Becoming a Green Building Professional E-Book

Holley Henderson

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Serie: Wiley Series in Sustainable Design
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 713

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

A career guide for professionals in sustainable architecture, design, planning, development, and related consulting For those considering a new career or a career change focused on green and sustainable building and design, Becoming a Green Building Professional offers practical information on educational requirements, career options, guidance and tips, and first-hand interviews with green building professionals. Perfect for underemployed architects and other building and design professionals who want to reinvent and renew their careers, as well as students considering such a career, this is a vital and informative guide to a growing field.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Why Build Green

Our Place

Chapter 2: What Do Green Building Professionals Do?

Common Principles

Chapter 3: Green Building Education

Importance of Eco-Education

Higher Education

Degree Option 1: Building Profession

Degree Option 2: Specialized Environmental

Post-College Educational Options

Training Programs

Continuing Education

Perspectives from Educators

Chapter 4: Experience of Green Building Professionals

Early Adoption Becomes Mainstream

How to Get Green Experience

The Green Job Search

Determining a Best Fit

The Green Architect

The Green Contractor or Construction Manager

The Green Civil Engineer

The Green MEP Engineer

The Green Interior Designer

The Green Landscape Architect

The Green Urban Planner

The Green Real Estate Professional

The Green Facility Manager or Owner

Chapter 5: Sustainability and Green Building Consultants

A Sprouting New Sector

Perspectives from Green Building Consultants

Green Lanterns

Chapter 6: Green Building Green Building Process and Tools

Process

The Toolbox

Nature Nexus

Chapter 7: Green Building Impact Areas, People, and Tools

Common Ecos

Site/Location

Water

Energy

Materials

Indoor Air Quality

Chapter 8: The Business of Green Buildings

Chief Sustainability Officers

Green Legal Advisors/Environmental Lawyers

Financials

Chapter 9: The Future of Green Building

Forecast

Appendix

Index

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Henderson, Holley, 1971-

Becoming a green building professional : a guide to careers in sustainable architecture, design, development and more /Holley Henderson.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-470-95143-9 (pbk.); 978-1-118-30028-2 (ebk); 978-1-118-30030-5 (ebk);

978-1-118-31037-3 (ebk); 978-1-118-31038-0 (ebk); 978-1-118-31039-7 (ebk)

1. Sustainable architecture. 2. Architects—Training of. 3. Architecture—Study and teaching.

4. Sustainable buildings—Design and construction. 5. Buildings—Energy conservation. I. Title.

NA2542.36.H46 2012

720'.47023—dc23

2011047550

Foreword

A Human Design Revolution

by Anthony D. Cortese, Sc.D. President, Second Nature; Organizer, American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment

Humanity and Higher Education at an Unprecedented Crossroads

Because of the extraordinary and exponential growth of population and of the technological/economic system, human beings have become pervasive and dominant forces in the health and well-being of the Earth and its inhabitants. The sum of humanity and the expansive dynamic of industrial capitalism constitute a planetary force comparable in disruptive power to the Ice Ages and the asteroid collisions that have previously redirected Earth’s history. While the Earth’s population has grown from 1 billion to 6.7 billion in the last two centuries, energy consumption has risen 80 times, and economic output has risen 68 times. Most of that has occurred in the last half-century. Despite the impressive array of environmental protection laws and programs established in the industrialized countries since 1970, all living systems (oceans, fisheries, forests, grasslands, soils, coral reefs, wetlands) are in long-term decline and are declining at an accelerating rate, according to all major national and international scientific assessments. Some (e.g., major ocean fisheries, coral reefs, forests) have collapsed, and more are moving rapidly to total collapse. Human beings and the rest of nature are burdened by a staggering array of persistent, toxic natural and manmade chemicals, as well as air and water pollution, that are affecting our health and the viability of large ecosystems.

At the same time, we are not succeeding in many health and social goals: 3.2 billion people are without sanitation and earn less than $2.50/day; over a billion have no access to clean drinking water. The gap between the richest 20 percent of the world and the poorest 20 percent has jumped from 28:1 to 85:1 since 1960. Even in the U.S., the gap is the greatest since the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We have a worldwide economic recession and international conflicts and wars over resources such as oil and water that are destabilizing world society. This is happening with 25 percent of the world’s population consuming 70–80 percent of the world’s resources.

