked," she says. "We were thinking, 'Hey this sounds like the way we think about energy efficiency finance,' and we started to take a closer look."
Philadelphia's plan, which we outlined last week, grew out of the city's need to upgrade its ageing sewage system – much of which is devoted to handling stormwater runoff from parking lots and roofs. The first thing the city did was work to re-align financial incentives for non-residential property owners. Instead of charging stormwater fees based on the amount of water the property owner buys from the city, the city is phasing in a stormwater fee structure that is based on the amount of impervious surface area on a given parcel. Under the new system, property owners can get a substantial "credit" against their fee for impervious square feet that they replace with "green" infrastructure – meaning anything that can absorb up to an inch of rainfall all at once.
When companies with lots of concrete balked at the hefty new fees, the city offered to let them write off their upgrade costs against future stormwater fees. That takes out some of the sting, but still leaves companies with a hefty up-front cost and benefits that take years to materialize. If they wanted the green discount, they'd have to dig into their own pockets now or borrow.
NRDC had already been working with the Philadelphia Water Department on the new stormwater policy, and to help think more precisely opportunities for private investors in Philadelphia, given the new incentives to install green infrastructure, NRDC called in EKO Asset Management Partners.
The topic of financing green infrastructure retrofits was also attractive because the issues Philadelphia is facing are not unique.
"We knew that lots of cities like Philadelphia are facing enormous challenges when it comes to improving water quality in their communities, and it is all the more challenging at this moment- when grant funds from federal or state governments are scarce, and cities are less willing – or less able – to rely on their credit rating for the financing of long-term investments in traditional stormwater solutions," says Valderrama. "So we decided to see what we could come up with in terms of private capital solutions for green infrastructure."
A Financing Smorgasbord
The result is "Financing Stormwater Retrofits in Philadelphia and Beyond", which – as the name implies – bases its analysis on the Philadelphia case but aims to look beyond the Philly program and offer initial suggestions for how private capital can be leveraged in cities looking to utilize green infrastructure to manage stormwater. policy
Better Than EnergyThe energy efficiency space hasn't grown as quickly as expected, but Valderrama believes green infrastructure will be different.
"The primary problem with energy efficiency is that, in many cases, building owners can't be bothered," she says. "Sure, there is some 2% or 5% of commercial 'Class A' building owners who are ahead of the curve and realize energy efficiency is about being a smart owner, or because they are trying to attract blue chip tenants, but for the most part commercial building owners are worried about a lot of other problems before they start thinking about an efficiency retrofit to their building."
Energy cost, she points out, rarely top 10% of a building's net operating expenses, and any benefits go to the tenants in the form of lower energy costs and not to owners under the lease structures that prevail in many commercial leases.
But there's also the fact that those savings come at the whim of the energy sector – and those prices can change over time, as well as being subject to fluctuations in user behavior.
"With green infrastructure, at least in Philadelphia, you have a case where property owners have seen their fees go up several times over in many cases through the conversion to the new parcel-based billing," she says. "These are new costs to building owners, so there's going to be a more finite and concrete appetite to get those new costs down."
Not only are they more visible, but the risk of failure may be lower, because green retrofits are low-tech and their performance doesn't change with occupancy rates or lazy tenants. They are also easier to predict -- in Philly's case, once the owner shows the city that they have "greened" their parcel, the fee reductions are set for four years.
The Potential
Philadelphia's new fee structure impacts roughly 90,000 commercial properties, and the report examined just two categories: the 100 that pay the most in stormwater fees under the new pricing structure, and the next 1300 – which are all those that pay $1,000 or more each month.
They estimate that it will cost $115 million to retrofit the top 100 and $470 million to retrofit the other 1300. That's a total of $558 million for all properties that pay over $1000 per month. Following the industry standard for commercial real estate finance, if 80 percent of the retrofit cost were financed and 20 percent of the costs were covered by cash from the property owner, the top 100 properties would need $92 million in third-party investment, and the others would need $376 million – a total of $438 million.
That, the report argues, represents an opportunity for financiers who are able to measure and manage the risks associated with such projects.
The ChallengesLike any opportunity, this one has many potential pitfalls. To begin with, you'd have to convince lenders that the loans are secure – and that's no easy task. First, commercial real estate properties tend to be owned by limited partnerships, which means there's limited security from parent companies. Because they would likely become fixtures on the property once installed, the green infrastructure installations themselves are weak collateral.
Also, there's the fact that most commercial property mortgage covenants make it hard if not impossible to attach additional debt to a property. That means the current owner would be stuck holding the debt if he wants to sell the building, while any potential buyers or their tenants would receive the benefits.
That leaves the future avoided costs as the only asset, but stormwater fees aren't necessarily written in stone, either. Yes, they may be more predictable than energy prices, but they do change.
Proposed SolutionsThe paper offers a series of solutions which are too long for us to go into here, but here's a sampling:
Next week, we'll hear how The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) efforts harvest similar mechanisms to fund larger green infrastructure projects across larger areas.
Please see our Reprint Guidelines for details on republishing our articles.
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FLOWOOD - With Brandon's Morgan Roberson 12 yards away and no help from teammates, Zach Vickers knew which way to lead him.
Vickers, Northwest Rankin's goalie, dove to his right to stop a penalty kick by Roberson on Friday during the scoreless first half of the Cougars' 3-1 victory.
"I sort of make my own move," Vickers said. "I step to the left and force him to go right. Right is my good side." ...


