Residents in the Twin Cities east metro area enduring toxic forever chemicals polluting their water could eventually get access to municipal water supplies, high-tech filters or even new water treatment plants.

These solutions are part of a new $700 million drinking water protection plan Minnesota officials unveiled Thursday aimed at providing longer-term relief in an area where bottled water is a way of life for some residents.

The plan offers three options for removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the water coming out of faucets in Washington County. They involve hooking homes up to municipal water supplies, digging new wells, building treatment plants and installing granular activated carbon filters.

The plan still isnt final its open for a 45-day comment period but its a major milestone in the $850 million settlement Minnesota reached with 3M Co. in 2018 over the man-made chemicals.

3M manufactured the original PFAS chemicals at its plant in Cottage Grove for years, and dumped PFAS-laced waste in four landfills around the county. Thats the main source of a growing plume of contaminated groundwater covering a 150-square-mile area. The pollutants dont break down in the environment and have affected the drinking water supplies for nearly 200,000 residents.

Some types of PFAS have been linked to serious diseases and reproductive problems.

Cottage Grove resident Myron Bailey issued a statement saying the city finally has a long-term solution.

Today is a day for our city to celebrate, he said.

Bailey said city leaders strongly support Option 2, but also support Option 1. In both options, groundwater, as opposed to surface waters such as the Mississippi River or St. Croix River, remains the drinking water source.

Option 1 is the preferred choice of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the state agencies that produced the plan and who control the settlement money.

That option focuses on treating water to a threshold that is more protective than the states safety threshold for PFAS, a health index of 1 based on the concentration of the substances in the water. Water readings above that trigger a health advisory. Option 1 would lower the PFAS in affected drinking water to a health index of 0.5.

Wells with readings below that threshold wouldnt be eligible for treatment or a replacement hookup to a municipal supply. In those cases, the cost for any treatment would fall on the homeowner.

Option 1 funds the operation and maintenance of public water systems in the contaminated zone for about 40 years, funds granular activated carbon filters for 236 private wells for 100 years, and provides 2,062 homes with new connections to municipal water supplies.

Option 2 would treat for PFAS to an even more protective level of 0.3 meaning more water would be eligible for treatment but would have to cut back on other things, such as the number of years public water systems could be funded.

Its trade-offs, said MPCA Assistant Commissioner Kirk Koudelka.

State health officials have long maintained that they havent seen a pattern of health effects from the PFAS in the east metro drinking water. In a media presentation Thursday, Jim Kelly, manager of the environmental health division at the Minnesota Department of Health, reiterated that.

We dont see anything unusual that we can tie definitely to exposure to these chemicals, Kelly said.

Kelly noted that the study of PFAS is relatively new.

Option 1 also sets aside $38 million for future contingencies, the most of the three options. Those include the plume of contaminated groundwater shifting, or deciding that more types of PFAS in the water require a health safety limit and controls.

The extra security is one reason that Cottage Grove resident Dave Schulenberg backs Option 1.

We dont know what the full outcome of this PFAS contamination is going to be, Schulenberg said in an interview. There needs to be some money set aside for that what-if in 20, 30, 40 years.

Schulenberg, executive director of the Minnesota Water Well Association, worked on the Citizen and Business Group, one of three work groups that met monthly for two years helping shape the plan.

Bob Fossum, a watershed district project manager who lives in Lake Elmo and who also worked on the Citizen and Business Group, said he hasnt yet decided which option is best. He called it an insanely complicated issue.

Its been a long process with a lot of complicated analysis and evaluation of the various trade-offs, Fossum said. Its the one shot we have at getting this problem dealt with. Theres not going to be another $750 million after this is gone.

The MPCA and DNR will be holding four virtual public information meetings on the plan scheduled for Sept. 22 and Sept. 23. from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. each day. More information can be found at: 3msettlement.state.mn.us/DrinkingWaterSupply.

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$700 million plan unveiled to deal with 'forever chemicals' in east metro drinking water - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes Market: Overview

The drive for Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market stems from the traction that affordable homes have gathered in worldwide populations. The growing popularity of prefabricated homes is a key trend that has bolstered the expansion of the Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market. Manufactured, modular, and mobile homes all are different terms, technically. The key differentiating parameters are design and construction; body and frame requirements; thermal protection; plumbing and electrical fire safety; and energy efficiency.

The contours of the global manufactured homes, modular homes, and mobile market has witnessed the rise of site-built homes that are made to comply to regional, local, and national regulations and building codes. One such code is Federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act in the U.S. Key application areas are commercial and residential sectors.