And the challenge that will accelerate all the negative trends is human-induced global warming, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels that is now destabilizing the Earth’s climate and most of its other life-supporting systems. Despite what we may read or hear in the news media (especially in the U.S.), human-induced climate disruption is real and is already affecting us: It is worse and happening faster than predicted by the most conservative scientists just five years ago in 2007. What most people do not understand is that destabilizing the Earth’s climate can undermine modern civilization. As Dianne Dumanoski asserts in her recent book, The End of the Long Summer:

Our way of life depends on a stable climate. The cores of ice drilled from the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica tell us we live at a truly extraordinary time within the Earth’s volatile climate history. Through most of our species’ 200,000year existence, our ancestors had to cope with a chaotic climate marked by extreme variability, a climate that could not support agriculture. The world as we know it, with agriculture, civilization, and dense human numbers, has only been possible because of a rare interlude of climatic grace––a “long summer” of unusual climatic stability over the past 11,700 years. The human enterprise has become a risky agent of global change. The gargantuan size of our modern industrial civilization is now disrupting our planet’s very metabolism—the vast overarching process that maintains all of earthly life. Because of humanity’s planetary impact, this exceptional moment on Earth is drawing to a close. What lies ahead is a time of radical uncertainty.1

While this may (and should) make us uncomfortable, it is current reality and leads to the central question for the future of humanity.

How will we ensure that all current and future human beings will have their basic needs met, will live in thriving, secure communities, and will have economic opportunity in a world that will have nine billion people and that plans to increase economic output 3–4 times by 2050, on a planet whose capacity to support life is more precarious every day?

The consensus among Earth systems scientists is that if everyone lived like the average American, we would need four to five planets (three planets for a European lifestyle) to continually supply all our resources and provide critical ecosystem services, including conversion of waste products into useful substances. At the same time, Asia, Africa, and Latin America are expanding economically at unprecedented rates to lift 3 billion people out of poverty and create a higher quality of life for all of their people. The challenge is not just an environmental one, it is arguably the greatest civilizational, moral, and intellectual challenge that humanity has ever faced. It is not about saving the planet. The planet has survived five major biological extinctions, the last being 65 million years ago in the age of the dinosaurs, and it will survive the sixth being caused by human beings. The goal is to create a thriving civilization for all of humanity. The goal is built on the understanding that all human activities and human survival are completely dependent on the Earth for all of their resources and key ecosystem services, including converting waste products into useful substances.

A Change in Mindset

How did we get here? The cultural operating instructions of modern industrial society are that, if we just work a little harder and smarter and let the market forces run society, all these challenges will work themselves out.

But the routine business of our civilization is threatening its own survival, and by putting Earth’s living system in jeopardy, it also risks foreclosing on the conditions for any civilized life. In the industrialized world, we are guided by a myth of human separateness from and domination of nature for our purposes, and of continuing “progress” fueled by economic growth, because this model has worked in the last three centuries to create a modern society offering spectacular increases in the quality of life for a significant portion (though still a minority) of the world’s population. This guiding myth contains an implicit assumption that the Earth will be the gift that keeps on giving—providing the resources and converting our wastes into useful substances—ad infinitum, irrespective of the size of the population or the level of its material desires. The guiding myth assumes that human technological innovation will allow us to ignore planetary limits.

We need a transformative shift in the way we think and act. As Einstein said, “We can’t solve today’s problems at the same level of thinking at which they were created.” We currently view the array of health, economic, energy, political, security, social justice, environmental, and other societal issues we have as separate, competing, and hierarchical, when they are really systemic and interdependent. We have a de facto systems design failure.

For example, we don’t have environmental problems per se. We have negative health and environmental consequences of the way in which we have organized society economically, socially, and technologically. The twenty-first century challenges must be addressed in a systemic, integrated, and holistic fashion, with an emphasis on creating new and more desirable ways of helping society succeed. We need, for example, buildings that foster the health and productivity of their occupants, use as little energy as possible and get their energy from renewable sources, are constructed of renewable and ecologically friendly materials, live within and sustain local ecosystems, support strong local and regional social networks, allow for easy access through sustainable transportation, and constantly educate us about how to live sustainably.

