» Green Design

Introducing, Paul M. Fried, one of the judges for PhoneSmart’s Green Design Contest.

Paul is currently a Principal associate with AFC Realty Capital, located in New York. Here are some of Paul’s other qualifications:

• Member of the Urban Land Institute
• Previous COO and Principal for Allegiance Capital Partners where he co-developed an industry first
• Past Director of Deutsche Banc Mortgage Capital, member of the Investment Committee and overseer of the firm’s loan processing system
• Counselor to Herrick, Feinstein law firm
• Past attorney with Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, representing investment banks
• Graduate of Rutgers College where he graduated with distinction and a JD from Rutgers University Law School
• Past Law Review editor

PhoneSmart Green Design Contest is a way for you to get you name out there with you green designs for the self storage industry. The self storage industry is a perfect example of how we can change the impact of our environmental footprint. If you have ideas and plans on how you can help the self storage industry be more green, contact Tron Jordheim for details on the contest. Call 1-866-639-1715, today.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

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Here is another one of PhoneSmart’s Green Design Challenge Judges.

Mr. Paul Nutcher is Vice President and a marketing consultant for Green Apple Group, LLC based out of Orlando. Paul enjoys working with building professionals on the issue of sustainability. He writes often about green building for industry journals and talks frequently on the topic across the country, mostly to manufacturers of building products. He sees the self storage industry as having a lot of potential for self storage facility developers, and owners and operators, especially those who want to introduce renewable energy and green building practices to their self storage properties.

Check out Green Apple Group’s web site and you will find a very modern, very practical approach to the ideas and implementation that the company strives for. The web site is easy to navigate and I especially like the page where the key employees have some information about themselves. This helps future clients see that Paul and his associates are real people with real solutions to making design and marketing better. There are also pages with examples of work and business references.

It’s going to take all of us to help make our live more Green, Thanks Green Apple Group for helping with the cause.

Compiled and Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

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We would like to introduce a valued member of our judges panel for the StorageMart Build It Green Design Challenge, Mr. Gary DeBode. His extensive experience in carrying ideas through the planning, development and construction process brings an expertise to the judging panel. Mr. DeBode is President of Edison Properties. Edison Properties is a diversified real estate company that owns and operates Manhattan Mini Storage and Edison ParkFast. The company is also partner to the Hippodrome Building, a 700,000 square foot, 21 floor property located on Avenue of the Americas, a hotbed of activity in Midtown.

Edison properties carried out the renovation of the Hippodrome Building by giving it a new glass façade, new elevators, renovating the lobby and including a new electrical and HVAC systems.

Mr. DeBode, who joined Edison Properties in 1993, actively leads strategic planning, development, construction and operations for all of Edison’s businesses.  A few highlights of his career include:

• Served as Lieutenant in U.S. Navy as a Naval Submarine Officer and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Engineer.

• Worked for Tishman Realty and Construction as a Project Engineer on commercial projects in Atlantic City, Jersey City and Manhattan.

• Led Manhattan Mini Storage in the development of eight projects totaling over 1.5 million square feet.

• Repositioned the Hippodrome Commercial Office Building while 90% occupied, including a full curtainwall recladding, structural alterations, marble and limestone two story lobby, and MEP system upgrades.

• Works closely with team of Edison employees and outside consultants in the development and construction of various parking, self storage and residential properties, including The Ludlow, a new 80/20, 243 unit multi-family project in the lower east side of Manhattan.

• Served on Board of Directors and as President of the Self Storage Association, the national industry trade association.

• Serves on the St. Philips Academy Building Committee, which has helped this private school acquire and develop a new Leeds Certified facility in Newark, New Jersey.

• Actively working with a green consulting firm on new development projects, as well as operational changes and alterations to existing buildings for LEEDs accreditation.

Mr. DeBode earned a BS degree in Computer Science from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1984.

The StorageMart Build It Green Challenge wants you to help transform the self storage industry in to the greenest, lowest impact industry imaginable. And that’s something we can all be grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day. Submit your ideas to Tron Jordheim, PhoneSmart Director.