The drive for affordable housing for people who need to move frequently has propelled the demand of manufactured and mobile homes. The increasing trend of making modular and manufactured homes customized has spurred growth in the Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market. Modular homes are especially attractive due to the fact that they produce less waste since they are made in climate controlled home building facilities. The key advantages underpinning the popularity are energy savings, shorter build times, and robust build.

Advances being made in safety standards are boosting the growth potential for businesses in the Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market. These homes also reduce weather-related delays.

Are you a start-up willing to make it big in business?Grab an exclusive PDF Brochure for this report

Companies in the Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market are aiming to offer home buyers a mix of site-built and off-site homes. Most players are expected to gain a foothold by adopting state-of-the-art design and home building technologies. Several players are fervently meeting the needs of strength and durability of manufactured homes by using quality materials. Top players are cautious of meeting all local and regional housing building codes. They are employing trained craftsmen also.

Several players in the Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes market are attracting prospective dwellers with cost-efficient solutions. They are keen on ensuring that all stages of offs-site building process is closely monitored. Top players are leveraging their technical expertise to customize the homes to meet the changing demands of consumers, particularly in relation to flooring, cabinetry, and exterior finish.

Read the rest here:
Impact Of Covid-19 Outbreak On Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes Market - Bulletin Line

Is it unrealistic, in the shortening days of a divisive election year, to expect the two parties to take time out of their packed schedules to address the affordable housing crisis? Perhaps, but there has already been progress toward action on housing in 2020.

For example, the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Act (H.R. 4351), introduced by Reps. Denny HeckDennis (Denny) Lynn HeckExclusive: Guccifer 2.0 hacked memos expand on Pennsylvania House races Heck enjoys second political wind Incoming lawmaker feeling a bit overwhelmed MORE (D-Wash.) and Trey HollingsworthJoseph (Trey) Albert HollingsworthWill Congress make a significant move on housing affordability? Overnight Health Care: Trump pressure on health agencies risks undermining public trust | Top FDA spokeswoman ousted after 11 days OVERNIGHT ENERGY: 21 states sue White House over rollback of bedrock environmental law | Administration faces rough week in court | Trump hits Biden on climate at convention MORE (R-Ind.), passed the House by a voice vote in March. Senate consideration of the bill, or a serious effort by that chamber to constructively address artificially high housing costs, would send a message of unified congressional support for urgently needed investment in Americas housing stock.

There is a growing left-right consensus on housing affordability: Overregulation is the chief barrier to affordable, unsubsidized housing within reach of working families. Protecting the right to build on ones own land is the solution, and could help get us to the point where direct government assistance is only needed by families with little or no income.

Congress, of course, has neither the desire nor the authority to take over local zoning powers. But Washington has long influenced housing market regulation in many ways, through innovation, vocal leadership and financial incentives. The Department of Commercepromoted restrictive zoningaround the country in 1924. Theearly Federal Housing Administration subsidized low-density regulationsthat favored expensive suburban-style planning (not to mention imposing strict racial segregation).

Today, Congress should take leadership to promote more worthy ideals and elevate best practices from around the country. Local leaders should see clearly that their national representatives are on the side of inclusive, market-led housing construction. Such an effort will require more two-way communication with federally-funded cities, which must use federal grants responsibly. Given the central role of zoning in local policy, communities receiving Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds must at least take stock of their regulatory apparatus (as the YIMBY Act would require).

Each party now appears to recognize a vital ideal more commonly associated with the other side. For Democrats, this means affirming the leading role of markets in delivering housing affordability. They can draw inspiration from the Austin suburbs, where legal scholarRobert Ellickson foundthat the majority of developable tracts are zoned to allow small-lot single family houses or multifamily homes. Those local choices open opportunities to Texans of diverse income levels and facilitate integration as the Austin economy booms.

Republicans, for their part, have too often ignored housing policy altogether. They are beginning to take a symbolic stand on the content of local decisions and let locally elected Republicans know that there are some things that blue cities get right. Buffalo, New York, for example,facilitated reinvestmentin its time-worn downtown byremoving parking minimumsand making it simpler to repurpose old buildings. That policy innovation wouldbe applicableto commercial spaces left vacant by the current recession.

