During the partial government shutdown, screeners at two Silicon Valley airports, San Francisco and San Jose International, ushered thousands of people through security checkpoints.

Operations at airports 35 miles apart looked similar — uniformed officers reminding people to take off their shoes and put their laptops in plastic bins — but there was one big difference: Only the officers at the San Francisco airport were paid.

That's because San Francisco International is one of nearly two dozen airports across the country that hires private contractors to conduct its security inspections instead of the Transportation Security Administration.

As the closure stretched from days to weeks, more and more TSA employees stopped showing up. At some point, 10 percent of TSA officers did not report for duty.

The result: isolated staff shortages across the country and anxiety for travelers. Airports in Baltimore, Houston and Miami had to temporarily close checkpoints. TSA officials acknowledged that many officers did not come to work because of the financial hardship that comes with working without pay.

TSA: Financial stress of closure forces officers to stay home

“Operations were normal,” said Doug Yakel, an airport spokesman.

There has long been a debate about whether airport screening should be carried out by the federal government or by private companies. And the latest government shutdown — and the possibility of a repeat if lawmakers can't reach a deal with President Trump by Friday — has some wondering whether concerns about staffing could prompt more airports to consider switching to private contractors.

Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, airport security was handled by private contractors and paid for by airlines. But after 9/11, those duties were assigned to the newly created TSA, which is responsible for security screening at the vast majority of the nation's 440-plus airports.

But as part of that agreement, Congress also created a voluntary pilot program allowing five airports to use private contractors for security inspections. The program, launched in 2002, was eventually open to all airports. Today, 22 airports participate – including the original five: San Francisco, Kansas City International in Missouri, Greater Rochester International in New York, Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Tupelo Regional in Mississippi.

Proponents of the system say the TSA hasn't made it easy for airports to make the switch. The agency has the final say on whether an airport can choose to use private auditors, and while requests are rarely denied, the process can be time-consuming. Others blame inertia and say some airports are reluctant to tinker with an agreement that works.

“I don’t know why, but it’s just ingrained in our consciousness that this is the only way,” said David Inserra, a homeland security policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation who has long advocated for the shift to using private companies for Screening.

Considerations when an airport applies for the program include the following: The cost of private screeners cannot be greater than the cost that would be incurred if the TSA remained at the airport. If approved, the TSA – not the airport – selects, pays and manages the contractor.

Private contractors must follow the same rules and procedures as their TSA counterparts, but have some latitude in determining checkpoint staffing. The workers wear different uniforms, but their training, salary and benefits are roughly the same. The starting salary for a TSA officer is $37,455, but may be higher in some parts of the country depending on staffing needs and cost of living.

Although the private auditors are contractors, they were paid during the shutdown while other government contractors were not because they were considered essential personnel and not being paid would have violated their contract.

Evaluations of the two programs by outside firms hired by the TSA have found no significant differences between the two systems – either in cost or in the ability to move passengers through checkpoints, TSA officials said.

But studies by the Government Accountability Office show that private contractors' costs were in some cases 2 to 19 percent lower than the TSA's cost estimates for the same work. The GAO also said the TSA's calculations did not take into account costs such as retirement benefits.

A TSA spokeswoman said the agency adjusted its estimates based on GAO recommendations.

The shutdown is putting a strain on the country's aviation system

The external evaluations did not investigate customer complaints or analyze the absenteeism, retention or turnover of auditors working for private companies.

The Heritage Foundation's Inserra contends that private companies are better suited to the job of managing airport security. He said they are more adept at managing and retaining employees and can respond more quickly to an increase in passenger volume.

“TSA’s focus should be on policy – ​​setting standards and developing new technologies,” added Steve Amitay, executive director of the National Association of Security Companies. “A large portion of TSA is dedicated to managing this screener workforce. It’s about doing a job that isn’t necessarily government-related.”

However, a 2004 Congressional Research Service report found that private companies that ran security services in the years before the September 11 attacks suffered from poor morale and high turnover – some of the same problems faced by today's TSA has to fight. However, Amitay claimed that new training and pay standards had improved working conditions and contractor morale.

At the TSA Academy, teaching is practice-oriented

But Greg Regan, secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, a coalition of 32 unions, argued that safety review is best left to the federal government.

“TSA’s mission is to keep people safe,” he said. “The goal is to detect threats and prevent them from having a negative impact on our system. This is the ultimate mission statement. If you privatize you will introduce another target and that is profit.”

Other union officials argue that the answer lies not in privatization but in a functioning federal government that can pay its workers and its bills on time.

“I don't think throwing up your hands and turning to private security companies is the solution here,” said J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “The federal government must do its job to provide the screening services.”

Union says TSA officers can't afford to staff checkpoints without paychecks

Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general and aviation expert, added: “We must never say that our TSA employees are not important enough to be federal employees.”

She noted that the September 11 attacks occurred at a time when checkpoints were operated by private companies.

Some of the country's largest airports have toyed with the idea of ​​switching to private contractors. After the understaffed TSA struggled to keep up with record numbers of travelers in 2016, airport officials in Chicago, New York and Atlanta threatened to hire private contractors.

TSA officials blamed years of cuts for the backups, which forced the agency to reduce its 45,000 airport workforce by 12 percent. The furor died down after TSA officials promised changes and convinced Congress to increase its staff. The TSA has 51,000 screeners and about 33,000 are on duty daily.

Atlantic City International Airport recently switched to private screeners after growing frustration over TSA staffing that failed to account for flight delays.

Stephen F. Dougherty, executive director of the South Jersey Transportation Authority, said the TSA will regularly close the airport checkpoint at specific times, regardless of whether flights are delayed. As a result, hundreds of passengers missed their flights because there was no one to escort them through security.

“[Atlantic City International] “prides itself on being a much more convenient and passenger-friendly airport than the larger airports in the region, and this change went against basic operating principles,” he said.

After complaints about long wait times, the TSA is rushing to personnel checkpoints

Some Republican lawmakers have pushed legislation to make it easier for airports to switch to private screeners. A bill introduced last year by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) sought, among other changes, to shorten the time it takes airports to receive TSA approval for the switch. Lee is updating his bill and plans to reintroduce it this year, his spokesman said. However, a provision passed last year to fund the Federal Aviation Administration requires the TSA to make a decision on any application within 60 days. The authority previously had 120 days to make a decision.

Christopher Bidwell, vice president of security for Airports Council International-North America, a group that advocates for the nation's airports, said it supports programs that give airports the flexibility they need to best serve travelers.

“Our position up [SPP]is that it should remain a viable program for any airport that wants to participate.”

The shutdown is putting a strain on the country's aviation safety system

Air traffic controllers receive their first paycheck for the shutdown: $0.00

The TSA is considering eliminating security checkpoints at 150 small airports

The post At San Francisco Worldwide Airport, personal contractors deal with safety screening. Is it the airport of the longer term? appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

KHARNAK, India — Nomad Tsering Angchuk vows to stay put in his remote village in India’s Ladakh region.

His two sons and most of his fellow villagers have migrated to a nearby urban settlement but Angchuk is determined to herd his flock of fine cashmere-producing goats in the treeless Kharnak village, a hauntingly beautiful but unforgiving, cold mountainous desert.