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Going Green is no longer just a fad; it is slowly becoming part of our everyday lives. It is talked about on television shows, the nightly news, the Nobel Peace Prize committees, etc. And even though self storage is in a fairly low impact construction class, there is always room for improvement. That is why StorageMart is offering the BUILD IT GREEN Design Challenge.

This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to submit their own ideas on how to make self storage the prevailing leader in Green Design construction. This can be attained in many different areas. Just a few examples of the contest categories include:  sustainable construction materials (bamboo wood), energy positives (solar power), and carbon negatives (grass rooftops).  And these are just to name a few! For a complete list, check out the contest rules and regulations at www.selfstorageowner.com .

Simply submit your entry to: tron@phone-smart.net. In 200-400 words describe your great design ideas and your visions to help make self storage the green exemplar for ALL types of construction.

Going Green is important for us to do today, and it is essential for future generations. The StorageMart design Challenge hopes to make the next generation of self storage facilities the most eco-friendly construction on Planet Earth!  Help us lead by example!

Written by Ann Sheehan

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Presenting one of the PhoneSmart Green Design Contest Judges,

Mr. Jim Whitesides, Owner of Ace Storage.

Ace Storage currently has three self storage locations in Illinois and three locations in Missouri. Jim’s former career was in the energy trading and marketing industry, and Jim has also run a startup company with a unique technology for renewable energy.  As such, Jim has had an interest in bringing renewable energy and energy conservation to the self storage business.

Jim’s commodity trading background was in the energy field, and in the late ’90′s there were electricity disruptions that caused many to become increasingly concerned about the traditional utility’s ability to keep up with growing electricity demand.  An opportunity came about to advance the cause by taking to market a technology that utilized heat – from any source – to produce electricity for homes and businesses while reducing or eliminating dependence on the power grid.  The technology could utilize heat from the sun in a traditional solar way, or could use waste heat generated by air conditioners, commercial cooking/baking processes, or any of a number of sources as the starting point for producing zero-emission electricity and reducing bottlenecks in the transmission grid – and doing so economically.  Jim is still very interested in applying this type of technology to the self storage industry – the cost savings are substantial, and the nature of our self storage buildings provides ample roof space.

Stay tuned for more of PhoneSmart Green Design Contest Information.

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Seems like all you see lately on the TV, Internet, magazines, and newspapers is everyone talking about Going Green. In case you have been in a cave the last year or so and you don’t know what Going Green is, let me tell you. While there has always been people and organizations that are dedicated to saving and protecting the environment and the planet, it seems that a new wave of soap box standers has emerged. Suddenly it is very cool and hip and politically correct to be pro-environment, pro-recycling, pro-world, and pro everything green. Why now? Why not? An election year is coming up and while we are still involved with war across the seas, it seems that protecting the Earth is the thing to be doing. Celebrities, politicians, stay at home moms, scientists, students, and well most everyone is toting the Green flag. This week on TV, many of the shows are having green themes and giving away hybrid vehicles and recycling. One show even changed their energy needs and they saved enough energy to power a regular house for 24 hours.

PhoneSmart is Going Green with a green design challenge for the self storage industry. Self storage businesses can lessen the impact on the environment through design and technology. We have posted self storage blogs before about this contest so look it up or contact Tron Jordheim at 866-639-1715 for information.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

Self Storage Blog is brought to you by PhoneSmart – Your Premier Offsite Sales Force.

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It sounds like something a child would think up because we all know that paper isn’t very sturdy, deteriorates when wet and would do some huge damage to our heating and cooling bill. We also shrug off the idea that we would trust the paper house to stand up against a fire or a torrential downpour. Surprisingly enough, you stand more of a chance of burning down your current house to the ground, (constructed of wood, cement and other various materials) than houses made of paper, or more specifically papercrete. So let’s take a deeper look at building a house out of paper.