The YIMBY Act does go beyond expressing the sense of Congress that inclusive, market-led housing investment is good for America. The language of the bill requires each HUD grantee which includes all cities of at least 50,000 people, plus some counties and smaller cities to report on whether or not they have adopted each of 22 policies, such as allowing manufactured housing and reducing parking minimums. The new requirement is likely to be grafted into anexisting online portal. Municipalities can also report that they plan to adopt a policy or that it is inapplicable.

It is fair to criticize the YIMBY Act for failing to address the real problems with HUDs grants. For example, the funding formula for Community Development Block Grants isout of syncwith the programs priorities and has been untouched since 1977. A more ambitious reform would update funding formulae and withdraw HUDs support from communities that do not share its goals.

Instead, Congress is following the business adage, You get what you measure. Decades of interaction with HUD have attuned local officials to some concerns. Many existing reporting requirements for HUD funding are on activities, such as on environmental protections and neighborhood input,known to discourage investment. By contrast, HUD has no existing requirement that communities consider or accommodate potential future residents, the vibrancy of the local economy or local fiscal sustainability, all of which are considerations that lean toward reinvestment. The YIMBY Act puts a little of HUDs weight but perhaps not enough on the pro-investment side of the scales.

Congress is taking seriously HUDs role as a source of information and ideas for local governments. Adding reporting on property rights protections for housing construction is likely, at the margin, to encourage grantees to give greater consideration to the ways they can enable reinvestment by expanding and protecting property rights.

Salim Furthis a senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project with theMercatusCenter at George Mason University.

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Will Congress make a significant move on housing affordability? - The Hill

1. Why Manufactured Housing Is the New Affordable Housing (Commercial Property Executive) - August 24"Despite the zoning challenges, manufactured housing offers the only affordable detached housing option in the U.S."

2. Many Companies Planned to Reopen Offices After Labor Day. With Coronavirus Still Around, Theyre Rethinking That. (WSJ) - August 23"Companies had hoped to bring homebound workforces back in September, but employee outcry and fears over outbreaks have led bosses to change course."

3. Economic Data Points to Pause in Recovery as Aid Programs Expire (New York Times) - August 21"The economys rebound showed signs of stagnating. Then enhanced unemployment benefits and a small-business loan program expired."

4. Hotel Occupancy Likely To Dip By 29% Over Next Year (Globe St) - August 21"A new study from Magid and Howarth HTL estimates the losses to the hospitality industry from the coronavirus pandemic at $75 billion."

5. An Unprecedented Effort to Stop the Coronavirus in Nursing Homes (New York Times) - August 20"Researchers are testing an experimental drug to halt sudden outbreaks. The trial may bring a new type of treatment for the virus."

6. From Illicit To Essential: Pandemic Helping Cannabis Industry Gain Firmer Footing (Bisnow) - August 19"When the economy went into a steep decline last spring, many cannabis retailers and growers said their industry was at risk. The federal prohibition on cannabis already made it difficult to raise needed capital, and with millions of jobs evaporating, legal sales could also crater, leading risk-averse investors to back off even further."

7. Survey: More Than 70% Of CRE Firms Have Seen Their Revenues Drop Significantly During The Pandemic (Bisnow) - August 17"In early March, Bisnow surveyed hundreds of commercial real estate professionals to find out how the industry was responding to the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, 44% of survey respondents said the effects of the pandemic would be short-term, and that the market would rebound quickly, and only 37% of respondents told Bisnow the pandemic had directly affected their business."

Read more here:
7 must reads for the AEC industry today: August 28, 2020 - Building Design + Construction

(Note: A good long video explaining the system can be seen via this Treehugger article)

Judging from my decades of life experience there is an iron-clad rule about every room in every house ever built: The electric outlets are in the wrong place.

Outlets are always, and I do mean always, blocked by furniture or too far from the floor lamp or get overloaded because its the only one I can find. Invariably I end up shifting everything around or living with more extension cords than Medusa had snakes on her head.

Heres an idea: Instead of moving lamps and furniture to suit the outlet, why cant we move the outlet to suit the room?

Thats one aspect of a system called Open-Built that New Hampshires Bensonwood Homes has been developing for years and incorporating into homes, including some built with components made in its Keene factory. The idea is to creates houses that last longer and perform better by designing them to be functionally flexible so they can change as the needs of inhabitants change (kids are born, people get old, family moves out, etc.) and as technology alters.

Its very much a niche idea in the U.S., although not in parts of Europe or Japan. Improvements in computer-aided design and CNC machinery are making it more feasible.

The Keene factory, company founder Tedd Benson says, can produce material for 300 buildings a year on an 8-hour day although he adds, were not up there yet.