Dolma Angmo, wife of nomad Tsering Angchuk, attends her hardy Himalayan goats that produce cashmere in the remote Kharnak village Sept. 17 in the cold desert region of Ladakh, India.

Mukhtar Khan, Associated Press

The 47-year-old herds 800 sheep and goats and a flock of 50 Himalayan yaks in Kharnak. In 2013, he migrated to Kharnakling, an urban settlement in the outskirts of a regional town called Leh but returned a year later, not because his old home had become any better, he said, “but because the urban centers are getting worse and there are only menial jobs for people like us.”

Nestled between India, Pakistan and China, Ladakh has faced both territorial disputes and the stark effects of climate change. The region’s sparsely populated villages have witnessed shifting weather patterns that have already altered people’s lives through floods, landslides and droughts.

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Thousands of Ladakh nomads, known for their unique lifestyle in one of the most hostile landscapes in the world have been at the heart of these changes, compounded by border conflict and shrinking grazing land. The changes have forced hundreds to migrate to mainly urban settlements, while others work to make it a more habitable place.

Angchuk’s sons didn’t return — they don’t want to be shepherds, he said — and settled in Leh. One became a construction contractor and the other works at a travel agency, part of the region’s burgeoning tourism industry.

With 300-plus days of sunshine, the desert is in the rain shadows of the Himalayas and receives only about 4 inches of precipitation annually.

Nomad Tsering Angchuk, right, talks with a reporter as he sits with his wife, Dolma Angmo inside their mud and stone house in remote Kharnak village Sept. 17 in the cold desert region of Ladakh, India.

Mukhtar Khan, Associated Press

At an altitude of 15,000 feet, temperatures can fall to minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit during long winter months. But it’s getting hotter.

There is no word for mosquito in the local Ladakhi language, but the region has lots of these insects now, said Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer working on solutions for sustainability at his Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh.

“These are all coming with the viability of climate for them,” he said.

Ladakh’s thousands of glaciers, which help give the rugged region its title as one of the water towers of the world, are receding at an alarming rate, threatening the water supply of millions of people.

“This year we had an unprecedented melting of glaciers,” said Prof. Shakil Romshoo, a leading glaciologist and earth scientist.

Romshoo said his team has been studying seven glaciers in the Kashmir and Ladakh Himalaya for nine years but “this year shows the maximum ablation,” referring to the amount of snow and ice that has disappeared.

Drung-Drung, Ladakh’s second largest glacier, melted 197 inches in its thickness this year compared to an average 39 inches annually in the past few years.

A nomad fetches water from a hand pump Sept. 17 in remote Kharnak village in the cold desert region of Ladakh, India.

MUKHTAR KHAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

The melting, experts say, has been exacerbated by an increase in local pollution that has worsened due to the region’s militarization. Black carbon or soot from the burning of fossil fuels on the glaciers absorbs sunlight and contaminates waterways, threatening the region’s security of food, water and energy.

The pollution is “a huge environmental onslaught,” engineer Wangchuk said. “Most of it is due to heating shelters that can be easily replaced by non-carbon-based heating systems.”

He added Ladakh today is “probably the densest militarized zone where the civilian-soldier ratio is 1:2.”

The ongoing standoff between India and China has witnessed the deployment of tens of thousands of additional soldiers to the already militarized region.

“Climate change is a global mismanagement while the pollution is a local mismanagement. We’re witnessing devastating effects of the mix in Ladakh,” Wangchuk said.

“It’s not just any little conflict, it’s much more than that and whoever wins we all lose.”

Herders say with access to the usual breeding and birthing grounds blocked by militaries on either side, newborn goats and sheep are perishing in the extreme cold of higher elevations.

Shepherds roamed these pasturelands atop the roof of the world along the unmarked borders with China for centuries where the harsh winds cause the goats to grow their super-soft wool.

Cashmere takes its name from disputed Kashmir, where artisans weave the wool into fine yarn and exquisite clothing items that cost up to thousands apiece in a major handicraft export industry.

Nomad women weave carpets in remote Kharnak village Sept. 17 in the cold desert region of Ladakh, India.

MUKHTAR KHAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

“None of the other products get as much revenue as what they produce and they are the true generators of wealth in Ladakh,” Wangchuk said about Kharnak nomads. “They’re the most precious but they’re the most neglected lot.”

The nomads live a grueling life and follow a strict round-the-clock routine. They milk and shear their animals twice a day, maintain stone-walled pens, weave carpets, collect and sun-dry manure for fire and cook food. Shepherds also shuttle their animals from place to place more often than usual in search of greener grazing areas.

But there’s almost no health care, school or a proper irrigation system.

“It’s a whole year work here, no holidays. Even if you’re sick you’ve got to tend to animals,” Angchuk, the nomad, said. “In a decade or so I think there won’t be any Kharnak nomads although our people will be around. We’ll be history.”

Authorities say they’re doing everything they can to stop the flight of nomads. Today the village has solar panels for electricity, government-built prefab huts and water taps. Some parts have telecommunication coverage.

But the herders say it’s not enough.

Tundup Namgail, the Leh district head of sheep husbandry department, said all facilities notwithstanding, the nomads need to be “lured back on practical terms, not by romanticizing their life.”

The “only way to keep them there is to improve their profitability. Make them rich somehow,” he said.

The ‘urban heat island’ effect has made these 10 cities the most heat-intense in the US

The ‘urban heat island’ effect has made these 10 cities the most heat-intense in the US

Urban heat islands are areas within cities that are hotter than their outlying regions, largely due to albedo—the tendency of a material like asphalt or pavement to absorb, rather than reflect, heat from the sun. Lack of tree cover, an abundance of tall buildings, and population density can amplify this phenomenon as well.

These hot spots generally experience temperatures about 1-7 degrees Fahrenheit higher during the day and 2-5 degrees Fahrenheit higher at night than the surrounding areas. The rise in temperature increases the chances of air pollution and could prove dangerous for those without air conditioning. Urban heat retention isn’t just uncomfortable: it’s a serious public health threat.

More than 80% of Americans live in urban areas, according to Census data. But within these areas, it is almost always those in low-income and underserved neighborhoods that find themselves living in urban heat islands. This makes them not only economically disadvantaged, but also more at risk of the slew of health dangers urban heat islands pose.

Many of the most heat-intense cities in the U.S. are older cities in the Northeast. These are more compact and developed than other parts of the country. They also tend to have taller buildings, which adds to the heat island effect.

New Jersey Real Estate Network examined data from climate change nonprofit Climate Central to find which cities experience the most intense heat due to overbuilding, also known as the urban heat island effect. Out of 159 assessed cities, these 10 had the highest index.

Ryan DeBerardinis // Shutterstock

#10. Providence, Rhode Island

– Index score: 7.08

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface

Providence owes its high heat concentration in part to a large highway (Route 95) that cuts through the city, and its frequently used industrial port. Areas like Pavilion Avenue, which are sparsely covered in tree canopy, are particularly heavily affected.

This means that lower-income and minority members of Providence’s population bear the brunt of the urban heat island effects as is true in almost every other city. For instance, childhood asthma rates are highest in the parts of the city where heat island intensity is also highest. To combat this, the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program is offering citizens the opportunity to have free trees and greenery planted in their areas.

ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#9. Baltimore, Maryland

– Index score: 7.08

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface

The worst of Baltimore’s urban heat island is in the east of the city, especially the neighborhood of Patterson Park. In these areas, temperatures are as much as 20 degrees higher than elsewhere in the city, with heat-hoarding roofs and roads largely to blame.

To lower temperatures, the city is hoping to implement “cool roofs,” which would have collateral benefits for the local economy, flood damage prevention, and public health. The B’More Cool initiative, started in 2014, is investigating where Baltimore’s urban heat islands are the worst and how to best mitigate the damage. Among their sustainable solutions is an unexpected tactic the entire community can help with: composting.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#8. Miami, Florida

– Index score: 7.24

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface

Miami broke new ground in addressing urban heat islands when it inaugurated the world’s first chief heat officer. Since taking the role, Jane Gilbert is devising solutions to dissipate the strength of urban heat islands, and the class inequities in health they dole out. Among these are climate resilience hubs, which will offer relief for residents suffering through a heat spell.

Additionally, Keep Safe Florida is stepping in to assist low-income residents in these hot pockets of the city. The program provides funding for low-income properties to install and update infrastructure to protect against urban heat islands, as well as other effects of climate change.

Mia2you // Shutterstock

#7. Chicago, Illinois

– Index score: 7.24

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface, population density

Chicago’s heat concentration is quite skewed, thanks to the city’s position on Lake Michigan. With the lake’s waters cooling downtown, it is the city’s western suburbs that are heating up disproportionately. The fact that these areas are also increasingly developing, with additional heat-absorbing buildings and structures being constructed, only adds to the intensification.

To fight against this, Chicago’s city government has developed a series of building codes and green infrastructure projects. These include plans to install reflective roofing and rooftop gardens; requiring that newly built flat roofs meet EPA standards; and offering funding for projects that will encourage greenery and other heat island mitigation.

ezellhphotography // Shutterstock

#6. Boston, Massachusetts

– Index score: 7.24

– Main contributors: Building height, population density

Boston’s neighborhoods with high concentrations of pavement, asphalt, dark roofs, and high buildings are where urban heat islands can be found. These include the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, and Mattapan.

The city’s Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston is a plan designed to counteract these heat-gulping hot spots, especially during the summer. Strategies laid out include a grant program to fund the installation of cool roofs, as well as plans to distribute cooling kits to the public during outdoor summer gatherings. The Extreme Temperatures Response Task Force has been directed to design action plans to put these ideas into motion.

Marcio Jose Bastos Silva // Shutterstock

#5. San Francisco, California

– Index score: 7.37

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface, population density

San Francisco’s environmentally friendly reputation makes it a receptive city to try solutions for urban heat islands. The Next Generation Urban Greening Project hopes to expand preexisting sustainability programs from the city’s affluent neighborhoods to its poorer ones, where urban heat islands are concentrated. Plans are being considered to redesign sidewalks and buildings to accommodate greenery and reflective materials, even if strategies must be fitted uniquely block by block.

In January 2017, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to require at least 15-30% of roof space to have solar panels or greenery. The city’s Clean Air Plan also suggests implementing a “cool parking ordinance,” which would pay particular attention to planting and installing shade materials in parking lots, which are major culprits for absorbing heat.

Daily Travel Photos // Shutterstock

#4. Houston, Texas

– Index score: 7.46

– Main contributors: Impermeable surface, surface color/reflectivity

The Houston Harris Heat Action Team, or H3AT, attempted to map the city’s urban heat islands in 2020 and found that areas close to Richmond Avenue and Chimney Rock Road were noticeably hotter than others. Many of Houston’s hot spots are not random, but the result of past patterns of socioeconomic inequality.

The city’s Third Ward neighborhood has found itself an urban heat island largely because of historical bureaucracy and systemic decision-making that sidelined the community from programs to develop parks and green spaces. Overall, only 18% of the city is shaded. The city would need to plant 2.4 million trees to provide adequate shade for all residents.

Nate Hovee // Shutterstock

#3. New York, New York

– Index score: 7.62

– Main contributors: Building height, impermeable surface, population density

It is perhaps not surprising that the “concrete jungle” is also the third-worst urban heat island in the country. There are over 6,000 high rises and more than 270 skyscrapers in New York City, all of which suck in the sun’s rays and heat up the city. The NYC CoolRoofs project paints urban rooftops around the city white, which lessens the extent to which they absorb heat. The initiative focuses on providing this service to nonprofits, low-income residential areas, community centers, and schools.

Cool Neighborhoods NYC, established in 2017, has dedicated $106 million to reverse the city’s heat-hungry infrastructure—$82 million alone will be used to plant trees in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. New York’s one saving grace is Central Park, which cools the areas around it. However, as the park’s surrounding neighborhoods are some of the wealthiest in the city, low-income residents are once again disproportionately affected by urban heat.

Andriy Blokhin // Shutterstock

#2. Newark, New Jersey

– Index score: 7.71

– Main contributors: Impermeable surface, building height, population density

Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood suffers significantly from heat hoarding, in part because of its population density: It is home to around 50,000 people within 4 square miles. It doesn’t help that the neighborhood is also slated for construction projects that will increase its tall, heat-absorbing structures, including a six-story apartment building, a 13-story retail space, and an 11-story building near Penn Station.

To understand why Newark’s urban heat islands exist where they do, one can look as far back as the 1930s and 1940s, when funding was allocated to other neighborhoods of the city. This led to many Newark residents—including a disproportionate number from lower income and minority neighborhoods—lacking heat-deflecting green spaces while other areas in the wealthier North Ward received more investment, more trees—and decades later, less heat.

quiggyt4 // Shutterstock

#1. New Orleans, Louisiana

– Index score: 8.94

– Main contributors: Surface color/reflectivity, impermeable surface

New Orleans’ lack of tall buildings may offer an aesthetic benefit, but it leaves the city with a climate disadvantage, lacking much shade from the sun. The city also has a high number of dark roofs and roads, in combination with a low amount of greenery. Hurricane Ida worsened the city’s ability to fight against intense heat, cutting residents off from power, and with it the ability to use fans or air conditioners.

The city government has pledged to reverse this and reach 30-40% of the city covered in green areas by 2030. Supplementing this, Sustaining Our Urban Landscape has planted 5,000 trees in the last five years alone, attempting to compensate for the 100,000 trees lost during Hurricane Katrina.

This story originally appeared on New Jersey Real Estate Network and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

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The post Ladakh herders endeavor to avoid wasting future amid local weather disaster appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

LAS VEGAS, February 01, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Plumbing Manufacturers International’s leadership and staff are leading a crusade for safe, clean water for future generations. Their latest stop is the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2023, where they are working this week to persuade policymakers and potential allies about the urgency of the association’s PMI’s Rethink Water initiative.

“All across the globe, we all need to rethink how we use water every day,” says Kerry Stackpole, PMI’s CEO and executive director. “Not only how do we use it, but how do we save as much as possible and make it safe for those who will need it in the future. Of all the facets of climate change, its impact on water may be the most profound. “

The enormousness of the challenge makes it somewhat intimidating to address. Where does one begin? Looking at it from the perspective of plumbing manufacturing, Stackpole said he believes you start with your strengths. “For more than 15 years, our industry has been making toilets, showerheads, faucets and other plumbing products that use water more efficiently than the older products most people still have in their homes. We simply need to install more of these WaterSense products, and the water savings will be substantial,” he explains.