Remaking the Built Environment

When we look at the scale of human impact and needs, it is clear that remaking the nature and the location of the built environment must be a top priority. Buildings have a significant impact on the environment and human health, accounting for one-sixth of the world’s freshwater withdrawals, one-quarter of its wood harvest, and two-fifths of its material and energy flows (70 percent of electricity), with very large negative impacts on the environment and health. Structures also impact areas beyond their immediate location, affecting watersheds, air quality, and transportation patterns of communities—over four-fifths of all transportation is from one building to another. Moreover, people in developed countries spend nearly 90 percent of their lives indoors, making the quality of the indoor environment key to good health. The resources required to create, operate, and replenish this level of infrastructure are enormous and are diminishing. By all accounts, we will have to replace three-quarters of the existing building stock and double the built environment in the next 40 years, to accommodate the demand. This is not possible without a radical change in the design, construction, operation, and location of buildings.

Design Principles

Here is what we know about living sustainably over the long run:

Use as little resources and energy as possible; power the economy with renewable energy.

Move from the linear “take, make, waste” model to a circular industrial production in which the concept of “waste” is eliminated because every waste product is a raw material or nutrient for another industrial activity.

Live off nature’s interest, not its capital—use natural resources only at the rate that they can self-regenerate—by following the ideas embodied in sustainable forestry, fishing, and agriculture.

This is the concept of biomimicry—learning from and imitating nature, which has figured out what works and survives after 3.4 billion years of experimentation. These principles afford the best chance that all current and future generations will be able to pursue meaningful work and have the opportunity to realize their full human potential, both personally and socially. A growing consensus of business, government, labor, and other leaders believe that a clean, green economy based on these principles is the only way to restore American economic leadership, create millions of jobs, and help solve global health and environmental problems. Ray Anderson, the late chairman and founder of Interface, Inc.—the world’s largest modular carpet manufacturer, with annual sales of $1.2 billion, and one of the world’s leading companies dedicated to economic, social, and ecological sustainability—says:

At Interface, the business case for sustainability (as a core purpose of our business) is crystal clear: A capitalist to the core, I can’t think of a better business case than lower costs, better products, higher morale, loyal employees and goodwill in the marketplace. Our costs are down, not up, dispelling the myth that sustainability is expensive. Our first initiative—zero-tolerance waste—has netted us $433 million in saved or avoided costs, more than paying for all capital investments and other costs associated with sustainability. Our products are the best they’ve ever been. Sustainability is a wellspring of innovation; our product designers have been particularly successful using “biomimicry” as a guide, nature as inspiration. Our people are galvanized around our mission and a shared higher purpose—Maslow at his best: self-actualization that comes when people commit to something bigger than themselves, a type of top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top alignment that sustainability has fostered. The goodwill of the marketplace is tremendous, winning business for Interface because customers want to be aligned with a company that is trying to do the right thing. No amount of marketing, no clever advertising campaign, could have created the kind of customer loyalty that we have experienced.2

Transforming Our Thinking, Values, and Actions

These principles must be a foundation of learning and practice. Higher education must lead this effort because it prepares most of the professionals who develop, lead, manage, teach, work in, and influence society’s institutions, including the most basic: elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Higher education has been a crucial leverage point in making a modern, advanced civilization possible for an unprecedented number of people in almost every important way, and it will be even more important in a world that is rapidly expanding and becoming more interdependent. In addition, college and university campuses are microcosms of the rest of society—they are like mini cities and communities that mirror society.

Unfortunately, the current education system is, by and large, reinforcing the current unsustainable paradigm. Indeed, it is the graduates of the world’s best colleges, universities, and professional schools who are leading us down this path. For example, despite the growing number of architecture schools focusing on teaching sustainable design, most have yet to make sustainable design the default for education and practice. The same is true in the education for virtually every intellectual discipline and profession.

Why is this the case? Several structural aspects of the current system contribute to the problem. Interactions between population, human activities, and the environment are amongst the most complex and interdependent issues with which society must deal, as are the strategies, technologies, and policies for a secure, just, and environmentally sustainable future. These issues cross over the disciplinary boundaries that dominate the higher education learning framework. Moreover, much of higher education stresses individual learning and competition, resulting in professionals ill prepared for cooperative efforts.

What if higher education were to take a leadership role in helping to make sustainability a reality? The context of learning would make the human/environment interdependence, values, and ethics a seamless and central part of teaching of all the disciplines. The content of learning would reflect interdisciplinary systems thinking, dynamics, and analysis for all majors and disciplines, with the same lateral rigor across and vertical rigor within the disciplines. The process of education would emphasize active, experiential, inquiry-based learning and real-world problem solving on the campus and in the larger community. Higher education would practice sustainability in operations, planning, facility design, purchasing, and investments connected with the formal curriculum. It would form partnerships with local and regional communities to help make them sustainable, as an integral part of higher education’s mission and the student experience. The latter is critical since higher education comprises anchor institutions of economic development, with annual operating expenditures of $320 billion. This is greater than the GDP of all but 28 countries in the world.