Benson got his start with timber-frame construction and with Bensonwood Homes and subsidiary Unity Homes is well versed in sustainable and passive-house construction and design. The Open-Built concept is an extension of those ideas.

Outlets, under this program, can be easily moved because theyre built into a small section of non-weight-bearing walls along the floor that is covered with panels, sort of a vertical version of a dropped ceiling in an office. Open the panels and the wiring is accessible without messing with wallboard or insulation.

If the system was built with plug-and-play circuits that Benson is also developing, moving the outlet wont be much harder than setting up your new computer.

Being able to move outlets is a cool feature, but bigger disentanglements are more important, Benson said.

The inelegant term disentanglement refers to the idea that the structure of the house the shell shouldnt be tangled up with the things that make it work the infill because they exist in different timelines. A house frame and foundation can last a century or two but the design and technology of the pipes and wires and insulation and other components change much more quickly.

If those pipes and wires and insulation are all tangled with each other and with the shell, stuck around studs and joists and behind wallboard or siding, upgrading them is so expensive and complicated that it rarely happens.

Case in point: My house. Weve been there 30 years yet my wife and I have installed exactly one new set of switches and light sockets, resigning ourselves to all the others even when theyre not quite what wed like. And that installation happened only because our bedroom adjoins the attic so it was easy to run wires without ripping up the ceiling.

Then theres the Ethernet cable running down one hallway to a makeshift office because hiding it would be an enormous pain. As for changing the plumbing layout or increasing the insulation in the walls or running fiber-optic cables if that becomes the norm forget it.

Bensons approach is to avoid such locked-in layout from the start with computer-aided design and modular construction. He emphasizes that the idea is not original with him, pointing to well-known advocates like Stewart Brand and John Habraken, but it remains rare in the U.S.

Were rethinking the process and product of buildings so they can last longer and be more adaptable to peoples lives, said Benson. He talked about making a simple wiring upgrade himself, without having to hire people in other building trades: If theyre entangled, it would take five trades to accomplish the same thing.

Along with flexibility, he says, comes better performance, more efficient use of energy and more comfort for people living inside.

We know how to do it its actually not that hard. Residential buildings are really simple; they sit on the earth, dont go anywhere, dont make anything its actually pretty easy to build to a higher-performing standard, he said.

A key part of Open-Built is the construction of walls and other components in a factory to be assembled on site. This idea has been touted for as long as I can remember as a way to make better and cheaper homes but is relegated to the much-scorned category of low-end manufactured homes for reasons I dont quite understand.

Real houses, the thinking still goes, are stick-built meaning that almost everything, including all the framing, is cut and attached and constructed on location out in the rain and sun and wind, on workbenches or scaffolding or ladders, using portable power and staffing that can come from different places for different jobs.

Pushing against that inertia is part of the obstacles Benson faces.

Benson said Bensonwood and Unity together have about 115 employees, including the factory in Keene and two production departments in Walpole, one of which involves high-tech construction with manufactured timber, a topic Ive written about before.

Another obstacle Benson faces is a shortage of standards. You cant plug-and-play components if they dont fit together.

Benson says his firm is in a partnership with Saint-Gobain, a global materials company, to develop software to bring basis to standardization.

Weve got 40 different companies making parts for quote-unquote electrical systems and were still twisting with thumb and forefinger, splicing wires because they dont coordinate design.

The hoped-for result, he said, includes dimensional coordination so that when were making things that are parts of buildings there are some rules about where they go and how they fit. Things like stairs, bathrooms, windows, showerheads and, yes, outlets.

Theyre testing what is essentially a 2-foot grid for the building shell and a 3-inch grid for infill components, he says. Myriad designs can be built around these but, important, not an infinite number.

Instead of everything having to be cut and shaped on building sites by individuals with handheld tools, they can be assembled together, he said.

At a time when the need for housing is greater than ever before, a big rethink of how we construct our homes might be in order. If it means I can get rid of some extension cords at the same time, Im a fan.

Continued here:
An Ethernet cable runs down my hallway but it's not my fault - it's the house's fault! - Concord Monitor

MARYVILLE, Tenn., June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Clayton, a national home builder of site-built and off-site built homes, is excited to launch Find Land, a search engine tool to help home buyers find property listed for sale where off-site built homes could potentially be placed.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8481359-clayton-find-land-search-engine-tool/

The new, digital experience taps into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and allows future buyers to search by zip code for available lots on a regional map, while also displaying additional information, such as if a property is zoned for manufactured off-site built homes.* Users can filter land for sale by preferred distance from the chosen zip code and price range, while discovering photos, additional property details and real estate agent contact information.