That’s why PMI’s first Rethink Water project is legacy product replacement – replacing older, inefficient products with new, more-efficient WaterSense models. At KBIS, PMI hosted a Power Break and Briefing today to inform members, policymakers, other guests and media about the urgency of this project and the need to establish a robust public-private partnership to accomplish it.

EPA’s successful WaterSense program has proved its ability to save water

An Environmental Protection Agency program started in 2006, WaterSense has so far saved 6.4 trillion gallons of water, including 1.1 trillion in the last year counted alone, according to the program’s latest accomplishments report. To be certified to bear the WaterSense label, a plumbing product must use at least 20% less water than a product meeting federal standards established in 1994 by the Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

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American households use about 10 trillion gallons of water each year – which means last year, WaterSense products saved an amount equal to 11% of the total amount used by US households. That’s no easy achievement, but it’s nowhere near the potential of the WaterSense program. That’s because many households still don’t have WaterSense plumbing products installed.

A 2022 GMP Research study commissioned by PMI found that only 23% of California residences have toilets meeting WaterSense standards. More than half of these residences have WaterSense showerheads and faucets, but a strong minority does not, the study found. An earlier GMP study commissioned by PMI found that most states have WaterSense statistics similar to California’s.

PMI estimates that up to 326 billion gallons of water can be saved over 30 years in California by replacing the 26.1 million toilets not up to WaterSense standards with WaterSense toilets. By accelerating the replacement of these toilets, 65.3 billion gallons can be saved within five years, and 95.7 billion gallons within 10 years. Achieving similar savings in all 50 states can increase the gallons saved into the trillions.

But numerical estimates do not reflect the current situation. Because water-efficiency standards are currently set by states, PMI and its allies have started advocating state-by-state for robust legacy product replacement programs, starting with California and other western states having water supplies hit hard by the drought. PMI California government affairs consultant Jerry Desmond and PMI technical director Kyle Thompson have broached legacy product replacement with California water officials, with the hopes of building the idea into a bill this year.

Legacy product replacement isn’t a new idea

In California, toilet replacement or rebate programs have been implemented in Southern California, San Francisco, and other regions and municipalities.

San Antonio, Texas, had a decade-long program that delivered and replaced toilets free of charge until virtually no inefficient toilets were left to replace. Programs replacing toilets free of charge or via rebates have been implemented throughout the nation, primarily at the county or municipal level, in places including Dallas/Fort Worth, Maui, New York City, Seattle, and Tucson. Some of the programs have low income requirements.

Because these programs save water, PMI would like to see legacy product replacement scaled up into statewide programs through which the total savings would be immense. “Part of our challenge is to get policymakers and allies comfortable with audacious, bold solutions,” Stackpole stated. Compared to other water-related solutions on the drawing board, such as desalination and rainwater catchment, legacy product replacement on a larger scale is relatively modest, he explained. “Half-way solutions won’t solve the water crisis. We have to think bigger.”

PMI Board of Directors President Sal Gattone of LIXIL is working closely with Stackpole and the PMI board members on the legacy product replacement challenge. “During this time of climate change and uncertainty, we all need to acquire the role of a conservationist,” Gattone stated. “Modern life relies on the easy availability of water. This access assures our health and safety and our very survival. Hence, we need to collectively respond to water crises and actively work together on sustainable solutions.”

About Plumbing Manufacturers International

Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) is the trade association of plumbing product manufacturers that produce more than 90% of the United States’ plumbing products, represent more than 150 iconic brands, and develop safe, reliable and innovative water-efficient plumbing technologies. PMI members contribute more than 464,000 jobs and $85.5 billion in economic impact to America’s economy.

With a vision of safe, responsible plumbing – always, PMI advocates for plumbing product performance contributing to water efficiency and savings, sustainability, public health and safety, and consumer satisfaction through its Rethink Water initiative and other programs. PMI members manufacture water-efficient toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads and other products at more than 70 locations across the country and market them online and in more than 24,000 home improvement stores, hardware stores and showrooms in all 50 states. For more information on PMI, contact the organization at 1750 Tysons Blvd., Ste. 1500, McLean, Va., 22102; phone: 847-481-5500; fax: 847-481-5501. safeplumbing.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005140/en/

Contacts

Ray Valek, ray@valekco.com, 708-352-8695

The post At KBIS, Plumbing Producers Worldwide Promotes Rethink Water Initiative – A Campaign for Protected, Clear Water for Future Generations appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

With long-term sustainability a key concern for society, all industries need to recognize the role they play in contributing to a responsible and sustainable future and find ways to address the challenges they face.

The Plumbing Life Saver

The Plumbing Life Saver

SYDNEY, June 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Late last year, Master Plumbers’ Association Queensland (MPAQ) and Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia (PIPA) joined forces with Iplex, Reece, Tradelink and Vinidex to launch the Construction Plastics Recycling Scheme in Queensland, with funding support from the Queensland Government. According to the leading plumber Port Stephens wide, The Plumbing Life Saver, the scheme highlights the need to educate and change behaviors across the industry.

The scheme was developed to help industry understand the volume of available PVC off-cuts and fittings from construction sites. With most plastic pipes installed throughout Australia being 100% recyclable, waste such as off-cuts should be captured and diverted from landfill. The Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia says PVC pipes can be recycled six to seven times without significant reduction in pipe material quality requirements.

Collection sites set up as part of the scheme have made it easier for the construction industry to divert their PVC off-cuts from landfill to be recycled. With clear benefits to the scheme, The Plumbing Life Saver hopes similar programs can eventually be introduced throughout Australia.

By shifting to a circular economy model where resources are reclaimed and recycled in an endless loop, the construction industry can move away from its current wasteful linear economy. While there is a widespread perception that virgin materials are better than recycled in the industry, The Plumbing Life Saver believes it comes down to education and availability.

Initiatives such as the Construction Plastics Recycling Scheme can help the industry make meaningful steps towards becoming more sustainable, says The Plumbing Life Saver, who hopes to see the construction industry become more green, sustainable and committed to creating a circular economy.

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The Plumbing Life Saver offers a one-stop solution for affordable 24/7 plumbing services including installation and maintenance of hot water Port Stephens wide. Providing a convenient, reliable and prompt service, for any plumbing issues including fixing blocked drains Port Stephens wide, contact The Plumbing Life Saver.

Contact: 0448 669 938

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The post Plumbing Trade Has a Function to Play in Contributing to a Accountable and Sustainable Future appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

By Chloe Veltman

If the Castro Theatre didn’t exist, then neither would Sophia Padilla.

“I always joke that I was conceived at the Castro Theatre,” said the San Francisco resident, who happened to be passing by the iconic, 100-year-old movie palace on a recent afternoon while out walking her dog.

Padilla said her parents first met in line to see a movie at the theater, 27 years ago.

“Both of them were on dates with other people, actually,” Padilla said. “They fell in love right here. And I’ve been coming to the Castro to see movies for my entire 26-year life.”

Padilla also said the Castro Theater played a role in recognizing her queer identity.

