Workshops teach energy efficiency

HILLSIDE — Researchers at Woodbury University are gearing up to host a series of public workshops to help homeowners, businesses and developers make educated choices about their energy and water consumption.

The Smart Design Strategies for Managing Water + Energy in a Changing Climate series, hosted by the Arid Lands Institute at Woodbury University, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Ahmanson Main Space.

Organizers planned to stress local management of rainwater, storm-water runoff and reclaimed wastewater as being crucial to sustaining Western cities, particularly in the face of climate change, said Hadley Arnold, instructor and co-director of the program.

Researchers will also offer strategies for new construction and retrofits.

“It takes a lot of energy to get water, and it takes a lot of water to make energy,” Hadley said.

Students, including those seeking master’s degrees in architecture and fifth-year undergraduate architecture majors, are expected to review the city’s General Plan and other documents and make recommendations on how best to incorporate sustainable aspects, Deputy City Planner Michael Forbes said.

“We’re hoping the results will not only be visual designs, but also will have some practical applications for Burbank,” Hadley said.

To arrive at those ends, she said the roughly 150 students expected to participate in the program this fall would ideally supplement their experiences by working with the Sustainable Burbank Task Force, which advises the City Council.

As part of the public workshops, on April 3 architects Linda Taalman and Debbie Richmond, and landscape architect Stephanie Landregan, will explore projects, products and policies shaping green building, and case studies on transforming local building projects into landscaped surfaces.

In the third public workshop, planned for April 17, organizers will to delve into the topics of water irrigation, washing and bathing.