Sustainable green development: definitions, strategies and implementation
As a green building consultant, one of the biggest fundamental flaws I hear in the green building debate is that green building costs more and is less profitable. Our goal is to help you design projects that are profitable AND environmentally friendly. Yes, it can be profitable and green at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive.
That said, one question still puzzles developers: what exactly is sustainable planning and development? What does sustainable development mean? Why do we care about issues like climate change, environmental pollution and energy shortages? Why is everyone talking about sustainable development? Are sustainable development tips just the latest buzzword? Is it just trendy to claim to be green and plant trees and switch to CFLs to prove it?
Al Gore says, “There is a growing feeling that we are reaching the limit of the Earth’s ability to sustain our civilization.” That is the popular opinion and the answer to all these questions is an obvious ‘no’. The earth’s climate is being negatively affected and rapid economic development undoubtedly leaves little for our future generations. The threat to our environment is real, clear and almost here. How can we minimize the damage? Leave a healthier earth for our future generations? The answer lies in sustainable planning and development.
How do we define it? The US Department of Energy defines sustainable development as: “Sustainable development is a strategy by which communities pursue economic development approaches that also benefit the local environment and quality of life.”
Christine Ervin, Under Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy, defines sustainable development as: “Sustainable development allows economic progress and environmental quality to be compatible goals. Communities are finding that sustainable development strategies save money to taxpayers and improve profits for local businesses and make the community more available.”
When Thomas Jefferson in 1789 made the following statement, he may not have been talking about sustainable development, as the term is used today, but he had a definite vision of what the future would look like if humanity refused to be wise with the gifts of humanity. nature. “So I say that the land belongs to each…generation in its due course, fully and in its own right, no generation can incur greater debts than it can pay off in the course of its own existence.”
Robert Gilaman, president of the Context Institute, defines sustainability as “Sustainability refers to the ability of a society, ecosystem, or any ongoing system to continue to function into the indefinite future without being forced into decline by depletion…of key resources “.
The answer must start at the ‘micro level’, with us, who use the spoils of nature to progressively urbanize ourselves. The solution to the problem must start with the way we ‘build’, ‘create’ and ‘reshape’ our towns, cities and homes. Green development initiatives are the first level solutions for sustainable development.
Solutions for sustainable development are required and must be pervasive and long-term policies involving governments, societies and individuals. But before we start talking about the benefits of sustainable development, let’s take a closer look at “How do we define sustainable development?”
The definitions are many, but the most widely accepted definition of sustainable development is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” On a lighter and more anonymous note, sustainable development is “Growing without cheating our children”.
The definition of sustainable development can differ between geographies, cultures and countries. However, at the end of the day, it is a process that requires global participation at the individual level. Individual contribution is important because it forms the basis of the ‘Three Pillars of Sustainable Development’: Economic, Environmental and Social.
The ‘social’ pillar of people interacts with the other two – environmental and economic and in this sense drives the concept of sustainable development.
Since we use the environment for social and economic purposes, it is up to us to decide whether the current balance between ‘environmental’ and ‘economic’ is beneficial to us in the long run. We can continue to use wood to build our houses and destroy all of our forests or go for healthier alternatives that help the economy grow and keep our planet safe and secure so our future generations can build their homes. In this sense, “people” constitute the central point of the whole picture. Therefore, by definition, you and I, the individual housing – owner, builder or property developer are part of the basic principles of sustainable development – people, planet, profit.
So what steps can you take as a homebuilder or homeowner to ensure sustainable real estate development? You can do a lot. Changing a light bulb to CFL may not be the complete solution, but it is definitely a first step towards it. As a homeowner, you can search for sustainable development topics online and explore the different options you can take to achieve a greener home. Informative articles on sustainable development abound on the web and there is much you can learn about how to make more ecologically sound decisions for that new home you are planning to build or for that remodeling job you have in mind on your vacation home.
However, a greater responsibility falls on the shoulders of the real estate development community because if we build it ‘green’ from the ground up, we have a stronger impact. Contrary to popular belief, the role of private sector developers in sustainable real estate development is key and far more profitable. Building ‘green’ makes sense and is profitable. In addition, sustainable real estate development has the go-ahead from the government: “In the not-too-distant future, all development will be green. Developers, builders, and buyers will find that going green not only improves their pocketbooks, but also their health and quality of their lives. Developers who understand this first will have an advantage in a massive emerging market…” – William S. Becker, Director, Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development, US Department of Energy
The benefits of sustainable development for a property developer or builder are multiple and make financial sense. Take the case of Wal-Mart, whose environmental initiatives are reaping benefits like dramatically reduced energy consumption and lower water bills. Charles Zimmerman, Wal-Mart’s vice president of prototyping and new format development, says they’ve been able to do this by using “mercury-free, 50 percent cooler refrigerators, low-heat lighting sources, low-flow and waterless urinals that cut water bills in half. Other Wal-Mart initiatives like ‘Daylighting’ have paid for themselves in less than 2 years.
If builders and developers incorporate similar systems at the design stage of a project, sustainable residential development can become a reality. Architectural and building design that helps a homeowner reduce their monthly household expenses would, in itself, be a strong enough reason for a green builder’s products to be in demand.
The benefits and increased profitability through sustainable real estate development are catching up and in the blink of an annual eye it can become the standard. Says Brenna Walraven, president-elect of the National Association of Building Owners and Managers and national director of property management at USAA Reality Co., based in San Antonio. “Five years from now, green building will become the norm, in part because of falling product costs, and the rest of commercial real estate must continue to push greener more…it keeps expenses down.” , it’s good business and, more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.”
Sustainable real estate development has traditionally been clouded by the perception of higher costs for the developer. However, if sustainable building development measures are incorporated at the design stage, these costs can be completely eliminated, if not greatly reduced. For example, the combined use of heat and power generation can reduce the total capital costs of community systems, such as heating. Other costs incurred for measures such as low/dual-flush toilets and energy-efficient appliances are comparable, or similar in many cases, to their most popular standard versions.
Buildings use 35% of the country’s energy each year. There are currently more than 76 million residential buildings and 5 million commercial buildings in the US and this total number is expected to increase by another 38 million by 2010. Can you imagine the pressure on energy resources and the resulting increase in energy costs? energy purchase? for households right now? The use of sustainable residential development measures such as daylighting and solar water heating would not only reduce this stress on energy resources, but also allow a developer to offer a customer a more cost-effective residential option in the long run.
Another way that developers and builders can benefit from sustainable development is by using cheaper, more sustainable and greener alternatives for construction and building materials. The use of building materials with recycled content can reduce construction costs and therefore increase profits. There are direct financial advantages here and the costs, as explained above, can be minimized.
Innovation always pays dividends and builders and developers using sustainable development alternatives may be the ones to reap the rewards. There has never been a better time to adopt sustainable development measures and still be able to make a profit than today. What we sow now, we will reap tomorrow and thus the case for sustainable development for real estate developers and builders.