“The Castro really helped me find who I was,” she said.

San Francisco resident and movie fan Sophia Padilla poses outside the Castro Theater with her dog.Chloe Veltman/NPR

Located in the heart of one of the country’s most high-profile LGBTQ neighborhoods, the Castro Theatre, which has been owned by the same family since 1922, has long been a bastion of queer cinema and community events.

Highlights include the first ever public screening of the 2008 movie Milk about the pioneering openly gay politician Harvey Milk, the annual Frameline queer movie festival, and an abundance of drag performance nights.

“The Castro Theater is like a sacred temple for the community,” said Castro LGBTQ Cultural District board member Jesse Sanford. “It’s where we gather to laugh together, cry together, learn our history and mourn our losses.”

The venue has also hosted major film festivals like the San Francisco International Film Festival and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

But the recent takeover of the theater’s lease by Another Planet Entertainment — which operates and programs a handful of mostly music-oriented venues and festivals around the San Francisco Bay Area — has led to a struggle for the theater’s future.

“Another Planet’s plan will mean that films rarely get shown, and community events rarely happen,” said Sanford.

Conservationists push back

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District is one of several local groups pushing back against Another Planet’s plans to refocus the venue’s programming and make sweeping renovations.

“This is a hundred-year-old theatre. You can’t just change it any way you want,” said Peter Pastreich, executive director of the Castro Theater Conservancy, a group that was formed three years ago to address concerns about the increasingly dilapidated state of the building.

Castro Theater Conservancy executive director Peter Pastreich at the Castro Theatre.Chloe Veltman/NPR

Pastreich said his group welcomes some of the proposed upgrades, such as putting in wheelchair access and a new HVAC system — as well as touching up the interior’s grand mural’d walls, chandeliers and leather-effect ceiling. He estimates renovating the theater would cost $20-30 million.

“We aren’t opposed to Another Planet or anybody else who will renovate the theater and keep it open,” Pastreich said.

It all comes down to the seating

The activists’ primary point of contention is the operator’s plans for the theater’s seating.

“The plans are to take out the seats and level the floor, which would make the theater no longer appropriate for movies,” Pastreich says.

Thousands of people — including many celebrities like Francis Ford Coppola, Alice Waters and Tilda Swinton — have signed the conservancy’s petition to prevent Another Planet’s renovations from going ahead.

The building is already in part protected. The City of San Francisco gave landmark status to the exterior in 1977. Now these activists are trying to get the city to expand the designation to include the building’s interior. If that happens, it will be much harder for the leaseholder to rip out the theater’s 1,400 seats and flatten the floor.

The Castro Theater’s interior.Andrew Rosas

“Changing the seating is a big deal,” said Matt Lambros, a Boston-based photographer of historic movie theaters who has written several books on the topic. “You could ruin the sight lines.”

There are a few thousand old, single-screen movie palaces like the Castro still in operation in the US today, down from tens of thousands in their pre-World-War-II heyday.

Lambros said in order for these cinemas to survive, the seating has to do more than accommodate movie-goers.

“There’s interest in restoring these places,” he said. “The issue is, you have to find something that will bring people. For the most part, unfortunately, a 1500-or 2000-seat theater showing films, that’s just not viable.”

Those who want the theater’s seating plan to remain intact point out that the Castro has hosted all kinds of non-movie events over the years.

“It is possible to have the theater be conducive to movie-going and concert-going and comedy and spoken word presentations and community meetings,” said San Francisco Silent Film Festival Director Anita Monga. “All of that is possible with the existing seats and same configuration.”

Another planet pushes ahead

Another Planet spokesman, Alex Tourk, said, despite his plan to remove the movie-style seating, the company is committed to honoring the theater’s legacy. “They absolutely want to continue to show film,” Tourk said. “They committed to making sure that 25% of programming would be dedicated to the LGBTQ community.”

He said the company has been shocked by the effort these groups have mounted to preserve the theater, given the company’s solid reputation as a concert and festival producer. His plan is to invest $15 million in renovating the theater.

“Another Planet will continue to work with the city to find consensus and move the vision forward,” said Tourk. “Another planet did expect some opposition,” he said. “But the level of vitriol has been beyond the pale.”

The family that owns the theater, the Nassers, did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

The post A battle over seats might outline the way forward for an iconic San Francisco movie show appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

If the Castro Theater didn’t exist, then neither would Sophia Padilla.

“I always joke that I was conceived at the Castro Theatre,” said the San Francisco resident, who happened to be passing by the iconic, one-hundred-year-old movie palace on a recent afternoon while out walking her dog.

Padilla said her parents first met in line to see a movie at the theater, 27 years ago.

“Both of them were on dates with other people, actually,” Padilla said. “They fell in love right here. And I’ve been coming to the Castro to see movies for my entire 26-year life.”

Padilla also said the Castro Theater helped to forge her queer identity.

“The Castro really helped me find who I was,” she said.

Located in the heart of one of the country’s most high-profile LGBTQ neighborhoods, the Castro Theater has played a prominent role in San Francisco’s cultural and social evolution for decades.

Besides hosting major film festivals like the San Francisco International Film Festival and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the venue has long been a bastion of queer cinema and community events. Highlights include the first ever public screening of the 2008 movie Milk about the pioneering openly gay politician Harvey Milk, the annual Frameline queer movie festival, and an abundance of drag performance nights.

“The Castro Theater is like a sacred temple for the community,” said Castro LGBTQ Cultural District board member Jesse Sanford. “It’s where we gather to laugh together, cry together, learn our history, and mourn our losses.”

But the recent purchase of the theater’s lease by Another Planet Entertainment, which operates a handful of mostly music-oriented venues and festivals around the San Francisco Bay Area, has led to a struggle for the theater’s future.

“Another Planet’s plan will mean that films rarely get shown, and community events rarely happen,” said Sanford.

Conservationists push back

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District is one of several local groups pushing back against Another Planet’s plans to refocus the venue’s programming and make sweeping renovations.

“This is a hundred-year-old theater. You can’t just change it any way you want,” said Peter Pastreich, executive director of the Castro Theater Conservancy, a group that was formed three years ago to address concerns about the increasingly dilapidated state of the building.

Pastreich said his group welcomes some of the proposed upgrades, such as putting in wheelchair access and a new HVAC system, and touching up the interior’s grand mural’d walls, chandeliers and leather-effect ceiling. He estimates renovating the theater would cost $20-30 million.

“We aren’t opposed to Another Planet or anybody else who will renovate the theater and keep it open,” Pastreich said.

It all comes down to the seating

The activists’ main point of contention is the leaseholder’s plans for the theater’s seating.

“The plans are to take out the seats and level the floor, which would make the theater no longer appropriate for movies,” Pastreich says.

Thousands of people, including many celebrities like Francis Ford Coppola, Alice Waters and Tilda Swinton, have signed the conservancy’s petition to prevent Another Planet’s renovations from going ahead.

The building is already in part protected. The City of San Francisco gave landmark status to the exterior in 1977. Now these activists are trying to get the city to expand the designation to include the building’s interior. If that happens, it will be much harder for the leaseholder to rip out the theater’s 1400 seats, and flatten the floor.

“Changing the seating is a big deal,” said Matt Lambros, a Boston-based photographer of historic movie theaters who has written several books on the topic. “You could ruin the sight lines.”