As the need for affordable housing becomes more crucial, Clayton is committed to continuously providing innovative housing solutions for its customers. More and more off-site built homes are being permanently attached to land with features like garages and porches, so Clayton naturally integrated the step to find land into its digital home shopping experience.

"In a time when our customers may understandably prefer to shop digitally as they search for the perfect new home and property, innovative website tools like Find Land help make this possible," said Pat Egan, VP of Clayton Corporate Marketing. "Clayton remains committed to improving our customer experience by transforming the journey to find the perfect home for families who are seeking an affordable, quality housing solution. We know finding the ideal location to place a forever home is just as important as finding the dream floor plan."

Find Land assists many home buyers, including those purchasing CrossMod homes**, the newest class of manufactured housing, which incorporates features that are more similar to traditional site-built homes. These beautiful homes are designed to be permanently affixed to land and have the potential to increase in value over time. Clayton's CrossMod home features include a permanent foundation, enhanced cabinets, drywall interiors, energy efficient standards and features, an elevated roof pitch and a covered porch, garage or carport.

Find Land assists future home buyers by conveniently integrating the property buying process and the off-site built home shopping experience. Discover more about the process, browse homes and Find Land to start the journey tomaking a dream home a reality.

*Properties without this label may still be zoned for off-site built homes. Work with a real estate agent to learn more

**CrossModis a trademark of the Manufactured Housing Institute.

AboutClaytonFounded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing including modular homes, manufactured homes, CrossMod homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. All Clayton Built homes are proudly designed, engineered and assembled in America. In 2019, Clayton built 51,964 homes across the country. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com.

Media Contact:Caitlyn Crosbymedia@claytonhomes.com

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Clayton Releases New Website Tool to Help Home Buyers Across the Country "Find Land" - Tullahoma News and Guardian

We touch our faces for many reasons: to groom, to gesture, to scratch. The act can even be soothing in times of stress.But in the midst of a pandemic, such an ordinary habit can quickly turn fatal -- with our hands transferring germs from contaminated surfaces to our eyes, ears, noses or mouths.That's what inspired 15-year-old Max Melia from the United Kingdom to invent Vybpro, a watch that can help stop people from subconsciously touching their faces and possibly contracting the coronavirus."Watching this pandemic unfold on the news, it was clear the devastating effect it was having on people's lives across the world," Max told CNN. "However it wasn't until I saw the severity of the virus first-hand, when both my parents contracted COVID-19, that I truly appreciated just what we were dealing with."The watch works by recognizing gestures that are associated with hand movements towards the face. Combining unique technology and algorithms to differentiate between predicted face touchings and other hand movements, the watch vibrates every time a wearer's hand gets close to the face. Max recommends people to wear one watch on each wrist to monitor the movements of both hands.Max and his mother, Natalie Melia, first came up with the idea in 2018 when the family was discussing ways to prevent the cold and flu. But when the coronavirus pandemic began affecting people worldwide, the rising death toll inspired Max to get to work."I knew that this was the only time I had to try and make a difference and so I've had to be really committed, using my time away from school in lockdown wisely. I'm proud of where we are but I know that to get over the final hurdle it will take even more guts."Using concept work and research that his father, Richard Melia, gathered earlier in the year, Max collaborated with a product designer who was quickly able to produce a working prototype and a cosmetic prototype of the final version of the device.The rechargeable watch features a silicon waterproof band and sealed pod design to allow for water resistance, including sweat, rain and hand washing.Related video: Study finds face masks prevented thousands of COVID-19 casesMax has launched a $74,000 crowdfunding campaign to finalize the development and get the watch into production and finally take it to market. So far, he has raised $17,000. Donors can choose to pledge with no reward, pre-order watches for themselves or donate watches to nursing home staff.All profits made from early sales will go towards providing free watches to vulnerable people and front line workers, such as those in nursing homes and health care workers with the National Health Service (NHS)."I believe that this device can make a real difference in the fight against coronavirus and so I'm determined to do all that I can to bring it to market," Max said. "I really hope that the general public can see the potential and are inspired to get behind the campaign to fund the next stage of the development."VybPro is designed and manufactured in the UK and will retail from around $111, for a pair of wristbands. If the team hits their funding target, it could be on people's wrists by September 2020.

