I've been going on for some time about why there should be government spending in green building. Here's a intriguing plan by Architecture 2030, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that promotes integrated climate change action through the built environment. It connects a lot of dots in reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector while creating jobs and stimulating the economy in a responsible way. The plan has been presented to the new Obama Administration and it would be worth consideration … [Read more...]
Green Building: A Look at the Future
December 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
As previously noted, the built environment is responsible for over 40 per cent of the U.S. CO2 emissions – the bulk of GHG emissions. This GHG footprint is considerably larger when one factors in emissions from building materials and freight transportation. The case for public expenditure in “greening” the built environment is all the more cogent when one looks into the future. Despite the current gloom pervading the world economic outlook, the economic climate is subject to change … [Read more...]
Green Built Environment: Political Will Needed
December 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The Pew Center report on a Climate Friendly Built Environment – to which I referred in my previous posting – makes an emphatic assertion for the needed political will to act now in three policy areas. It correctly observes that the building industry’s fragmentation makes decision making almost impossible for comprehensive solutions to environmental problems. The report notes: “An integrated approach is needed to address GHG emissions from the U.S. building sector—one … [Read more...]
A Climate Friendly Built Environment
November 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment
In my previous post I referred to the PEW Centre on Global Climate Change. In 2005 – shortly before the new world economic order began – the PEW Center published a most insightful, almost prophetic study entitled "Towards a Climate Friendly Built Environment." Built Environment and GHG emissions Here's an excerpt from the Report's introduction. Buildings in the United States—homes, offices, and industrial facilities—account for over 40 percent of our nation's … [Read more...]
Built Environment: GHG Infrastructure
November 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Keynesian economic theory appears to be alive and well – or least recently revitalized if not completely resuscitated, thank goodness! Too bad it couldn’t be rationally adhered to in better times, but c’est la guerre! (That’s a figure of speech for you literalists.) Economic Stimulus: Public Funds Now it’s up to politicians to make prudent decisions about how much and when to stimulate the economy with public spending. If they screw up, they can blame the theorists; if … [Read more...]
Carbon Offsets for U.S. Green Affordable Housing
November 25, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Duh! This news releaselooks like an afterthought by the organizers of recent USGBC Greenbuild International Conference and Expo held in Boston November 19 – 21. The release, dated November 24, 2008, looks forward to the Conference which ended three days earlier. Too bad, because the news content is interesting. Attendees at this year’s Greenbuild can assuage their guilt over carbon emissions from their travel and energy used at the conference. Enterprise Green Communities, which sponsors … [Read more...]
Green Building Programs In USA
November 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Did you know that there are over 90 green building programs in the USA? Or that the residential buildings use more energy than the automotive sector? Here’s a video that talks briefly about these issues and makes the point that green building, particularly in the residential sector, can make a huge difference to America’s energy consumption. I’ve talked about LEED and the NAHB programs in previous postings, and I’ll get into some others that are now emerging in the … [Read more...]
The Value of Energy Efficient Building
November 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Green building will be driven by the need for energy efficiency, whether its motivation is the political will to combat global warming or individual self-interest to save money. In either case, it's a safe bet that the pace of environmental issues in residential, industrial, or commercial building will continue to accelerate. It makes sense then to look at the underlying energy demands that will drive green building. For example, did you know that the USA has 5% of the world … [Read more...]
Green Remodelling: Key To Economic Recovery?
November 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a link to a video on Green Remodelling. It has several good ideas in it for the Do-It-Yourselfer or building contractor who wants to “go green” in a home renovation project. There are two approaches mentioned in the video. One is energy efficiency which focuses on things like good insulation and windows that fit tightly. The other approach is to use materials that are reclaimed or have recycled content or come from rapidly renewable resources like bamboo flooring. These … [Read more...]
Canada’s Harper Proposes Environmental Pact to Obama
November 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A brief note following my advice yesterday for US President-elect Barack Obama. From the Canadian environmental perspective, the headline in today’s Globe and Mail (Toronto’s National Newspaper) reflects a major political statement by Prime Minster Stephen Harper to US President-elect Obama. “Ottawa swoops in with climate-change offer.” Canada’s Prime Minister Harper has been viewed as closely aligned with outgoing Bush Administration in many areas, including an … [Read more...]
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