There are a few thousand old, single-screen movie palaces like the Castro still in operation in the US today, down from tens of thousands in their pre-World-War-II heyday.

Lambros said in order for these cinemas to survive, the seating has to do more than accommodate movie-goers.

“There’s interest in restoring these places,” he said. “The issue is, you have to find something that will bring people. For the most part, unfortunately, a 1500-or 2000-seat theater showing films, that’s just not viable.”

Those who want the theater’s seating plan to remain intact point out that the Castro has hosted all kinds of non-movie events over the years.

“It is possible to have the theater be conducive to movie-going and concert-going and comedy and spoken word presentations and community meetings,” said San Francisco Silent Film Festival director Anita Monga. “All of that is possible with the existing seats and same configuration.”

Another planet pushes ahead

Another Planet spokesman, Alex Tourk, said, despite his plan to remove the movie-style seating, the company is committed to honoring the theater’s legacy. “They absolutely want to continue to show film,” Tourk said. “They committed to making sure that 25% of programming would be dedicated to the LGBTQ community.”

He said the company has been shocked by all the pushback, given its solid reputation as a concert and festival producer, and its plan to put $15 million towards renovating the theater. “Another planet did expect some opposition,” he said. “But the level of vitriol has been beyond the pale.”

Tourk said even if the landmark designation for the theater’s interior goes ahead next year, Another Planet will not, at least for now, be deterred.

“Another Planet will continue to work with the city to find consensus and move the vision forward.” [Copyright 2022 NPR]

The post Struggle over seats might outline way forward for iconic San Francisco movie show appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Besides hosting major film festivals like the San Francisco International Film Festival and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the venue has long been a bastion of queer cinema and community events. Highlights include the first ever public screening of the 2008 movie Milk about the pioneering openly gay politician Harvey Milk, the annual Frameline queer movie festival, and an abundance of drag performance nights.

“The Castro Theater is like a sacred temple for the community,” said Castro LGBTQ Cultural District board member Jesse Sanford. “It’s where we gather to laugh together, cry together, learn our history, and mourn our losses.”

But the recent purchase of the theater’s lease by Another Planet Entertainment, which operates a handful of mostly music-oriented venues and festivals around the San Francisco Bay Area, has led to a struggle for the theater’s future.

“Another Planet’s plan will mean that films rarely get shown, and community events rarely happen,” said Sanford.

Conservationists push back

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District is one of several local groups pushing back against Another Planet’s plans to refocus the venue’s programming and make sweeping renovations.

“This is a hundred-year-old theater. You can’t just change it any way you want,” said Peter Pastreich, executive director of the Castro Theater Conservancy, a group that was formed three years ago to address concerns about the increasingly dilapidated state of the building.

Castro Theater Conservancy executive director Peter Pastreich at the Castro Theatre. (Chloe Veltman/NPR)

Pastreich said his group welcomes some of the proposed upgrades, such as putting in wheelchair access and a new HVAC system, and touching up the interior’s grand mural’d walls, chandeliers and leather-effect ceiling. He estimates renovating the theater would cost $20-30 million.

“We aren’t opposed to Another Planet or anybody else who will renovate the theater and keep it open,” Pastreich said.

It all comes down to the seating

The activists’ main point of contention is the leaseholder’s plans for the theater’s seating.

“The plans are to take out the seats and level the floor, which would make the theater no longer appropriate for movies,” Pastreich says.

Thousands of people, including many celebrities like Francis Ford Coppola, Alice Waters and Tilda Swinton, have signed the conservancy’s petition to prevent Another Planet’s renovations from going ahead.

The building is already in part protected. The City of San Francisco gave landmark status to the exterior in 1977. Now these activists are trying to get the city to expand the designation to include the building’s interior. If that happens, it will be much harder for the leaseholder to rip out the theater’s 1400 seats, and flatten the floor.

The Castro Theater’s interior. (Andrew Rosas)

“Changing the seating is a big deal,” said Matt Lambros, a Boston-based photographer of historic movie theaters who has written several books on the topic. “You could ruin the sight lines.”

There are a few thousand old, single-screen movie palaces like the Castro still in operation in the US today, down from tens of thousands in their pre-World-War-II heyday.

Lambros said in order for these cinemas to survive, the seating has to do more than accommodate movie-goers.

“There’s interest in restoring these places,” he said. “The issue is, you have to find something that will bring people. For the most part, unfortunately, a 1500-or 2000-seat theater showing films, that’s just not viable.”

Those who want the theater’s seating plan to remain intact point out that the Castro has hosted all kinds of non-movie events over the years.

“It is possible to have the theater be conducive to movie-going and concert-going and comedy and spoken word presentations and community meetings,” said San Francisco Silent Film Festival director Anita Monga. “All of that is possible with the existing seats and same configuration.”

Another planet pushes ahead

Another Planet spokesman Alex Tourk said that despite his plan to remove the movie-style seating, the company is committed to honoring the theater’s legacy. “They absolutely want to continue to show film,” Tourk said. “They committed to making sure that 25% of programming would be dedicated to the LGBTQ community.”

He said the company has been shocked by all the pushback, given its solid reputation as a concert and festival producer, and its plan to put $15 million towards renovating the theater. “Another Planet did expect some opposition,” he said. “But the level of vitriol has been beyond the pale.”

Tourk said even if the landmark designation for the theater’s interior goes ahead next year, Another Planet will not, at least for now, be deterred.

“Another Planet will continue to work with the city to find consensus and move the vision forward.”

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The post Battle Over Seats May Outline Way forward for Iconic San Francisco Film Theater appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Tesla may soon be bringing an HVAC with a HEPA filter on its systems in the future, which Elon Musk recently talked about online with a fan asking for the technology. The tech CEO said that this device is already on the “future product list” of the company’s future ventures, which is highly applicable in Austin, Texas.

Tesla HVAC with HEPA Filter for Better Air Quality

(Photo : Michael Fortsch on Unsplash )

Tesla may have something other than clean energy in its future ventures, especially with an upcoming focus on a product that is somehow different from its current releases. A Twitter user asked the tech CEO regarding the possibility of having an HVAC with a HEPA filter that would help him with his allergies, and it is something that the fan asks from Tesla.

HVAC is heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in one system, primarily for ducts in public places like malls, restaurants, gyms, coliseums, stadiums, and more. The user asked if it could be applicable as a device, something that Tesla or Elon Musk would make available from its devices that debut to the public.

The focus is to improve air quality, which would help avoid allergies to the air.

Read So: Tesla FSD Beta v11 Update Offers Single Software Stack for Highway, City Driving! Elon Musk Not Hyping the Upgrade?

Tesla HVAC: Musk Says it’s on the Future List

It’s on the future product list. Especially important in places like Austin, which has next-level amounts of pollen in the air.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 18, 2022

The tech CEO replied to the tweet and said it is already on the future product list, which the company is already working on alongside the top executive. Musk said that it is “especially important” for Austin and other places that suffer from the same situation, particularly with “next-level” pollen in the air.

It may be a device that the company would work on, as its electric vehicles have already adapted HEPA filters for its HVAC system.

