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Who Do You Follow When you LEED? (part 5)
-Reprinted from Construction ink | The Magazine of the Construction Association of South Florida
Gerry Klein | Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida
gklein@casf.org
This post is a continuation of Part 4 – Who Do You Follow When you LEED?
Interesting Gibberish #4
(the science of global warming)
Coal is the nation’s single biggest contributor to global warming and kills 24,000 people each year.
LEED To The End
Do you have a clear conscience about “going green”? Are you just riding the construction trend as far as it will go to make a some nice, green cash – OR – do you really care? Don’t worry, this is not the Inquisition. You can answer that yourself, privately, as you look at your own reflection in the mirror of a locked bathroom without fear of having the door kicked in and your twitching body dragged down the middle of US 1 naked and ashamed. Nothing for nothing – don’t you think it’s pretty weird that the word “conscience” is made up of “con” and “science”? Ummm, coincidence?
And come to think about it, if you were to take a step back to the very beginning and view the Pros and Cons of LEED, don’t you think it would make sense for everyone with a pulse to take a deep breath and actually try to agree what defines “green”? It seems that part was missed when the group of modern Einstein’s was coming up with their LEED Certified Marketing Plan. If we all could have started in some sense of agreement in the first place, with logical definitions of what all this is supposed to mean, we probably wouldn’t be having this venom-laced debate now would we? Some omniscient, God-like, life form once said that a “green building is meant to significantly reduce the impact on Earth’s resources compared to a conventional building and be healthier, more comfortable,
thereby enhancing productivity.” How does that mouthful of meaningless gibberish sound to you? Mmmphhhhh (if possible, please try to suppress the uncontrollable urge to vomit in your hand). What about the proper materials and state-of-the art technology that is essential for today’s building systems? Sad to say, as the argument rages on and results in major loss of life on both sides, that many “green buildings” today are neither highly-efficient, nor particularly smart.
In the end (the hypothetical end, of course, not the December 21, 2012 End of Days kind of end), no matter what side of the “green” / LEED argument you find yourself on, it has always been just a tool. It’s not the only tool, but simply one tool that evaluates the environmental components of a design. Without question, LEED has dramatically increased the overall demand for environmentally responsible goods and services. As a powerful “green marketing” tool it has been highly successful in creating an awareness of the eco-friendly components within the construction industry. Considering that in recent years, the global community has moved from talking about the possibility of climate change to watching it unfold before our eyes, it has helped make “green building” the fastest growing sector of the construction market. But now, the gloves are coming off. Companies and organizations throughout the United States and around the globe are finally realizing that they don’t have to sit around waiting for a self-appointed council, association, activist group, Mayan prophecy, or bloated government agency to bless them with the latest environmental standards and policies. They can do it on their own, and so can you. Maybe it’s time to LEED by example and follow your own conscience?
Stay tuned for Part 5 of this 5-Part series…
Editor’s Note:
Gerry Klein is the Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida and has over 23 years of marketing experience. He handles all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relation Services, as well as, individual marketing services for all CASF members. If you would like to arrange a seminar or confidential meeting to help your business grow, Gerry can be reached at gklein@casf.org.
Who Do You Follow When you LEED? (part 4)
-Reprinted from Construction ink | The Magazine of the Construction Association of South Florida
Gerry Klein | Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida
gklein@casf.org
This post is a continuation of Part 3 – Who Do You Follow When you LEED?
Interesting Gibberish #3
(democracy is totally awesome)
US government lobbyists devoted to climate change have soared by more than five-fold since 2003 to over 2,800. There are now 5 climate-related lobbyists for every politician in Washington. Only a small percentage (138 of them) are pushing for alternative energy.
How gullible are you (fill in your name here)? One may be inclined to believe that LEED standards have been developed based on the latest scientific research – factoring in the life cycles of construction materials and climate variations; that they have been established independently without compromises with the building industry. Instead, it is widely believed that the building council has totally caved in to manufacturers whose products should have been banned, ignored regional concerns and created a point system that makes its own criteria meaningless. For numerous reasons, some genuine “green developers” have opted not to pursue LEED certification at all. It has now become a widely accepted fact throughout the construction industry that a LEED certification does not even make a building green or accurately measure impacts on the environment. Like a serpent with a shiny, red apple, LEED often tempts architectural firms to do things that are both unethical and sinful. Many know that there are no shortages of cheap alternatives and material substitutes that will get the desired points, but don’t offer any real environmental benefit. Where is the accountability for making the right decisions?
Stay tuned for Part 5 of the series…
Editor’s Note:
Gerry Klein is the Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida and has over 23 years of marketing experience. He handles all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relation Services, as well as, individual marketing services for all CASF members. If you would like to arrange a seminar or confidential meeting to help your business grow, Gerry can be reached at gklein@casf.org.