So, what is the mixture comprised of? In its purist form, papercrete is paper, water, and portland cement. People often add sand for extra strength, fly ash to make the mix set harder or dirt in place of cement for a more earth-friendly, adobe like substance. Three years ago there were about twenty structures made up of this compound; that number is up to around 100 homes now. The structures range from single family homes to an experimental building on the campus of the University of Arizona. I believe this green idea to be amazing, to say the least.

What prompted this paper house movement? The environment. As we try to find alternate ways to preserve our environment and make things more energy efficient, papercrete is the next revolution to help decrease environmentally harmful material that comes from building houses today.  Paper is a great insulator and is a great way to use recycled paper. In addition, it keeps building costs way down. 

So, with all the positives about the environment, costs, and construction, why aren’t there more homes being made of paper? It’s due to the lack of IBC testing and acceptance of the idea. Enthusiasts say what is needed is someone to step up and be that person or business owner to take on the idea and bring it into the public eye.

That person might have been found in Zach Rabon. He is the president of MasonGreenstar, an alternative building company that plans to open a papercrete-block factory by year’s end.

We’re getting ready to put in a little over a million-dollar plant here in Mason, Texas, that will be able to create 7,500 blocks in a 10-hour cycle — or up to 15,000 blocks a day, says Rabon. In doing so, the plant will use up to 30,000 pounds of recycled newspaper, phone books and lottery tickets daily. In addition, Rabon notes, We’ll definitely have a block in the near future that is going to have zero cement.

Rabon hopes to have the plant up and running by 2009.  The papercrete blocks will cost around the same as a cinder block. It costs less to do it yourself, but it’s a lot of less mess and effort.

Still, homeowners that were surveyed think that for the near future, papercrete will not catch on and will be considered odd. However, Eric Patterson, papercrete’s inventor believes that it will eventually get there because it is a smart, economical and environmentally-saving idea.

So in short, houses made of paper are in the near feature. It’s just as sturdy as other material used to build houses, a great insulator, cost efficient, and environmentally safe. When you hear someone talking about it in a joking manor, you might not be too sure the structure in which you stand in, is not made out of paper itself. 

Written by Joel Little

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The StorageMart BUILD IT GREEN Design Challenge

StorageMart believes sustainable self storage facilities are the next generation of self storage facility.

In the United States, buildings account for 38% of carbon dioxide emissions and 68% of electricity consumption. Green self storage will make one of the most earth-friendly businesses even more so by allowing self storage facilities be have a low impact on the environment and even give back in some areas.

The Challenge:

StorageMart challenges you to help make self storage the greenest construction on earth. If you have ideas about sustainable self storage building design and how to make self storage a leader in sustainable green design and construction, send in your submission.

StorageMart is looking for entries in the following categories:

Sustainable Construction: Green materials, low emissions, clean supplies and the newest revolution in eco-friendly materials.

Renewable Energy: Ideas to produce positive energy by way of solar, geothermal, wind, rain or innovative techniques not yet used.

Carbon Negative: The use of environmentally-friendly roofs, walls and parking lots and recycling carbon by use of ponds or new ideas that decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Nature Friendly: Building properties that promote the natural habitat of the local environment.

Amenities and Customer Experience: Improving the customer experience through design elements that help the customer and environment.

Green Functions: Technologies to ease property management and create efficiencies in managing self storage.

Outcome Based Results: Cost Analyses and ROI guidelines to bring profit through greem design to the self storage industry.

Recycled / Re-Purposed Materials: Re-using materials for new purposes.

Graywater: Recycle waste water for non-potable purposes

Rules for Submission:

• Post your designs and ideas online at your website of choice.

• Email Tron your intent to submit the idea. Then send a 200-400 word proposal that clearly summarizes your idea. Include the website where we may view your submission in its entirety. If your proposal and ideas are accepted, we will inform you and it will go before StorageMart’s panel of judges.

• You will then post on your website that your green design has been accepted for consideration to the StorageMart Build It Green Design Challenge. You must also link to our site promoting the contest. You are also encouraged to promote your acceptance into the StorageMart Build It Green Design Challenge by way of your own networks, subject to approval by StorageMart. A logo will be provided for use on your site.