Beacons of Hope

There has been unprecedented, exponential growth in distinct academic programs related to the environmental dimension of sustainability in higher education, especially in the last decade. Exciting environmental (and now sustainability) studies and graduate programs in every major scientific, engineering, and social science discipline, and in design, planning, business, law, public health, behavioral sciences, ethics, and religion, are abundant and growing. Progress on campuses modeling sustainability has grown at an even faster rate. Higher education has embraced programs for energy and water conservation, renewable energy, waste minimization and recycling, green buildings and purchasing, alternative transportation, local and organic food growing, and “sustainable” purchasing—saving both the environment and money. The rate of increase is unmatched by any other sector of society. In the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council,3 the higher education sector has nearly 4,000 new buildings that are being designed or have been designed to meet advanced levels of sustainable design under the LEED system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in the last decade. The student environmental movement in the U.S. is the most well organized, largest, and most sophisticated student movement since the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. These developments represent one of most encouraging trends in higher education innovation since World War II.

Unfortunately, higher education is doing a poor job on the health, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. And the educational efforts have not reached the majority of students, who know little about the importance of sustainability or how to align their personal and professional lives with sustainability principles. With a few exceptions, sustainability, as an aspiration for society, is not a central institutional goal, or lens for determining the success of higher education institutions.

One of the brightest beacons of light for systemic change in the U.S. is the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC),4 launched in January of 2007 by 12 college and university presidents, working with Second Nature, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and ecoAmerica. It is a high-visibility, joint and individual commitment to measure, reduce, and eventually neutralize campus greenhouse gas emissions, to develop the capability of students to help all of society do the same, and, importantly, to publicly report on their progress. Second Nature provides the ongoing support and organization of the ACUPCC Network.

As of January 2011, just under five years later, 675 colleges and universities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have made this unprecedented commitment. They represent 5.9 million students—about 35 percent of the student population—and include every type of institution, from two-year community colleges to the biggest research universities. This is unprecedented leadership. Higher education is the first and only major U.S. sector to have a significant number of its members commit to climate neutrality. This is especially important given the inability of the international community and, in my experience, the U.S. Congress, to act. These schools are doing what is scientifically necessary, not what is easily doable within their current mode of operation.

Another beacon of hope is the efforts of the design, construction, and planning professions, through the professional schools, societies, and nongovernmental organizations (such as USGBC, Architecture 2030, and American Institute of Architects). Holley Henderson’s book Becoming a Green Building Professional is an important contribution to this effort—combining a wide variety of perspectives and knowledge critical to the teams of design professionals that are necessary to create the building and community design revolution. It is written in a way that is useful to practicing professionals, faculty, and students in colleges, universities, and professional schools.

While all these efforts are incredibly important, the scale of the challenge requires a quantum leap forward in our thinking, actions, and values. Most of the world’s major international governmental, scientific, and nongovernmental institutions, as well as many business organizations, agree that the deep changes needed in individual and collective values and actions must occur within the next decade, if we are to avoid changes that will undermine the long-term viability of a complex human civilization.

Many argue that creating a healthy, just, and sustainable society is too hard or impossible. If we continue business as usual, today’s students and their children will experience the worst effects of climate disruption, and of other large, unsustainable means of meeting human needs. They will find themselves in a world with greatly diminished prospects for a good quality of life, peace, and security. We are faced with the greatest intergenerational equity challenge in modern history. The Earth does not recognize how hard it is for us human beings to change. It will respond to the physical changes we cause on its own schedule and in its own ways. It doesn’t have the cognitive ability to decide to wait for us to figure out how we can change to preserve our way of life and ourselves.

If we follow the principles in Becoming a Green Building Professional, future generations will have the kind of chance they deserve for a decent life.

Notes

1. Dumanoski, Dianne. The End of the Long Summer: Why We Must Remake Our Civilization to Survive on a Volatile Earth (New York: Crown Publishers, 2009), p. 2.

2. Ray C. Anderson. “Editorial: Earth Day, Then and Now.” Sustainability: The Journal of Record. April 2010, 3(2): 73–74. doi:10.1089/SUS.2010.9795.