Who Do You Follow When you LEED? (part 3)
-Reprinted from Construction ink | The Magazine of the Construction Association of South Florida
Gerry Klein | Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida
gklein@casf.org
This post is a continuation of Part 2 – Who Do You Follow When you LEED?
Interesting Gibberish #2
(talk about a sneaky low life)
The high-profile “Clean Coal” advertising campaign was paid for by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) – a front group for coal companies and utilities. The ads were very vague about how coal could actually be cleaned up and how they promised a futuristic, new technology without actually changing a thing.
Depending on where you live and work (South Florida would be a good place to start considering the target audience demographic of this magazine) the LEED program also has encountered a fair amount of loud, angry criticism regarding the lack of emphasis on regional environmental concerns. Are you one of the citizens of earth who feel that buildings in Florida should be given different consideration than buildings that are constructed in Oregon or Maine? It’s pretty obvious that each region of the country has very distinct environmental challenges as well as unique renewable resources. Most LEED disciples throughout the construction industry simply follow the standard checklist without any consideration whatsoever – you know just like the Bentheimer Landschaf breed of sheep from Germany.
Another juicy criticism related to the LEED program relates to the decision by organizations to mandate LEED. According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), “forty-three states, one hundred ninety municipalities, and twelve federal agencies have policies or initiatives that include LEED certification.” Though LEED’s one-size-fits-all approach makes a good business case for some, the standards were never designed to be mandates. Initially, the LEED program was a voluntary program. LEED mandates are likely to raise the costs of housing for consumers and increase the tax burdens of citizens in cities requiring LEED for public projects. LEED building certification is not always necessary to achieve an energy efficient, environmentally sensitive building that meets the needs of the region, its occupants and its owners.
Stay tuned for Part 4 of this 5-Part series…
Editor’s Note:
Gerry Klein is the Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida and has over 23 years of marketing experience. He handles all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relation Services, as well as, individual marketing services for all CASF members. If you would like to arrange a seminar or confidential meeting to help your business grow, Gerry can be reached at gklein@casf.org.
Who Do You Follow When you LEED? (part 2)
-Reprinted from Construction ink | The Magazine of the Construction Association of South Florida
Gerry Klein | Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida
gklein@casf.org
This post is a continuation of Part 1 – Who Do You Follow When you LEED?
Interesting Gibberish #1
(stuff you should already know)
Developed by a volunteer team of architects, engineers and manufacturers beginning in 1995, the LEED system rates buildings based on criteria in six categories:
1. Sustainable site
2. Water use
3. Energy
4. Materials
5. Indoor air quality
6. Design innovations
As hard as it is to find anyone who says “green” is only a trend, it’s also very difficult to find someone with a heartbeat who bitterly opposes the idea that buildings should be more efficient, have less environmental impact and be better for society. Though LEED has the potential to achieve amazing goals, there are still many issues that prevent the system from being a common practice. Participating companies who have “green” experience and are heavily invested in LEED certification programs often complain about the confusing documentation requirements, underestimated costs, and lack of solid, scientific research backing the process. In addition, a growing number of corporate folks from all types of companies and industries honestly feel that architects, developers and owners are using LEED and other trendy “green marketing” terms to help promote and sell properties without any real significant benefit in terms of resource and energy efficiency. Based primarily on good, old-fashioned greed, many are simply shouting from the back of the bandwagon to make it appear they actually care about saving energy and the numerous environmental problems facing the planet. That’s where a lot of this anti-LEED movement stuff started in the first place and made people start to question if the eco-friendly building trend was really inflated hype with little or no substance. LEED certified buildings have the ability to use less electricity, less water, and improve indoor air quality, but there are NO GUARANTEES any improvements or cost-savings will occur. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if “honesty” was the primary component when sitting through a 3-hour and 20 minute “green marketing” seminar about how “green buildings” are going to save the planet?
“This brand new, state-of-the-art, 10-story energy-efficient hotel features cellulose insulation with borates, active solar heating panels, daylighting in every room on every floor, geothermal heat exchange technology, it’s own wind powered turbine station, an integrated pest management system, harvested rain water and an on-site indigenous animal petting zoo, dairy farm, slaughter house and gift shop. But for some reason, our electric bill is still higher than one of our other hotel properties that was designed and built in 1927 by ~ cross-dressing, alcoholic European gentleman who was later convicted of fraud when it was discovered that his architectural license was actually printed on the back of a Diner menu.”
Now that is refreshing and honest! We need to hear that more often.
