GreenBuild Blog

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Centralized Solar Power Plants Threaten Environment in the West

The endangered desert pupfish in southern Nevada is the latest obstacle to the dream of filling the West with large solar power plants, says an article in today’s Wall St. Journal. Any project that uses water, such as is required for cooling concentrating solar power plants, is a non-starter in the dry desert Southwest. And the construction required for large PV power plants is likely also to damage desert ecosystems beyond repair. If you fly over the Mojave Desert, you can still see wagon tracks from 150 years ago. We should be focusing instead on decentralized solar power (rooftops) and conservation before we commit hundreds of billions to desert power plants. Alternatively, something I’ve advocated for years, is to use the Navy’s bombing ranges in southeast California for PV power plants, since there’s no longer any endangered species after 50 years of dumping bombs there. There’s more than enough land there to power the entire Southwest. (Of course, there is the issue of unexploded ordnance!)

Sustainability Planning • Permalink

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Global Green Building Rating System Promoted by Large Property Owners

The recent article in Europe’s Property Week magazine says that the companies involved include AXA Real Estate Investment Management, GE Real Estate and ING Real Estate. The scheme is simply called “Green Rating” and will look at energy use, carbon emissions, water use, waste generation, health and location close to public transport. The scheme was launched in Spain last month and is expected to roll out this year in Germany, France, The Netherlands and Italy. A 2010 launch is planned in the US and Japan. Prediction: it’s going to be hard to get traction in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany because of well established domestic rating systems. For example, in the US, more than 20,000 properties are pursuing LEED right now, including 2,500 existing buildings, and there are more than 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals. It’s hard to dislodge this large base of support. The Green Rating system also appears to lack the truly independent third-party certification that is the primary appeal of the established rating systems, as is the broad base of stakeholders involved in developing each country’s rating system. While the companies promoting the plan are important players, they are by no means the largest property managers and owners, even in their respective countries or spheres of operation. Nevertheless, a better way to look at this new system is that it indicates what I’ve been saying all along: the business case for green buildings is so solid that property owners and managers who don’t green existing properties are going to be at a competitive disadvantage in the next few years.

Corporate Sustainability / Green Business Practices • Permalink

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Learning from European Green Buidings

You’ll have to buy a copy of the ULI Green magazine, but there are a lot of good articles in the issue. My article, Learning from Europe, showcases a wonderful project by Behnisch Architekten, from Stuttgart, Germany, the renovation of an aging health spa in a small town in Bavaria. European designers, planners, developers and builders are aggressively pushing the envelope on low-carbon buildings. My forthcoming book, Green Building Trends: Europe, highlights much of what is happening today. You can order it now from Island Press; should be available in 3 to 6 weeks.

Green Building News • Permalink

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Sustainability Focus Makes You Money, Says New Report

In its latest sustainability report, How We Do Business, Marks & Spencer (M&S) says that in January 2007 it was prepared to invest £200m (over $300 million) during the next five years to implement its 2005 sustainability plan, Plan A, but cost savings made on climate change and waste reduction initiatives have already made it cash-flow positive. M&S says that 39 of the 100 commitments under Plan A have been completed and 24 of the 100 targets have been raised.

The decision to charge 5p for single-use grocery bags has cut the use of the bags by 83% (almost 400 million bags) - the £1.2m (about $2 million) profit generated from the charge has gone to the environmental charity Groundwork. Overall waste diversion rates to landfill are up to 41 percent, while carbon emissions have been cut 18 percent since the 2006-2007 baseline year. Energy use is down 10 percent, even while total store area is up 10 percent, for a roughly 20 percent reduction in energy use per square foot.

Corporate Sustainability / Green Business Practices • Permalink

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