3. USGBC: U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org/, accessed July 15, 2010.

4. American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/, accessed January 2011.

Preface

Path

When I was considering which career path to take, my inclination was an art-based field, so I found myself in the art of making space, as an interior designer. Have you ever found yourself doing something, and you know you can perform the tasks, but it’s not your calling? This is where I found myself. So, on my mother’s recommendation, I read a book called Zen and the Art of Making a Living, by Laurence G. Boldt. Two critical decisions came from this book:

Investigate options.

Ask myself: What is my purpose?

During my research of career options, I saw a presentation by Ray C. Anderson. I distinctly recall that he used overhead transparencies (old-school vintage presentation format that predates PowerPoint), and I was incredibly moved by his authentic story of a reformed businessman in search of zero impact solutions. My research, plus his inspiration, culminated in a very nervous, hand-trembling meeting with the president of the company I worked for at the time (tvsdesign), Roger Neuenschwander, FAIA. My pitch was simple: “Green building is the future, and I’m going in this direction.” Without hesitation, he said, “Write a business plan, we’ll back you.” I thought, “What is a business plan?” This conversation was in LEED’s infancy and the recent green building buzz. I had zero environmental training or education other than one enlightening environmental biology class in college. He and the firm were taking a chance. I ended up writing the business plan and helping them to begin a sustainable design practice; years later, I worked for Ray’s company, InterfaceFLOR, and finally began a sustainable consulting company called H2 Ecodesign. After seven blessed years, I was invited to write this book.

I offer my circuitous path as a living example of what my meditation class facilitator, Teresa, often says: “You are exactly where you need to be, doing exactly what you need to be doing.” While I questioned at points along the way if I was in the right place, each step (whether I knew it at the time or not) was filled with purpose. This book was written with purpose in mind—your purpose. No matter what career path you take in the building field, or in a completely different direction—such as accounting, practicing law, or teaching—environmental consciousness can be woven into the fabric of your career. Shelters or buildings house all of us, so their contribution to our society is important.

Here’s what I learned in the early nodes and milestones along the path of my career search, and what I continue to acknowledge: Listen to wise advice, act on inspiration, go forward with courage, and ground yourself in the knowledge that each step on the path is purposeful. Seek your internal compass.

You may be beginning your first career search, transitioning to an eco-job position, or simply considering the green building profession. Regardless of where you start, green building careers may be a new adventure for you. With this in mind, we have gathered a unique perspective from a dynamic US Green Building Council (USGBC) group called Emerging Professionals. Emerging Professionals are typically out of school but, under thirty years old. You’ll find their voices thread throughout the book and indicated with this icon:

For more information on the USGBC Emerging Professionals please visit: www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=116

Acknowledgments

It is with overwhelming gratitude and deep appreciation that I’d like to acknowledge the multitudes that made this book possible.

Thank you to God for the ability to serve as a vessel for Your Word.

Heartfelt appreciation to my family—William for his service to our country; Irene for her talents, dedication, fire, and creativity; Ellen for being the most amazing mother and life coach in the universe (www.createyourlifecanvas.com); Lauren for being my dependable little sister; Steve, Lily, Cooper, Cecilia, Haley, Kent, Chip, Tonya, and Ronald.

Gregg Hinthorn—I love you. I am grateful for your keen insight and constant support.

Sir Winston Longfellow—the best dog in the world. Thank you for your patience with missed walks and long lonely days.

Precious friends who are the puzzle pieces to create the whole—those still here and those who have gone beyond. Special thanks for the constant support and teaching by Candace, Gaines, Ruth Ann, Teresa, and the meditation class.

In the creation of the book, thank you to John Wiley & Sons, Inc. for this opportunity, as well as the amazing support provided by Kathryn, Danielle, Doug, Penny, and the entire behind-the-scenes editorial, production, and marketing team. Thank you to John Czarnecki for your early vision.

Writing and editing has not been my day-to-day vocation. So, in the early formation of the book, Shannon Murphy and Kathryn (Kit) Brewer were instrumental in setting the infrastructure and providing amazing guidance. For the majority of the book, Amara Holstein performed editing and feedback that really contributed to the book as a whole. She is also a writer and can be found at: www.amaraholstein.com/. Amara—thank you for your insight, late nights, and weekends. Paula Breen, Lee Waldrup, and Michael Bayer—thank you for your early advice.

Appreciation sent to Lisa Lilienthal for your creative ideas and your introduction to Tony Cortese. Tony, I am grateful for your contribution to our society as a whole by forging the environmental education path, and for your willingness to lend your thoughts to this work.

