Page 5 - Green Builder Sustainability Symposium Overview 2017

2017
Human activity has a
signi cant impact on the
global climate, a fact
agreed upon by 98 percent
of the world’s scientists.
Solutions exist, but will
we have the willpower
to act, to change?
We hold these truths to be
self-evident and irrefutable.
Ocean Blues. The world’s oceans, swirling with plastics,
are warming, becoming more acidic, rising, and rapidly
approaching the CO2 saturation point.
Drought. In many states, drought is worsening, leading to
more wild?res, deserti?cation and declining food production.
Global Warming. The past three years have been the hottest
recorded in human history. Arctic ice just hit its lowest level
in recorded history. Less ice accelerates warming.
Extreme Storms. So called 1,000-year weather events are
on the rise. Coastal regions face increasing risk.
Ine?cient Buildings. Air conditioning and heating today’s
buildings consume 50% of electricity in America. Buildings
account for about 39 percent of C02 emissions nationally.
Driving Pollution. Combustion-powered automobiles
cause 20 percent of CO2 emissions in the United States.
Over-Consumption. Americans account for 5% of global
population, but 22 percent of total CO2 pollution, due to
high consumption levels.
Food Waste. About 40 percent of all food produced in the
U.S. ends up in land?lls.
Sustainability
Symposium
READY FOR ANYTHING
We have many options available
to reduce human impacts.
Go Renewable. Solar panels have almost reached cost parity
with fossil fuels. Fossil fuel exploration, along with coal,
must be phased out with extreme urgency, and solar, wind
and hydro power can be fast-tracked to encourage rapid
expansion.
Normalize Net Zero. Although more than half of U.S. States
continue to drag their feet on adopting energy codes, the
new 2018 IECC version will be ready soon. It’s time to step
up, and build “beyond code.”
Get Smart. Building management can now be managed
on a smartphone. By tying electric vehicle charging to
smart systems, solar and new storage batteries, we can
balance utility loads, tie distributed energy to existing grids,
and enable the transition of utilities to 100 percent clean
energy sources.
Curb Cattle. The global livestock industry produces more
greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and
ships combined. Switching to plant-based diets worldwide
would reduce CO2 by 15 percent.
Challenge Greenwashing. Many powerful brands
perceived as green have an enormous and damaging
CO2 footprint. Whole Foods, for example, did not make
Newsweek’s top 500 Green Rankings for 2016, but
Monsanto, Wal-Mart and Nike did..
Reward Energy Frugality. Instead of ?at rates, utility costs
should rise as use goes up, rewarding frugal consumers
and penalizing waste. This approach has been shown to
positively a ect behavior.
Ban Palm Oil. Closely linked to deforestation worldwide,
palm oil is now used in most U.S. food brands. Worst
o enders include fast food joints such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell
and Pizza Hut, but many others are right behind them.
Rethink Commerce. Locally made products, sold within
their home region, generally have lower CO2 impacts
than big brands. But online commerce often has a lower
transportation footprint than either. What’s the best way to
shop? We need better data.