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Most games are written with the intent of one locale's audience. Localization, either on the part of the game developer or a third-party group, allows gamers from around the world to enjoy the experience of that game.
Questions under the purview of this tag deal with how to prepare for localization, what tasks must be done, and the reasons one might invest in it.


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For a brief moment, Elkin's Main St. looked more like downtown Winston-Salem last Thursday night with adults and teens catering to their demographic.
The Liberty, the estimated $1.8 million redevelopment of an old tobacco warehouse converted into a banquet, office, and retail facility played host for politicos from around the county in a reception.
Twenty One and Main, a notable fine dining eatery located on the corner of Bridge St. and E. Main St. had a consistent amount of patrons for a typical Thursday summer night, said one of the hosts.
The political notables and restaurant patrons though were outnumbered by teens who flowed into Fiddles Pub located on the west side of Main St.
Teens came out to support AJ Mantero, daughter of the owners of Fiddles Pub, who showcased her song "Always be the Same." The track, available on iTunes, was produced by Andrew Lane, the 2012 Billboard award-winning producer who worked with artists such as Backstreet Boys and Irene Cara, and is known for his work with "High School Musical," "Hannah Montana," "Disneymania 4," and "Manny Fresh."
In addition to AJ's performance, the surprise of the evening was a trio "garage-type" band from Elkin called The Lone Rangers who dazzled its guests with its no-frills style of covering songs.
The trio are Jonah Christian, Nate Hunter, and Hunter Norris, all 15-years-old from Elkin High School.
"We had a talent show in 7th grade middle school. We were desperate for a name, and the name was pretty funny. We stuck with it," said Norris when asked how the band name was developed.
"We're looking for a few more gigs," said Hunter.
According to Fiddles Pub owner, LeAnne Mantero, the showing at Fiddles for Thursday night by teens is a clear indicator that local kids have talent and need a location to showcase their stuff.
"These kids are great, right? You know, it's not a bad idea for us to consider holding an 'under 21' night and give an outlet for kids too," said LeAnne Mantero. "We'll bring The Lone Rangers back too."
Mantero indicated that she is considering dedicating the first Thursday night of each month for teenagers to showcase talent at Fiddles.
Thursday night wasn't a late night for AJ Mantero. On early Friday morning, AJ Mantero departed to California, as she has been cast for the Matthew Parry-Jones film called "Charlie's Messenger."
"AJ has a lead role in the film," said her film publicist.
Reach Anthony Gonzalez at 835-1513 or email at email@example.com