Each interview and image was the collective work of hundreds of academics, photographers, practitioners, and marketing departments who were willing to offer their time, knowledge, and property in support of green building careers of the future—thank you to each and every one.

Our internal team at H2 Ecodesign rallied to support the book in an extraordinary display of dedication to the message. There are not enough words to express thanks to Sharlyn for her level of unparalleled commitment, complete with many sleepless nights. Deep appreciation to Yvonne for her attention to detail and follow-through; her writing can be found at: http://yswords.com/. Thank you to Melissa for her time in the final days. Margie and Lauren, I appreciate your assistance with the image coordination.

Thank you to the anonymous early peer reviewers of the book proposal. In the final stages, Jim Hackler provided an insightful peer review—thank you for your time and feedback. For more on Jim’s work please visit: http://theurbaneenvironmentalist.com/.

I drank a lot of tea over these months provided by the amazing folks at Octane Coffee: www.octanecoffee.com.

Last, but not least, a thank-you to each of the challenges in my life—you know who you are. Adversity creates an important perspective, and I now know that those moments are rich growth points.

Chapter 1

Why Build Green?

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

— Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax (Children’s book on the environment)

Our Place

Green building is a profession that seeks to give back more than it takes from our natural surroundings—the environment at large—and, ultimately, to help preserve the health of both people and our planet. It is a lofty goal, and one that inspires most people in this career field both personally and professionally. Yet there is no one right way to become a green builder, nor is there only one type of green building expert. The field is vast and diverse, full of numerous jobs and specializations, all working together toward the same ideal: to create buildings that are sustainable, and ultimately regenerative.

Consider the people who create a green building. It is not just one, or even two, sets of people or teams that come together to plan, design, erect, and maintain a building. Instead, it is a well-integrated group of individuals, all of whom have varying backgrounds and job titles. For green building, the roles include an environmental consciousness where realtors and land developers focus on the planned structure’s return on investment and overall sustainable strategy. Architects draft and design the framework of the building itself; interior designers sculpt the healthy interior space; engineers fill in the efficient systems inside, from plumbing to electrical to mechanical. Contractors make sure all the eco-conscious elements are properly installed during construction; and facility managers keep the place green after the sawdust is cleared and the last window is installed.

Relaxation area at Nusta Spa, Washington, DC (LEED CI Gold). Firm: Envision Design. PHOTO: ERIC LAIGNEL

This book seeks to introduce readers to the green building profession, to explain how to become part of this quickly growing career field—and also, importantly, to inspire. This job path is new and not easily mapped, but it is one that provides great rewards to those who persevere.

As renowned green architect William McDonough, FAIA once said, “Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power—economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed—period! Which parts of this don’t you like?”1

THE NEED

All over the world, cities are becoming ever taller, ever bigger, and ever more architecturally innovative. From concrete and steel structures that hover more than 2,700 feet above the Earth to urban areas packed with more than twenty million people, humans have pushed inventiveness past the limits of what was ever thought possible.

But such innovation comes with a tradeoff, and much of that fallout is environmental. In the United States alone, according to the Energy Information Association, buildings account for more than 30 percent of the waste output of the country, up to half of the energy usage, and almost three quarters of the nation’s electricity consumption.2

Large impacts abound, many of which are created—or contributed to, in large part—by the built environment. Three of these key issues are air pollution, energy consumption, and water scarcity.

Air Pollution

One can survive a few days without food or water, but only minutes without access to air. An easy problem to ignore by virtue of its typical invisibility, poor air quality in buildings often takes the form of fine particulates, toxic emissions, and mold. A common contributor to poor air quality is increased volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) are emitted as gases by everything from paints to building materials to furniture to cleaning supplies. Energy production, consumption, and leaching of toxic building materials can affect air quality as well. All of these air concerns can cause serious health problems, such as asthma, upper respiratory illnesses, developmental issues for children, and even cancers.

Academic Center at Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA. Energy recovery systems maximize energy efficiency and make the building very economical to operate and maintain. A glass curtain wall partially faces south but is designed with glass that gives a high transmission of visible light yet a low transmittance of solar energy into the building. In areas that receive sunlight for most of the day, a frit has been applied to the third surface of the inner light of the glass to further reduce the amount of solar energy transmission. Firm: John Portman & Associates. PHOTO: COURTESY OF GEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE

Energy Consumption

Energy is central to the mechanics of most buildings. Air cooling and heating, lighting, cooking, and electrical needs all require energy to function. Environmental energy concerns range from the limited resource of fossil fuels to climate change impacts, which many have argued contribute to rising sea levels, changing food supplies, and the eventual specter of displacing millions of people.