Another major argument is that once a LEED certification is granted, it does not have to be renewed. That means that if the indoor air quality of a LEED building does not change – the building can still call itself LEED certified. This loophole could possibly allow sneaky, low-life’s to market their properties as “green” without the building having any environmental benefit at all. Opportunistic lawyers (a.k.a. Premium Grade A Sneaky Low-lives) are also well aware that liability issues could come up due to developers and contractors calling their buildings “eco-friendly” or “green”. A savvy tenant who takes the time to do their homework may discover that no indoor air quality or energy savings has occurred at all. And that, my friends is what drives the bus through the window of our lawsuit happy society. For developers, owner groups and general contractors, this could mean countless legal headaches and unleash dark storm clouds over the “green building” industry for years. Talk about a really bad public relations image. It would make the Chinese drywall issue seem like a leaky faucet.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of this 5-Part series…
Editor’s Note:
Gerry Klein is the Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida and has over 23 years of marketing experience. He handles all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relation Services, as well as, individual marketing services for all CASF members. If you would like to arrange a seminar or confidential meeting to help your business grow, Gerry can be reached at gklein@casf.org.
Who Do You Follow When you LEED? (part 1)
-Reprinted from Construction ink | The Magazine of the Construction Association of South Florida
Gerry Klein | Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida
gklein@casf.org
You may recall, a few issues ago we covered how unbelievably huge “green marketing” has taken hold of the construction industry. Not surprisingly, as we begin a new year and move a little further down the road this fact has not changed. Even if you conducted a comprehensive survey, like a professional US Census worker making $1.25 an hour, it would be pretty hard to find anyone still employed in this industry that forecasts a major shift in this trend back to the way things used to be – before “environmental impact”, “sustainable design” and “cradle to grave analysis” were ever uttered at a pre-con meeting or on a 24 hour cable news station. However, as the months tick by and the economy continues to strangle new construction projects like a Burmese Python greeting a Poodle in a backyard in Weston – more and more companies are questioning the value of green. Sure, you can argue that every story has two sides and its just hot air coming from a bunch of cranky, old dinosaurs living in the past, resisting change until their last dying breath, but you’d be wrong. Respected developers, architects, contractors, industry experts, environmental economists, and other egg-head bean-counter types are reanalyzing what it really means and how much it costs to be green. Some are even calling the whole green construction trend a fraud. Yes, the “F” word.
For many involved in the construction industry, the argument usually begins and ends with LEED certification. Not too long ago, as you know, it was a non-existent term. Now “LEED” is printed on more business cards than a company fax number. With every intention of provoking a healthy debate and stoking the fires a bit, here’s a brief taste of what are considered the meat and potato Pros and Cons of LEED. From there we’ll either join hands, sing Kumbaya in joyous unison and enjoy the sugary goodness of melting smores – OR – we’ll go all Quentin Tarantino on each other and use nasty, sharp weapons to attempt to violently remove the heads from anyone that disagrees. Let the battle begin!
Pros of LEED
- It’s quantifiable and measurable.
- It’s a broadly accepted standard, providing agreed-upon measurements.
- There’s a third-party certification process.
- It provides very specific direction for companies who want to decrease their buildings’ impact.
Cons of LEED
- Companies incur added cost, time, and certification fees – where the same end result could also be achieved without certification.
- Not all points are created equally, although they’re often measured equally.
- There are many processes, materials, and approaches that go beyond the current LEED certification categories.
- Marketing LEED as “the answer” may limit a company’s efforts to make further strides in new, eco-friendly buildings.
- A project can receive LEED certification even if it is located in an environmentally inappropriate area, such as a sensitive watershed, wetland, forest, or prime farmland.
Those are some pretty valid point’s right? So, which side of the battle are you on now? Before you answer that let’s make one thing clear – this is NOT about saving the world! There’s no need to get way off topic and choose sides about environmental responsibility, global warming and saving the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. That is not going to happen (not in this article anyway). We are simply trying to poke a stick into the issue of whether or not “green” is good, bad or a just a trendy fad buzzing around the construction industry. If you want to argue your point about how the melting polar ice caps are an irreversible catastrophe of Biblical proportions that threaten everything on the planet including the Cochabamba Mountain Finch – then go outside and toss this magazine in your blue recycle bin and boot up your laptop with its energy-efficient power settings. I’m sure there are a few hundred thousand blog communities out there just waiting to nurture your seething, bitter opinion on the blight of the global condition. If online blogs aren’t your thing – then you could always subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine and read their latest feature article on how the world is going to end because the Republican party doesn’t pass legislation enforcing McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s to increase the recycled paper content of the containers used for double bacon cheese burgers. Sorry, to burst your eco-friendly bubble made from citrus juice and organic, non-toxic, tulip pedal extract from Montpelier, Vermont, but we’re just talking CONSTRUCTION here! You know what I mean? Building stuff with all-natural, environmentally safe concrete, steel, glass, aluminum, plaster, asphalt, wood, cooper, paint, plastic, ceramic, drywall, chemicals, rock, stucco, florescent tubes, sand, and lots of diesel fuel. Lots and lots of diesel fuel.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this 5-Part series…
Editor’s Note:
Gerry Klein is the Director of Communications for the Construction Association of South Florida and has over 23 years of marketing experience. He handles all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relation Services, as well as, individual marketing services for all CASF members. If you would like to arrange a seminar or confidential meeting to help your business grow, Gerry can be reached at gklein@casf.org.