Tesla and its Many Ventures on Tech

There are many technological advancements to Tesla’s releases, and it does not end with its electric vehicle ventures that bring the world clean energy transportation for mobility. One of the top focuses of the company is its power delivery for all. It includes a Virtual Power Plant that the company will answer with Powerwalls that will send electricity to the grid.

Another of Tesla’s focus is to bring more features to its electric vehicle that the drivers or passengers may use along the drive, and it would help them with entertainment and access to the many possibilities with it. Its latest addition to its infotainment system is the Steam Integration, which would allow the platform to run and bring its games to the car’s radios.

Now, there would be a different focus for Tesla and Elon Musk as it aims to enter something that would border on health technology which will be integrated into its innovations. However, Musk did not clarify whether this venture would be for the house as an appliance or in addition to its electric vehicles and HVAC system.

Related Article: Tesla Model Y, Model X Arrive at the Mount Everest Base Camp After Four Days

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by Isaiah Richard

ⓒ 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

The post Tesla to Create HVAC with HEPA Filter, Elon Musk Confirms on Future Merchandise Listing appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

By dr Marcy Adelman

Twenty-four years ago, I co-founded Openhouse with my late partner, Jeanette Gurevitch, to build senior housing with services for San Francisco’s LGBTQ community. It was a time much different than the one we now live in. LGBTQ older adults were invisible in all areas of mainstream senior services. LGBTQ seniors were not welcome in either market rate or affordable senior housing or at any point along the continuum of senior care in San Francisco. LGBTQ older adults would go back into the closet to access senior housing or services, or at great risk to their health, choose not to access needed services at all. Low-income seniors were being forced out of San Francisco by evictions and rising rents by an inflated housing market. The situation for LGBTQ seniors was more dire; they were being forced to leave their home and the community they built, where they felt safe to live an out life. With few safe options, they faced an uncertain future.

We invited senior community members, Jan Falkner, Matile Rothschild, Arthur Hurwith, and Warren Van Eck, to join us. They accepted our invitation and together we comprised the founding board.

We spoke about aging at small gatherings in people’s homes and to numerous LGBTQ organizations. How did people want to age and with whom? We asked people not just what they thought was possible but what they would like to see happen as they got older. I knew I wanted to live in an intergenerational community that embraced aging and centered the voices, experiences, and ongoing contributions of LGBTQ older adults. Whether I lived in senior housing or not, that was the kind of greater community I wanted to be a part of. We were a grassroots effort imbued with the spirit of community building. This spirit continues at Openhouse.

We searched for a housing developer partner. We met with both for profit and non-profit developers. Some questioned the financial feasibility of our project; others said they were too busy building housing for their own community. After all, we had little to offer to enter into a partnership. We had no money and no land to build on. We explored the possibility of a partnership with two different developers but they didn’t work out. We also made several serious attempts at securing a site to build on. All of which were in or near Hayes Valley.

Hayes Valley seemed like the most likely place for our village. It was and is a gay friendly neighborhood close to the Castro. It also was a neighborhood with large parcels of open land. The Central Freeway had come down during the earthquake and the neighborhood was determined not to rebuild it. They wanted to replace the freeway with a green, walkable neighborhood with fewer cars, more housing, and more sunlight. The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) was home to some remarkable advocates. Jeanette and I sat in on some of their meetings and then presented our vision of what we wanted to build in the neighborhood. We found we had much in common. We became members and supporters. We didn’t know it then, but our long relationship with HVNA would play an important role in securing a developer and eventually the site on Laguna Street.

We also met with city and community leaders and city personnel. To address the concerns we encountered when meeting with city personnel, we decided to conduct a survey designed to collect demographic, psychosocial, and senior/retirement housing information from LGBT people of all ages. A total of 1301 LGBT adults returned the survey. There were too few bisexual and transgender elder respondents to include in the analysis of the study. However, people of color made up more than 25% of the sample. The survey was the largest and most racially inclusive sample of gay men and lesbians over the age of 50 that had been conducted up to that time.

Key takeaways from the Openhouse study were that (1) the incomes of LG older adults mirrored that of their heterosexual peers and (2) that LG older adults differed from their heterosexual peers as they are more likely to be single, live alone, not have children, and to have higher disability rates. These results shattered the myth of gay wealth and of the gay community not being in need of, or deserving of, affordable housing; and second, that LG older adults, having fewer traditional supports and higher disability rates, would greatly benefit from support.

Our community needed so much; we decided on a vision that would care for as many people as possible. Our vision was to build a mixed income, multicultural senior housing and service village that would provide LGBTQ welcoming housing and services for openhouse residents, the neighborhood in which the village was located, and LGBTQ seniors throughout the city. We further understood from the start that we could not, on our own, build enough housing or provide enough senior services to meet the needs of our aging community. So, since 2004, Openhouse has been providing LGBTQ older adult cultural competency training for Bay Area senior serving providers and organizations.

In 2008, Openhouse finally secured a site to build on. In April of 2008, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to give final approval to a Hayes Valley residential complex with affordable housing welcoming to LGBTQ older adults. Construction was expected to begin in the fall of that year and completion was scheduled for 2011. But the recession delayed construction and the project wasn’t completed until just before COVID.

Despite the delays that were outside of Openhouse’s control and last-minute changes from a mixed income project to an affordable housing project, Openhouse, in partnership with the city and Mercy Housing, successfully established its flagship site of senior housing and services on Laguna Street in Hayes Valley.

The Openhouse village consists of two buildings: 55 Laguna, a repurposed and beautifully renovated historic building that includes affordable housing apartments and Openhouse’s Service Center; and a newly constructed five-story building that includes the 75 Laguna Openhouse Community Activity Center and the affordable housing at 95 Laguna. There are a total of 121 affordable senior apartments in the village. The buildings share a large courtyard and outdoor space nestled in the back of the buildings.

Openhouse’s LGBTQ senior cultural competency training for senior service providers and senior serving organizations also has been successful and has had an impact on making local services and both market rate and affordable senior housing more LGBTQ inclusive. Much has been accomplished. But there is still much more work to be done.

Openhouse is now a seasoned and well-respected nonprofit that has developed one of the largest affordable LGBTQ senior housing complex in the country. Openhouse currently serves over 3000 LGBT older adults with a range of services such as art classes, social groups, language classes (Spanish and Yiddish), home-delivery program, friendly home visitor program, cooking classes, walking group, lunch program, long term Survivors HIV/AIDS Support Group, Housing Workshop, Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Aging Services Program, Rainbow lunch, and Community Day Services, to name just a few.

There is much to celebrate and be proud of. It has taken decades and countless people who helped along the way—the senior LGBTQ community first and foremost, community and civic leaders, the amazing Openhouse staff and board members, donors, foundations, and so many others.

Still, despite all the progress made, the LGBTQ senior community continues to be underserved in mainstream senior services. According to the 2018 San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services Needs Assessment, LGBTQ seniors are two and a half times less likely to utilize mainstream senior services and more likely to access services housed within LGBTQ identified agencies. Similar results were reported in the more recent 2022 needs assessment. Going forward, Openhouse can continue to play an important role in meeting the community’s unmet needs.

