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midtown PAPER
A PUBLICATION OF MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT • houstonmidtown.com
inserted what’s inside • midtown map
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in & about a list of new and exciting happenings in midtown
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midtown meetings choose a meeting and attend
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the joy of self expression helping hands in midtown all about patrol alerts
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midtown dining nit noi café pub fiction
Michael Velliquette, "Propeller"
calendar of events a list of midtown events
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Living Co-Operatively The HAUS Project at 1505 Rosalie in midtown
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reap rewards at houston re-market catch the wave in midtown want to rev? bagby street midtown reconstruction
dragons and drums and ribbons, oh my! mai’s grand reopening a smash hit! art in the park 2011
veryone has chores, giving five hours a week to tasks like bathroom duty, shopping and cooking. And there are meetings, regular house meetings every two weeks and a contract that states the residents will work toward a common goal of sustainability and cooperative living. So why do 11 people think Houston’s first non-profit housing co-op is great? Co-op members Matthias Jung and Jay Crossley praised the benefits in a recent interview with GreenWatch’s Brian Harrison. ‘“We literally live with our friends,” says Jung. “We grow to learn different perspectives on what sustainability might mean to one other. It is an experiment in a lot of ways, but it’s a wonderful experiment. “ The HAUS Project is a result of years of preparation, thought processing and idea development, and as Crossley adds, “a mountain of advice from NASCO Development Services,” a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to facilitating the creation of affordable group equity co-ops and their members for the purpose of promoting community oriented cooperative living. NASCO has documented that cooperative living inherently reduces each member’s energy and water consumption by 30 to 50%. HAUS Project is the acronym for Houston Access to Urban Sustainability Project, a non-profit organization jointly created by Crossley and fellow board members in 2010 to provide affordable, sustainable, cooperative housing in Houston’s urban core. The goal is to create an environment where cars are less needed or potentially not needed at all. HAUS Project’s goal is to establish all HAUSes near Light Rail Transportation Hubs. The HAUS Project gives members the opportunity to transition into a low carbon lifestyle. The origins of the Rosalie house date to when Paul Schechter moved to Houston in June 2009 and wanted to live in a housing cooperative, but found none existed. The next month he purchased the 4,000 sq ft dilapidated old house—circa 1925, with grand visions of ‘greenifying’ it into a large co-op. About a year later, he met Jay Crossley, who had
Sustainability with
an HTC Jumpstart
H
2nd qtr 2011
ouston Technology Center (HTC) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that enables and accelerates the growth of emerging technology companies for the purpose of creating jobs and promoting economic development in the greater Houston area. Since its inception in 1999, HTC has assisted over 250 companies work to commercialize their technology, for example... Houston-based PF Waterworks is partnering with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to market Water and Energy Conservation Products
under the “For Dummies” brand. The company’s “Water Conservation Kit” includes both a WaterSense labled easy-toinstall showerhead and a WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucet aerators. The products use about 20 percent less water and perform as well as, or better than, conventional models. The kit can save over two hundred dollars annually for an average family of four while saving tens of thousands of gallons of water per household annually through increased water efficiencies, water
started the Houston Co-op Workforce and the two joined forces. With the help of several other founding members, Houston’s first housing co-op finally opened its doors in January 2011. The absence of a roof for four months meant over 70% of the sheetrock had to be replaced. Much of the copper wiring and plumbing had been stolen by looters. Still, there were benefits to starting over: “The nice thing about a gut rehab,” says Schechter, “is you get to ‘greenify’ everything with new features like spray foam insulation, tankless water heaters and plumbing to accept solar hot water.” Today, the once foreclosed and flooded structure begs for rain to utilize some of its newest conversions. A collection system is in place, ready to capture rainwater on the main roof and divert it to a large 3,000 gallon tank that will service six toilets and two washing machines in the 4,000 sq. ft., tenbedroom house. Tankless water heaters are already in use, minimizing hot water waste. Mini-split air conditioning creates nine different cooling zones, so unused areas can be turned off and save up to 40% on electricity bills; meanwhile, the condensate it produces, up to 10 gallons on a summer day, is being redirected to the garden and the fruit trees. Plans are in the works for a large solar hot water system that will be placed on the south-facing roof, ultimately to “pre-heat” the home’s hot water prior to its passing through the tankless system. Water conservation is just one of many eco-friendly ideas. Materials from the City of Houston Building Materials Reuse Warehouse, rescontinued on page 4
reductions and energy savings from reduced demand on the home hot water heaters, wells and septic systems. www. pfwaterworks.com.
GBB’s nationally recognized green certification provides industry specific programs that offer step-by-step guidelines on how to benefit and save money by going green. www.gbb.org.
The Green Business Bureau (GBB) was founded with the vision of helping small-to-medium sized business owners implement sustainability practices that result in benefits, such as costsavings, ROI and additional marketing opportunities. Co-founded by Marcos J. Cordero, LEED AP, the
RecycleMatch is a leading enterprise software company that assists companies in accelerating their zero waste initiatives and helps ensure they receive maximum value for their materials. RecycleMatch provides a web-based platform enabling companies to manage and track waste and recyclable materials and to sell materials via private and public marketplaces. www.recycle match.com.