Water Scarcity

Water is one of the most essential elements for human survival, used for everything from drinking and hygiene to cooking and tending crops. And indeed, a person can only live for two to ten days without water.3 But the planet’s supply of fresh water is rapidly dwindling, and our needs for it are quickly expanding. A 2009 report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company showed that global water needs will increase by 40 percent by the year 2030, while shrinking watersheds, droughts, and rising sea levels are at the same time resulting in decreasing worldwide supplies.4

Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaumburg, IL. The nearly 3.5 acres of ponds have been developed with 100 percent native plantings. Firm: John Portman & Associates. PHOTO: JAMES STEINKAMP

A REASON TO CARE

As a collective group, human beings can—and should—be the solution leaders for a sustainable environment. As Anthony D. Cortese, Sc.D., president of Second Nature, explains:

To make this a reality we must realize that the road to sustainability is one of culture and values as much as it is about scientific and technological development. It must be guided by the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, religion and other spiritual inspiration as well as the physical and natural sciences and engineering, in other words, through the fundamental framework of learning and culture. It must also be guided by commitment to have all humans have their basic needs met and have the opportunity for a life of fulfillment.

These ideas must be the heart of the design principles of a healthy, just and sustainable society—principles based on a human consciousness in which we apply the Golden Rule to our dealings with all current and unborn humans as well with the rest of life that evolved on earth. To work, these principles must become the basis for society’s economic and governance framework and, therefore, a fundamental part of all education.

Can this be done?

Yes, because we must.5

As owners, planners, designers, engineers, constructors, and managers of our physical built environment that sits on the Earth, why wouldn’t we be the instigators to a more sustainable future?

LEADERSHIP

A green building professional is not just a nine-to-five workhorse. Instead, as with politicians and pastors, one of the interesting things about green building professionals is that their personal life is often an integral part of their professional life. As leaders working toward a more sustainable world, green building professionals are accountable for their entire lifestyle and actions, rather than just what they do in their office hours. Everything green building professionals do is taken into account and carefully considered, including the following:

Region where they are located: Urban or suburban?

Preferred transportation methods: Walk, bike, train, drive, or fly?

Food sources: Local, seasonal, and organic?

Goods purchased: Fair trade, manufacturer values, and content of product?

Often these values and sustainable objectives are part of a green building professional’s overall ethos and mindset—and green building professionals are always looking for areas of improvement in making their green footprint even smaller. Perhaps an environmental speaker who flies often for business will decide to only ride his bike, in combination with mass transit, while he is at home; or an environmental consultant may become a vegetarian to reduce her carbon footprint. While no one can be environmentally perfect or lead a no-footprint life, efforts to reduce one’s footprint are often noted by others in the field and outside green building, and these sustainable actions authenticate a dedication to eco-ideals.

ASHRAE provides special parking areas for carpoolers and those with fuel-efficient vehicles (LEED NC Platinum). Firm: Richard Wittschiebe Hand. OWNER AND PHOTO: ASHRAE.

FURTHER INCENTIVES

Should environmental issues not be enough to persuade one about the importance in going green, there are a myriad of business and financial benefits to take into consideration. Building owners can brag about their green credentials to an increasingly savvy (and demanding) consumer market, resulting in the ability to charge higher lease rates and therefore realize a higher return on investment, as well as a preferred market position and demonstrated leadership in their field. There is less need for expensive building upgrade costs when green regulation takes effect, and additional money is saved through reduced insurance costs, tax rebates, and incentives.

As for saving money through health-related issues? Better building health has been demonstrated, resulting in better inhabitant health, thereby reducing absenteeism for illness, increasing work productivity and test scores, and ensuring long-term retention.

Better for both the environment and the bottom line.

WORLD OF GRAY

Paper or plastic? It is a common question at the grocery store. Often, however, there is no easy answer. Questions of raw materials extraction, packaging, transportation, associated water/energy use, health implications of the materials, reuse, and a variety of other factors come into play. Even if you say no to paper or plastic bags, and you hoist your own bag onto the counter, questions remain: Where did your bag come from? What is it made out of? Who made it? How will it be cleaned? The dilemma over even this seemingly straightforward decision can become overwhelming.