We touch our faces for many reasons: to groom, to gesture, to scratch. The act can even be soothing in times of stress.

But in the midst of a pandemic, such an ordinary habit can quickly turn fatal -- with our hands transferring germs from contaminated surfaces to our eyes, ears, noses or mouths.

That's what inspired 15-year-old Max Melia from the United Kingdom to invent Vybpro, a watch that can help stop people from subconsciously touching their faces and possibly contracting the coronavirus.

"Watching this pandemic unfold on the news, it was clear the devastating effect it was having on people's lives across the world," Max told CNN. "However it wasn't until I saw the severity of the virus first-hand, when both my parents contracted COVID-19, that I truly appreciated just what we were dealing with."

The watch works by recognizing gestures that are associated with hand movements towards the face. Combining unique technology and algorithms to differentiate between predicted face touchings and other hand movements, the watch vibrates every time a wearer's hand gets close to the face. Max recommends people to wear one watch on each wrist to monitor the movements of both hands.

Max and his mother, Natalie Melia, first came up with the idea in 2018 when the family was discussing ways to prevent the cold and flu. But when the coronavirus pandemic began affecting people worldwide, the rising death toll inspired Max to get to work.

"I knew that this was the only time I had to try and make a difference and so I've had to be really committed, using my time away from school in lockdown wisely. I'm proud of where we are but I know that to get over the final hurdle it will take even more guts."

Using concept work and research that his father, Richard Melia, gathered earlier in the year, Max collaborated with a product designer who was quickly able to produce a working prototype and a cosmetic prototype of the final version of the device.

The rechargeable watch features a silicon waterproof band and sealed pod design to allow for water resistance, including sweat, rain and hand washing.

Related video: Study finds face masks prevented thousands of COVID-19 cases

Max has launched a $74,000 crowdfunding campaign to finalize the development and get the watch into production and finally take it to market. So far, he has raised $17,000. Donors can choose to pledge with no reward, pre-order watches for themselves or donate watches to nursing home staff.

All profits made from early sales will go towards providing free watches to vulnerable people and front line workers, such as those in nursing homes and health care workers with the National Health Service (NHS).

"I believe that this device can make a real difference in the fight against coronavirus and so I'm determined to do all that I can to bring it to market," Max said. "I really hope that the general public can see the potential and are inspired to get behind the campaign to fund the next stage of the development."

VybPro is designed and manufactured in the UK and will retail from around $111, for a pair of wristbands. If the team hits their funding target, it could be on people's wrists by September 2020.

Read more:
Teen invents watch that warns you about touching your face so you don't catch coronavirus - WXII The Triad

The Rotary Club of Cannock is part of a district wide project which is providing social distancing packs to charity outlets.

In April this year when the country started to feel the affects of Covid-19, Rotary District 1210 applied to their own charity Rotary Foundation for a disaster response grant in order to provide support to the NHS, healthcare workers, refuges and food banks across the district.

With the aid of the disaster response grant Rotary clubs are supplying social distancing equipment, made up of sneeze screens, hand sanitising stations floor graphics and information posters to more than 60 local outlets.

Rotary has also made donations to womans refuges and food banks across the district.

Also at the start of the pandemic in April Rotary clubs from across Staffordshire, Shropshire and West Midlands plus individual Rotarians, friends and local companies raised over 15,000 which has enabled some 12,000 full face visors to be manufactured and donated to care hospitals, care homes, medical centres and schools across the local area.

The Rotary Club of Cannock has played a key part in coordinating these projects has recently donated a social distancing pack the Stafford and Cannock League of Hospital Friends, who operate the friends cafe at Cannock Chase Hospital.

The clubs President Elect Chris Young helped the staff set up the equipment and the cafe is now providing a take-out service for staff and visitors at the hospital.

For more information regarding Rotary and the work they do supporting the local community and international projects visit cannockrotary.co.uk or email secretary@cannockrotary.co.uk

The rest is here:
Charities benefit from extra support from The Rotary Club - expressandstar.com

Its no secret that America has an affordable housing problem, and economic strains from the pandemic have only made it worse. For example, many of the countrys eviction moratoriums set in place from the COVID-19 outbreak end in August, leaving a huge part of the population scrambling to find affordable housing. In New York City, finding affordable housing literally means winning the lotterythe New York City affordable housing lottery, which since its online inception in 2013, has seen over 25 million applications, all of which are vying for the 40,000 available units. This massive undersupply is why a randomized lottery system picks the winners. For the losers, it can mean living in bad neighborhoods and undesirable apartments, or worse.

