News
November 15, 2005 - The Value of Green
We all value doing the right thing -- whatever the "right thing" may be. It could be trying to obey the speed limit, even though you are late for a very important meeting. Or not littering when there's no trash can in sight. Maybe the right thing is giving money to the hurricane relief effort instead of buying that new big-screen TV for Christmas.
When we stop and think about how the world is interconnected and the consequences of not doing the right thing, we quickly realize how the results of our actions can affect economic, social and environmental relationships.
Green building is no different, except most of us don't realize that we need to start doing the right thing now. Like the Chinese proverb says, "If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." And at the current rate we design, build and operate our buildings, we are headed for unknown territory that could very well mean big changes for all of us.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has done studies on the impacts of buildings in our environment. Its Buildings Energy Data Book states that buildings use: 39 percent of total energy in the United States; 72 percent of all electricity; 12 percent of all potable water, which accounts for 15 trillion gallons per year; and 40 percent of raw materials globally.
Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 136 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris are generated in the U.S. each year. Even worse, we Americans spend about 90 percent of our time indoors.
Those are some staggering statistics -- even more overwhelming when looked at from a planetary point of view. We have to look at our choices and decisions holistically, as if they are pieces to a much larger whole.
The good news is that the knowledge and technology is there. It's called "green building" and it has been gaining momentum over the last decade.
Green building is about implementing the best architectural, engineering and construction practices to design, construct and operate the millions of square feet we add to our built environment every year. Green building is about adapting a comprehensive, collaborative and "whole building" systems approach to reduce our current environmental, social and economic impacts while safeguarding our earth's precious resources.
Environmental benefits to green building include:
* enhancing and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems
* improving air and water quality
* reducing waste streams; conserving energy and water, and
* restoring natural resources
Social benefits include
* enhancing occupant comfort and health
* heightening aesthetic qualities; minimizing strain on local infrastructure, and
* improving overall quality of life, which allows for healthier places to live and work
Economic benefits include:
* reducing operating costs
* creating, expanding and shaping markets for green product and services
* improving occupant productivity, and
* optimizing life-cycle economic performance
All these benefits are why green building is good for Las Vegas. They're about doing the right thing for our community.
There's a new business philosophy called the "Triple Bottom Line" and it has been gaining momentum in the green- building community. It's about valuing the environmental, social and economic structures equally -- not just the old, single-minded "bottom line." Many countries and business communities have been practicing this philosophy for years. Now the green building community has embraced it as well.
The Triple Bottom Line principle has been a successful model for companies such as Fetzer Vineyards, where Paul Dolan helped convince management to value environmental, social and economical approaches to winemaking processes as well as how they operate their company in general.
In Las Vegas, companies are beginning to learn and value the Triple Bottom Line formula.
One resource and tool we have that makes it easier to align environmental, social and economical principles in the design and construction industry is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Credits are awarded based on six categories of performance: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design process.
The U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry, works to create places for living and work that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy. A major tool to drive market transformation is the council's LEED Green Building Rating System. Developed by USGBC members representing all segments of the building industry, LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for rating the sustainability of new and existing commercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings.
It is also a tool to guide designers, owners and other professionals to better understanding green philosophies and strategies.
On June 17, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn signed Assembly Bill 3 into law, requiring all state-funded projects meet the LEED Certified (minimum level) standard, as well as creating incentives and standards for green buildings. The new law includes partial abatement from taxes imposed on real property for up to 10 years on buildings that are certified at or meet the equivalent of the Silver level or higher.
A few projects that have been built or are in construction that are designed to meet the LEED standard are the Telecommunication Building on the CCSN Cheyenne campus, designed by JMA Architecture Studios; the Regional Animal Campus, designed by Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects; and two buildings at the Springs Preserve -- the Visitor Center, designed by Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects, and the Desert Living Center, designed by Lucchesi, Galati Architects.
Furthermore, the newly announced CityCenter project by MGM Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip wants the entire project to receive LEED certification.
One way to learn more about green building locally is through getting involved with organizations like AIA Las Vegas' Committee on the Environment (COTE) and the U.S. Green Building Council Las Vegas Regional Chapter. Both organizations help to educate and advocate for green building that all of us can effect change in our built environment to make our communities more sustainable.
Las Vegas is quickly ramping up to become a leader in green building and has the capability to become one of the country's foremost experts on the subject because of our expansive growth. We must, however, deliberately choose to implement and value green building into our current design, construction and operation practices to become the country's green building leader.
Nevertheless, it all comes down to a few simple questions. Does Las Vegas value green building and doing the "Right Thing"? You bet it does, for the reason that this city is founded on being bigger, better and grander then all other cities and taking advantage of green building benefits in Southern Nevada should be no different.
After all, great architecture is green architecture and we need to begin thinking this way -- every day.
Lance Kirk is an architect with Las Vegas-based Lucchesi Galati Architects and immediate past president of the U.S. Green Building Council Las Vegas Regional Chapter.
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Publication: Las Vegas Business Press