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It'll be a wild weather day in Vermont Wednesday and Wednesday night as we've got a variety of strange things to deal with as a strong cold front approaches.
I call this kitchen sink weather, because we're basically going to get everything but the kitchen sink in the weather department throught Thursday.
It fits the pattern of this month, that's for sure. The weather's been crazy, with wide, abrupt swings in temperature here in Vermont. Same has been true for the United States as a whole. And worldwide, there's been a huge burst of extreme weather over the past few weeks, with all time record heat in some places, brutal cold in others, and some terribly destructive storms.
Here in Vermont, the wind was already howling outside my window in St. Albans as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Most of the four inches of snow we got the other day has melted as temperatures warmed into the low 40s overnight.
There was still a bit of freezing rain in the Northeast Kingdom as of 5:30 a.m., but that was destined to end soon.
The strong south winds will take over the rest of the day, bringing temperatures up into record territory. Burlington has an unusually low daily record high today of 45 degrees, so we should easily exceed that. It was already 41 degrees as of 5 a.m in Burlington.
Today's record highs of 49 in Montpelier, 50 in St. Johnsbury and 51 in Rutland will also be challenged.
The biggest problem with this strong storm, which has been spinning up tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in the southern United States overnight, is heavy rain.
The air is exceptionally moist for this time of year and oddly warm. The cold snap coming in behind the front is about average for this time of year. The strong contrast between the two air masses will create some pretty heavy rain as the front comes into Vermont later today and tonight.
A lot of places in Vermont will get an inch of rain out of this. Normally, that amount of rain doesn't create much flooding. But the ground is frozen rock solid now, so almost none of the rain will soak into the ground. The rain will combine with melting snow to create plenty of runoff.
Add to that ice on rivers that could create ice jams, and culverts and ditches hopelessly plugged up with ice left over from last week's deep freeze, and you can see why there might be some flooding problems around Vermont tonight and Thursday morning.
There might even be a rumble or two of thunder in Vermont tonight as the weather front enters the picture. If that happens, it would make it twice this month there's been thunder in Vermont. Two days with thunderstorms in one January is extremely unusual here in the Green Mountain State.
The wind is another problem that will last through most of the day Thursday. The highest winds will blow through the Champlain Valley today, with gusts to around 40 mph.
Overall, the highest winds will come in during the day Thursday. gusting to perhaps 50 mph. That'll be enough to cause some tree and power line damage.
Temperatures will fall all day Thursday. and some snow showers might dust the ground in a few places by the end of the day.
Finally, on Friday, it's back to normal in Vermont, as temperatures that day struggle to get back up into the teens.
Blissfully normal weather is due this weekend and early next week, too, with lows in the single numbers and highs mostly in the 20 to 25 range. There will also be bouts of light snow off and on starting Saturday and going on through early next week.
However, the way the weather has been going lately, I'm sure will have some other strange stuff to talk about when we get into February. I just don't know what would be yet. Locusts, maybe?


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Sunday, 7 October 2012, 7.00pm
Vice-Chancellor Professor Kerry Cox, Faculty, staff, family, friends, and fellow graduates, good evening!
Congratulations to all the graduates and I am honoured to share this special moment with you all. We are here to celebrate achieving the largest milestone of our lives so far and to embrace the start of the next chapter.
I admit this was my dream, standing here, on the stage giving a speech in English at my University Master's graduation!
Looking back, I still remember when I was in middle school in China one afternoon, doing my homework for my English teacher, feeling bored and frustrated. I was telling myself, one day when I stand on a stage surrounded by people who will be listening to me speak English, that I will be talking about my dreams and life.
All my efforts have been realized today and tonight I stand before you living my dream, living the life I imagined.
I also stand here on behalf of my fellow international and local students. Together, we are proud to have achieved this goal!
Thank you to the Edith Cowan University community for providing a positive environment in which to grow and to learn, not only at an academic level, but also with practical real-life working experiences and opportunities.
Whilst at ECU I have enjoyed the opportunity to work for SIFE (the student in free enterprise, a student organization, a chapter of the SIFE global team). ECU provided us great support for our projects to grow, and the opportunity for our SIFE team to attend the National Conference and Championships every year. The University opened up a gate for us to compete with the best.
As a student who majored in project management, I was grateful and honored to have been selected by ECU to join the project management taskforce at 2011 CHOGM. The experience working with organizers and the Commonwealth Heads of Government diplomats was priceless.
I would also like to thank the ECU faculty members, especially the international business team, who served as our instructors, mentors and friends. Their intellectual inspiration, generous care and support helped students like us, from diverse backgrounds, stand on our own feet in a country far away from home.
And now at graduation, we are ready, strong and confident, to start the new chapter of our lives!
So, fellow graduates, I encourage you to go forth and chase the next stage of your dream.
Work hard to achieve success and have no fear to live the life you imagined.
Remember: the only thing worse than looking back and regretting something is avoiding good things that come your way for fear of regretting. Good luck and success in your future!
Thanks ECU.