And New York is just one example of places throughout the country (and the world) that have little to no affordable housing options. According to the Urban Institutes interactive affordable housing development cost feature, created in conjunction with the National Housing Conference, only 29 affordable rental units exist for every 100 households in need. This means that not even two thirds of households in need of affordable housing will not be able to find it. So, if there is such a vast demand for affordable housing, why arent developers jumping to meet it?

There has long been the notion that developments of any kind can taint a neighborhood through gentrification. There is an assumed fear that new developments somehow eradicate the character or charm of an area, buying out mom and pop businesses and replacing them with chains, eventually causing long-standing residents to move away due to a higher cost of living. The reason this notion exists is because it has happened in the past, but many developers are now seeking residents input, listening to their concerns, and working with them to ensure their needs are met along with the needs of the project.

Residents also fear that affordable housing developments, specifically, will bring down their property value by inviting lower income families into the neighborhood. Stereotyping and racial discrimination have long played roles in these assumptions about affordable housing developments, but neighborhoods actually benefit from cultural diversification because it provides a mixture of businesses that attract foot traffic. Moreover, new research actually shows that the attitude towards new developments has drastically shifted towards a more positive viewpoint.

CoUrbanize, a online community engagement platform for real estate professionals, recently conducted a survey of over 1,000 people across the U.S. to determine what their attitudes were concerning new developments. Perhaps surprisingly, they found that about 82 percent of respondents felt that developments provided benefits for their communities, including economic growth, new housing stock, job creation, and new public amenity offerings. About 55 percent of respondents felt that affordable housing was the most valued aspect of new developments. So while there may still be some stigmas associated with new developments, the viewpoint is changing as more and more people see a need to fill in affordable housing and understand how it benefits communities.

While residents views on affordable housing may be changing for the better, there are other impediments that prevent developments from happening. The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies published a report last year that examines housing affordability and construction innovation in both single and multifamily dwellings from a builders perspective. Rising construction costs, including labor and materials, make it difficult for developers to achieve profitability on affordable housing projects. Depending on where the project is located, land acquisition costs can also be high, especially due to shortages of developable land in densely populated metropolises where many people need to live to be close to work. While subsidies like tax credits and grants can help developers close financing gaps, they are not always enough to cover costs, let alone to see real returns. In order for affordable housing developments to make sense as a profitable investment, construction costs need to be reduced.

The solution to lowering construction costs lies in technology and innovation. When people hear the term modular housing, they often assume the quality suffers, but thanks to new technologies, modular housing, or factory built houses, offer affordable, quality housing on a larger scale. Construction companies like Boxabl, Blokable, and Skender are finding ways to automate parts of the construction process without sacrificing quality and using modular designs to create affordable housing options. Galiano Tiramani is the head of business development at Boxabl, a construction technology startup that is researching and experimenting with different ways of engineering to create a new building construction system. Housing is pre-industrial, pre-factory. Why not make houses the same way we make everything else? Our goal is to build houses the way we build cars, which is manufactured on an assembly line in a factory, essentially mass production, said Tiramani.

While Boxabls goal is to create an automated factory model that can be replicated to meet global housing needs, they needed to start smaller before expanding. Our very first model is the Casita, said Tiramani, which is a twenty foot by twenty foot unit with a full kitchen, bathroom, and combined bedroom/living space. The Casita is currently priced at $50,000, completely furnished, and Tiramani anticipates costs will continue to go down as they upgrade to an automated factory that enables mass production and buying in bulk. We designed our units to be portable to cut down on shipping costs and restrictions, so the Casita packs up to be 8.5 by 8.5 feet. This makes it highway legal and complies with all shipping standards, which is one of the ways we lower costs, said Tiramani. They also lower costs by using efficient materials, including steel and concrete, that are still sturdy enough to withstand a variety of climates and weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rains and even earthquakes.

Shipping, delivery, and installation often drive up costs for modulars. The Casita was designed to reduce labor costs through its portability. By creating foldable walls and roofs that extend on tracks, a unit can be set up in as little as an hour with just a few people. Unloading the unit doesnt require the use of a crane either. The driver is able to do it himself using a jack system. The Casita is currently targeted for backyard use in places like CA and NV as a rental unit or pool house where those additional dwellings are legal. All utilities connect to the same corner, on a wall rather than through the floor to make set up easier. Eventually, Tiramani said Boxabls goal is to expand upon the Casita with different sized floor plans that easily connect and stack to create customized structures of any size. Were trying to make a universal building box that is architecturally indifferent, meaning it works for any type of building. Its like legos. You can make anythingfrom single family homes to offices, said Tiramani.