A 2022 study by the San Francisco LGBTQ Aging Research Partnership reported on the physical and emotional health of San Francisco’s LGBTQ older adults during COVID and which services they were able to receive and which they were unable to access. In many cases, most older LGBTQ adults were able to access the services they needed. Mental health counseling, however, was reported as the highest unmet need by almost 17% of the 500 respondents. Mental health issues, such as depression and PTSD, spiked, and feelings of loneliness and isolation increased. More than one in four people of color, HIV+ respondents, and people with disabilities reported being unable to access mental health service. Even with the new and innovative telehealth counseling program coming online at Curry Senior Center, the LGBTQ senior community will still need greater access to culturally appropriate, senior centered, affordable mental health services.

dr Kathleen Sullivan, Openhouse’s Executive Director, arrived during COVID. She is the first Openhouse ED experienced in LGBTQ senior housing and LGBTQ senior service. She has a Ph.D. in Urban Studies, with a focus on housing for LGBTQ mid-life and older adults. She was the Director of Senior Services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The LA LGBT Center provides services for more LGBTQ people and LGBTQ seniors than any other organization nationwide.

Kathleen is the perfect person to take Openhouse to the next level and grow Openhouse’s footprint of LGBTQ senior housing and services in San Francisco, and she is well positioned to assist and advise other Northern California communities in how they can best serve their aging LGBTQ communities using the open-house model of senior housing with services.

A new chapter is about to be written.

dr Marcy Adelman, a psychologist and LGBTQ+ longevity advocate and policy adviser, oversees the aging in Community column. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, the California Master Plan on Aging Equity Advisory Committee, and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee. She is the Co-Founder of Openhouse, the only San Francisco nonprofit exclusively focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults.

Aging in community
Published on September 8, 2022

The post Previous, Current, Future – San Francisco Bay Instances appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

In San Francisco, the 5M Development Envisions Public and Private Space for the Future

Courtesy of BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES

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https://www.archdaily.com/980517/in-san-francisco-the-5m-development-envisions-public-and-private-space-for-the-future

The chance to reimagine a four-and-a-half-acre site containing both historic buildings to be preserved and lots slated for development in a major American city is rare. For the team behind 5M, a project on a nodal site in downtown San Francisco, this prospect came with exciting potential to engage with all aspects of community building and place making. Completed by SITELAB, KPF, and a host of other firms, 5M reveals a transformed, multi-use downtown site following a decade-long process.

+ 7

Significant urban design projects on the scale of 5M are “about how you string together the opportunities so that you gain momentum and gain more of the critical mass and power. It’s not about one thing acting by itself,” says Laura Crescimano, cofounder and principal of the San Francisco-based urban design firm SITELAB Urban Studio, which began work on the site a decade ago. “And that’s the same way we think about the design process.”

Developed and operated by Brookfield Properties, 5M is located at between 5th, Mission, and Howard streets in a public transit–rich area. It opened to the public with an ambitious agenda on multiple fronts. The phase of construction completed last month includes the 640,000-square-foot, 25-story 415 Natoma office building designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, The George apartments by Ankrom Moisan, The Parks at 5M, the historic Dempster printing building, and the Camelline building . Cultural programming will activate the landscaped outdoor park that contains a dedicated performance area. The over 300 units completed thus far include both affordable and market rate housing, with more to come. 5M also factors in the over 200,000 square feet of existing office space contained within the historic San Francisco Chronicle and adjacent Examiner buildings owned by the Hearst Corporation, which partnered with Brookfield on the entitlement process.

415 Natoma by Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects rises above the surrounding low- and mid-rise neighborhoods. The project was aimed at stitching the development into the urban fabric of SoMa. Photo by KYLE JEFFERS. Image Courtesy of KPF

Crescimano points to how “the idea of ​​developing truly mixed use,” beyond simply placing retail on the ground floor with residences and/or offices above, was foundational. 5M would be a snapshot of a dynamic city and a nuanced particular place in west SoMa, where old and new are juxtaposed thanks to “that stitching together and honoring the history of place,” she says. The area is home to a longstanding Filipino community and has a connection to labor history, among other significant threads.

Designers, planners and community advocates set out “to create that density and mix of uses that draws from the character here, which is a little funkier, more playful and creative,” Crescimano notes. Prioritizing elements like pedestrian needs, inclusivity and scale for all users and neighbors meant trying to be “embedded and not about creating an island.” In that sense, 5M should meet the needs of its immediate residents and tenants and be a resource for neighbors and even casual passers-by.

415 Natoma. Photo by KYLE JEFFERS. Image Courtesy of KPFThe George at 5M is one of the development’s other towers. Image Courtesy of BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES, JEFFREY MART

Extensive public outreach that included the newly formed 5M Community Advisory Committee shaped every physical and intangible aspect. “Even though it is not necessarily the fastest process, those voices make a project better,” Crescimano says of the charettes and forums organized by SITELAB Urban Studio and local partners. Changes to 5M included materials and colors, and types and diversity of seating. Public performances and programming overseen in part by CAST (Community Arts Stabilization Trust), which is located in donated space at the Dempster Building along with other non-profit cultural and arts organizations, is another community benefit. Instead of using public arts funding to commission “a sculpture and that’s the end of it,” these privately owned public parks can be “more dynamic.” (Firms !melk and Cliff Lowe Associates served as the project landscape architects.)

Trent Tesch, design principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox, echoes the value of public input, which in addition to other considerations, shifted the physical arrangement of 5M over the course of planning and entitlements. The 5M master plan contained guidelines helping regulate articulation, color and texture of new buildings. Wind testing also changed final decisions about where buildings would be sited, and with regard to determining setbacks, “this was fine tuning, and crafting a very bespoke building,” he says of 415 Natoma.

The narrative of the contemporary workplace is being rewritten in our current moment, but there were certain things that the design team was certain about. “There was a real desire not to do another building that’s just a glass box,” Tesch explains. (The team also included House & Robertson Architects.) On this parcel between 5th, Howard, Natoma and Mary streets surrounded by notable eclecticism, “we really pushed hard to make sure we were doing a building that had a lot of character and fabric on the.” The result contains an intimate lobby and series of bays along Mary Street that make for a “more inclusive” building that invests “more on the alley structure of San Francisco as opposed to the major grid,” he adds.

Courtesy of SITELAB URBAN STUDIO

The podium on the tenth floor of 415 Natoma contains two decks with contrasting, distinct views of the city and the San Francisco Bay. The tower then splits into two articulated volumes of different heights that nonetheless remain visually connected. “The idea is they hug each other,” Tesch says. KPF devised what Tesch describes as a “seven and three” system based on a 10-foot module that wraps the facade; seven of the 10 feet are glass and the others opaque, compared to a typical five-foot module on an office tower. The eliminated mullion means “you register the seven-foot window. To me, it’s a more elegant solution.”

As San Franciscans begin to visit, live in and experience the multiple features and spaces at 5M, the team’s early commitment will help spark conversations that address questions here and beyond. “What is our daily routine? What do we want out of our cities? Nobody wants a generic place. There’s a shared value in connecting to local culture and community,” SITELAB Urban Studio’s Crescimano says. “I think that puts this project in a position to fulfill the way the city can evolve.”

Photo by KYLE JEFFERS. Image Courtesy of KPFPhoto by KYLE JEFFERS. Image Courtesy of KPF

This article was originally published in Metropolis.

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