• StorageMart will promote the accepted submissions through website networking, blogs, self storage press releases and national media.

• Websites include: www.storage-mart.net , www.storage-mart.com , www.selfstorageblog.com , www.propertymanagementblog.com , www.totalqualityassuranceservices.com , www.selfstorageowner.com

• Entries will be promoted at the Inside Self Storage Exp held in February 2008 and also at the Self Storage Association in September 2008.

• Three winners will be announced in October 2008 for  each of the above categories. The winners will be promoted through our online networks, industry press release and national media outlets.

This is your opportunity to offer your ideas to some of the most respected people in the self storage industry. The submission will remain your property. You will receive free publicity and a chance to be featured as a winner.

StorageMart has more than 60 properties in the US and Canada and has the capacity to make a difference in our environment and the self storage industry. You can find more information about StorageMart at www.storage-mart.net

Please send your 200-400 word green design summary and the URL where we may find your full submission online to tron@phone-smart.net and write Green Design in the subject field.

Reported by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

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Dear Tron,

I have read the hot news post on insideselfstorage.com, the Build it Green Design Challenge. If I could make a suggestion, I think it would be beneficial for StorageMart to consider adding an Urban Infill category to the competition.  This category would promote developers, builders and banks/investors who choose to creatively redevelop urban areas for self-storage.  Emphasizing Urban Infill through creative self-storage development would achieve several goals. 

The area our company specializes in, Brownfields restoration and redevelopment is almost exclusively an urban core problem.  I have focused on goals related to Brownfields redevelopment, which means, urban infill redevelopment.

1. Redevelopment of a Brownfield is almost as difficult, often more difficult, than implementation of all of the eco-friendly building practices emphasized in the current competition combined. 
2. Redevelopment of Brownfields is a significant issue toward promoting sustainable living practices.  There is a strong push toward urban infill and the reduction of sprawl by urban planners and other urban visionaries.  The U.S. Conference of Mayors has identified redevelopment of Brownfields as a significant problem toward achieving their goal of urban revitalization and the reduction of excessive land development, which encourages higher carbon use, among other things.  Urban areas that include self-storage can also benefit other urban redevelopment, including residential, commercial, and industrial, by providing extra space that is often not available in existing urban landscapes, which will make urban areas more attractive and help the cause of urban infill.
3. Redevelopment of Brownfields saves on resources by taking advantage of existing building structures and existing infrastructure.  Promoting redevelopment of Brownfields is also playing to a current and permanent trend in self-storage development, conversions.  As land prices increase, and municipalities continue to restrict self-storage development in suburban areas, conversion continues to become more popular.

There are many benefits to promoting Urban Infill as a category in your Build it Green Design Challenge.  I would encourage this category as an addition to your design challenge.

Michael T. Frede, Caleb Acquisitions

Editors Note: We will be adding an Urban infill category to look for some innovative concepts for using old urban spaces for new and Green self storage projects.

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StorageMart wants your ideas about how you or your company can change the way self storage facilities are built and managed with Green Designs and Green Thinking. While self storage is generally a low impact construction class, we want to make it the greenest construction class ever. If you want to make the planet more eco-friendly and make sustainable living more prevalent in our society, start thinking of ideas that you can share with us to help make the self storage industry a leader in sustainable, green design and construction. Let’s make our planet a better place now and for future generations.

Here are some of the categories that we will be accepting submissions on:

Sustainable Construction Materials

Energy Positive

Carbon Negative

Wildlife/Natural Habitat-Friendly

New Conveniences and Amenities

Smart Functions

Bottom Line Results

Re-Used and Recycled Materials

Gray Water Solutions

The Build It Green Design Challenge will be posting more blogs about this subject on our www.selfstorageblog.com site. Stay tuned for more information about the contest as it comes available.

If you have questions about any of this information please direct them to Tron Jordheim at PhoneSmart. Contact him at 866-639-1715. For information about StorageMart, visit our website. 

Posted by Tron Jordheim, Director of PhoneSmart.

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