The affordable housing crisis is a multifaceted problem. Socioeconomic disparities and the wage gap rising slower than housing prices are also contributing issues that need to be addressed from multiple angles. Lowering construction costs that impede new developments is just one of the solutions needed to address the overarching issue of affordable housing. Technology startups are also working to expand co-living options, provide market transparency, give renters bargaining power, and give homeowners access to equity. These solutions are equally important in order to approach affordable housing in a holistic way, but it still may not be enough, especially when economic support from the COVID-19 crisis runs out.

Without the inventory new developments provide, renters and buyers will be stuck in a constant struggle of trying to find a place that simply doesnt exist. But it could exist if construction costs can be lowered enough to incentivize developers to pursue affordable housing. Tiramani envisions a future where that struggle disappears: We are trying to change the industry by automating building construction, and through automation we can drive costs down without sacrificing quality.

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Decreasing Construction Costs and New Public Opinion Pave the Way for More Affordable Housing - Propmodo

Over the past few months, weve heard an unprecedented number of conflicting rumours as to when this years iPhone may actually be launching, or even which models may appear when, with many reports pointing to possible delays due to manufacturing, engineering, and testing setbacks as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Reports have ranged from possible delays into 2021 to suggestions that only the Pro models will be delayed, and possibly only into October. However, now a new report from the analysts at Wedbush shared by 9to5Mac suggests that everything is in fact on track for a September launch.

To be clear, this isnt just a repeat of the previous story that everything was okay; Wedbush acknowledges that there have been some delays in the supply chain, but that theyve apparently been busting their collective butts to overcome those delays and get everything back on schedule.

The supply chain getting back to normalization ahead of expectations has been impressive and now ultimately puts Cook & Co. back in the drivers seat to launch this 5G cycle in its typical mid-late September timeframe

This makes sense in light of previous reports, since of course these have been difficult times around the world and theres been a lot of uncertainty, but as Wedbushs analysts note, theres been a strong push both from Apple and its suppliers to make up for lost time so ensure that the 5G iPhone is ready in time for what is expected to be a 5G super-cycle this fall.

In fact, Wedbush is expecting that the iPhone 12 will drive Apple to become the first $2 trillion company as a result of the pent-up demand for 5G smartphones in general, and for the iPhone 12 specifically, which could form a sort of perfect storm for meeting the expectations of tech-hungry consumers.

However, the team at Wedbush echoes the report we heard from Ming-Chi Kuo last month that EarPods will no longer be included with this years iPhones, echoing Kuos reasoning as well that this should help to drive stronger demand for AirPods over the coming year, with the expectation that Apple could sell 85 million units of its true wireless earbuds as a result.

Analysts at Barclays also share this belief, but theyre actually taking their predictions a big step further, suggesting that Apple wont even be including a power adapter in the box this year.

In a research note obtained by MacRumors, the British bank analysts have spoken with multiple Apple suppliers and come to the conclusion that not only are EarPods being omitted this year, but that the iPhone 12 could ship with only a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, leaving buyers to find their own power supplies.

While this would be a massively positive move for the environment on Apples part, and could even appease European regulators (albeit in a more indirect way), it would leave at least some first-time iPhone buyers in the lurch.

Its clear that Apple is aiming for a future without wires, and many users may already prefer wireless charging options, leaving the power brick unused in the box.

There are also many other cases where users may not have any need for an included charger, such as homes with multiple iPhone users who share single charging stations, those who simply prefer to plug into their MacBook to charge, and those who have compatible chargers from prior iPhone models.

Of course, Apple still sells all of its power adapters separately, with the basic 5W adapter available for $19, and the 18W power adapter, which Apple began including with last years iPhone 11 Pro models, selling for $29.

However, this report from Barclays also flies in the face of a leak we heard this week that suggested Apple could be including a new 20W power adapter with at least some iPhone 12 models.

Since analysts such as Barclays get most of their information from supply chain sources, its conceivably possible that both reports could be correct if the rumoured 20W adapter is being built by a different manufacturing partner; Barclays may be basing its predictions on production for the older 5W and 18W adapters not having been scaled up to match the number of iPhone 12 units expected to be manufactured.

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Apples 5G iPhone 12 Is Back on Track for September, But May Be Missing Accessories - idropnews.com