LETTER AvalonBay and Sustainability: Utility Costs and Social Justice

To the Editor: 

The Princeton Environmental Commission Report on AvalonBay’s Plan B (6/19/13) calls onAvalonBay to “make the Project a green building demonstration site and a model of green building, as a public service and for AB’s own marketing purposes” (p. 10).   
Princeton Citizens for Sustainable Neighborhoods concurs. Public service must include a commitment to social justice. If approved, AvalonBay’s development will harbor the largest number of affordable housing units built (at once) in Princeton since 1978—56 units, of which 50% should be set aside for low- and very-low income families. The developer thus has economic  obligations to tenants who cannot afford market-rate units, as well as environmental commitments to create structures that are as energy-efficient as possible. This is especially true because each housing unit will have its own utility meters.  Social justice demands nothing less.   
AvalonBay wants to pride itself publicly on its record on sustainability, even though it is now very far behind its national competitors. Mr. Jon Vogel, project manager surely wants to do the same. On 6/12/19 he said to Bill Wolfe, chair of SPRAB (Site Plan Review Advisory Board), as well as others, that those of us with deep commitments to sustainability have been “preaching to the converted.”   
But AvalonBay’s Plan B, thus far, does not rise to the highest standards of sustainability or socio-economic equity.    
Accordingly, AvalonBay should commit, voluntarily, to the following measures.    

1) Solar power   
While the PEC Report calls on AvalonBay to “demonstrate its commitment to transitioning to solar” (p. 4), PCSN believes the installation should be made now.   
Solar/photovoltaic arrays, wherever possible throughout the development, should be installed during construction---not later. Neither the Planning Board nor SPRAB should accept postponement. Bill Wolfe has twice proposed to Mr. Vogel at SPRAB meetings (6/12/13, 6/19/13) that AvalonBay contract with a third party for the purposes of establishing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Under the terms of PPAs, the third party installs and maintains the solar-panel system at no cost to the owner (AvalonBay); the owner agrees to buy power from the third party. According to one solar consultant, regionally based and a representative of the Mid-Atlantic Solar Industry Association, PPAs account for 70% of all solar installations in the nation. The financial benefits are  stunning. The buyer/owner pays 12-16 cents per kilowatt hour for solar power as opposed to 60-70 cents for conventional power—a savings of as much as 83%! (12c vs. 70c) or 73% (16c vs. 60c).  Think what this means to tenants who cannot afford market-rate units, and even to those who can! Who would not do this?   
NOT to go solar is to shrug off responsibility for implementing sustainable technologies. Mr. Vogel should seek approval from his corporate leadership to deploy solar power at AvalonBay’s complex in Princeton. If Mr. Vogel is true to his word and reputation, he will make this request. If AvalonBay commits, it will be their first expansive engagement with solar power in a large development. They will consequently gain much-deserved national credit for doing the right thing for social justice and environmental responsibility.   
The Princeton Planning Board should request AvalonBay to volunteer this solar power for the benefit of all, particularly for those who cannot afford market-rate units. If the Planning Board fails to make such a request, it will have shirked its responsibilities to all future residents/citizens of Princeton, including those with fewest financial resources.   

2) Energy-Efficient Roofing Materials   
Sloped portions of all buildings: AvalonBay should install Owens Corning Duration Premium Cool Shingles (or a comparable product) that uses a highly reflective granule technology to reflect the sun's rays. This product has a very high  solar reflectance index as measured by Energy Star requirements. Such roofing will contribute to the energy-efficiency of all buildings and result in lower utility costs per unit. While Owens Corning shingles are somewhat more costly, the SPRAB Report recommends that AvalonBay reduce the overall size of its roofing for Buildings 1 and 2 by approximately 50% (both slope and length). The developer should thus use the cost savings to install a better product that satisfies the financial as well as environmental needs of its tenants.  Such a reduction should be a condition of site plan approval. AvalonBay now intends to use GAF roofing materials, which have a lower reflectance index than the Owens Corning product—and thus a less satisfactory, lower energy-efficiency performance (or a greater risk of heat island effects).   
Flat portions at ridge line of Buildings 1 and 2: AvalonBay should use either EPDM ethylene propylene diene monomer) or TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin). Both of these materials can be painted white, if not already white, to reflect solar rays, in order to reduce heat island effects, contribute to the energy-efficiency of the structures, and thus reduce utility costs as much as possible.   

3) Energy-efficient Siding   
For much of its siding, AvalonBay currently plans to use clay bricks. But the PEC Report strongly recommends (p. 3) that AvalonBay use CalStar brick, which costs between 10-30% less than regular brick, has recycled content, less embodied energy, and a lower carbon footprint. As the National Resources Defense Council notes (letter of 10/27/10), “every ton of fly ash that is used in place of cement avoids almost a ton of CO2 emissions.” Calstar brick does not contribute to climate change and/or global warming: the benefit to the planet is obvious. Because its material is recycled, it saves that material from landfills, where it would generate methane, a great contributor to climate change.   
For the remainder of siding, AvalonBay’s choice of Hardie fiber-reinforced cement siding appears acceptable.   
All window frames should be fiberglass, not (as AvalonBay now proposes) vinyl. Because all the buildings have many windows, the choice of framing material matters greatly. Vinyl is the only major building material in which phthalates are used extensively, and phthalates disrupt the endocrine system, impair the reproductive system, impair child development. contribute to birth defects, and can damage the brain and its functions; it is also a carcinogen. AvalonBay must reject vinyl and choose fiberglass instead, which carries no such hazards. Fiberglass is also more energy-efficient, since it does not warp or leak (see PEC Report, p. 4; SPRAB minutes, 6/12/19). The energy-efficiencies will again benefit tenants who earn low or very-low incomes.   
PCSN calls on AvalonBay to adopt immediately all the proposals for sustainability outlined above, in addition to those listed in the PEC Report. There can be no excuse for jeopardizing the economic well-being of the individuals and families living in affordable housing units.    

Alexi J. Assmus
Daniel A. Harris
Kate J. Warren
Trustees, Princeton Citizens for Sustainable Neighborhoods