text: My monitor is a old hunk of sh!t that supports a max res of 1024x768 @60hz but I was messing around with the drivers the other day and i tried these settings and they actually worked. I have tried higher res's before but it never worked but this time it did. I watched the fifth element in 720p and it worked fine. I was just wondering if these settings are fataly harming my monitor because I have little hopes of obtaining another before christmas,


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Transfer to your 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat where you will
be welcomed by the reception staff. Lunch will be served on board
in the main restaurant. After lunch, your tour of the East Bank
will begin with a visit to the Temple of Karnak. Next your
Egyptologist will guide you on a tour of the strikingly graceful
Temple of Luxor. Return to your cruise boat for afternoon tea in
the lounge. Tonight you will be greeted by your Boat Manager while
you enjoy freshly prepared canapés with some complimentary Egyptian
wine and local beer, followed by a gourmet dinner menu.
Overnight: Sanctuary Nile Adventurer
After breakfast buffet on board, visit to the West Bank of Luxor
to explore the Valley of the Kings. You will also have the chance
to visit at least one tomb in the Valley of the Queens and the
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt's only femail Pharaoh).
On the way back to the river Nile, your road passes by the famed
Colossi of Memnon. Lunch and afternoon tea will be served in the
lounge while you cruise to Esna. A gourmet dinner will be served on
This morning, your Egyptologist will guide you round the
Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum at Esna. Enjoy lunch on board, while
you cruise to Edfu. This afternoon, the extraordinary Temple of
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board before afternoon tea is served while you cruise to Kom Ombo.
Tonight's dinner on board will be an "Egyptian Night" costume party
for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian
"galabeyyas". Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian
Begin today by visiting the Temple of Kom Ombo. While you cruise
to Aswan lunch will be served. This afternoon, your Egyptologist
guide will escort you to visit the Aswan High Dam. Take a
short motorboat ride to visit the Philae Temple and then the
Granite Quarries. In the afternoon (weather permitting) take a ride
on a felucca around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener's Botanical
Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Enjoy afternoon tea with a
trio of authentic Egyptian musicians. Tonight enjoy a formal gala
farewell dinner.
Buffet breakfast on board, and check out at 8am.


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Flooding in Nova Scotia
The above photo comes from my dad. Nova Scotia is having problems with record rain fall and melting snow, which has caused flooding in many parts of Nova Scotia. Roads and bridges have washed out, basements are flooded, schools closed and many people have been evacuated from their homes. In many homes, the electricity and heat are off and the well water contaminated making life miserable for those who have chosen to stay in their homes. Luckily, my parents live in a high enough area and recently had a system built under the house that channels water to the river, so they are alright.
These photos are from areas around where my parents live. My dad writes: "We then went to Middleton. These pictures were taken on Bridge Street where the bridge crosses the Annapolis River to Nictaux. Some houses are completely surrounded by water and bridges are completely submerged."
Unfortunately, the flooding has not been without death. Two people in a car got caught in the overflowing waters of the La Have River. They were swept into the torrent and drowned in their vehicles.
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I remember one of my first summer jobs in high school was working on a construction crew for Eric Baltzer Construction. We built that grey apartment building in photos two and four. I will never forget carrying joists up 3 floors in +30°C all day. It was hard, honest work but very rewarding to be part of creating something that could possibly outlast me. Well if not washed away by future flooding. Thank you for the photos and the memories it triggered.


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