But there is a simple solution. When faced with an issue that seems grayer than a crisp black or white, one way to move forward is to use the precautionary principle. A decision-making tool, in its most basic form, this principle means “better safe than sorry.” The precautionary principle helps one decide if an action should or should not be taken, when risks are unclear. This is a fundamental premise in the mindset of the green building professional. In other words, the precautionary principle maintains that if there is any suspicion of possible harm to the public or environment from taking a specific action or implementing a policy, the burden of proof falls on those taking the action to show that it is the least harm.

Taking all environmental issues into account, the built environment and the precautionary principle is where the nexus of green building occurs.

GREEN BUILDING

So who in the United States is responsible for green building? From a federal government perspective, it’s the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the government agency begun in 1970 to create and enforce laws regarding human health and the natural environment.6

Green Building The definition of “green building” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is as follows:

Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building is also known as a sustainable or high performance building.7

HISTORY OF GREEN BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES

Green building is not a new concept. For thousands of years, passive solar design (daylighting versus electrical lighting) and the use of local and regional materials have been incorporated into the creation of buildings, for practical reasons. More recently, what we know as the modern green building movement was instigated by the U.S. energy crisis in the 1970s, in which the cost of gasoline fuel dramatically spiked, calling attention to the need for energy-efficiency research and alternative fuels.

Timeline

Here is a brief historical timeline of the green building progress over the last 40 years:

1970 launched the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The green building field began to come together more formally in the 1990s. A few early milestones in the US include:

American Institute of Architects (AIA) formed the Committee on the Environment (1989).

The EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy launched the ENERGY STAR program (1992).

The first local green building program was introduced in Austin, TX (1992).

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was founded (1993).

The “Greening of the White House” initiative was launched by the Clinton administration (1993).

The USGBC launched its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 1.0 pilot program for new construction (1998).

The USGBC LEED version 2.0 was adopted (2000).

Ed Mazria published reports and brought together scientists and the building sector to focus on building impacts on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, with the 2030 challenge (2002).

The General Services Administration (GSA) mandated that all new federal construction must be able to be certified to a minimum of LEED Silver level (2003).

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included federal building sustainable performance standards (2005).

The Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers was made available on the Whole Building Design Guide website (2006).

The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive published The Federal Commitment to Green Building: Experiences and Expectations (2007).

President Bush signed Executive Order 13423—Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, which includes federal goals for sustainable design and high-performance buildings (2007).

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 included requirements for high-performance green federal buildings (2007).8

USGBC updated LEED to version 2009 (3.0), including a required energy-and water-monitoring agreement

ASHRAE Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, was published as the first green building code (2010).

The GSA upgraded to a minimum of LEED Gold level certifiable on all new federal buildings and major renovations (2010).

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC): Safe and Sustainable by the Book released (2012) incorporates Standard 189.1 (2011) as an optional path for a new code baseline.

The U.S. Green Building Council releases the next version of LEED (Version 4.0 under development in 2012).

AT ALL LEVELS

Thanks in large part to increased green building activity in recent years—both top-down (government requirements/corporate incentives) and bottom-up (consumer demand)—sustainability has become a pervasive notion in day-to-day life. For the most part, when people say “green” these days, it doesn’t indicate Crayola’s latest crayon color, but is instead recognized as referring to an environmental attribute.

As referenced in the historical “Timeline” feature, green building was mandated from the “top” by the federal government for their buildings, and many state and city governments followed suit. From the grassroots bottom, greater consumer awareness calls for eco-action in local neighborhood communities, buildings and homes—and corporations, manufacturers, and government officials are taking note.

Additional eco-conscious tools are being added to the market that also help the cause of ecoconsciousness, the best-recognized example perhaps being the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, an internationally recognized green building certification program. Such tools have provided the industry with a user-friendly vehicle for widespread adoption and rapid market transformation.

With this much activity, the need for a specific team player dedicated to the green building effort emerges: the green building professional.

WHAT IS A GREEN BUILDING PROFESSIONAL?

Because it involves so many different aspects, the green building career field includes everything from traditional careers such as architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, construction, facility management, or real estate—professions that can incorporate sustainability into their approach. It is also possible to specialize as a green building professional consultant, which is a relatively new field.

So what unifies this diverse group of building professionals and brings them together to be “green”? Regardless of each professional’s role or specialization, all sustainable building experts use triple-bottom-line thinking in their approach.

A term coined by John Elkington in his 1998 book Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, “triple bottom line” simply means creating balanced decisions that take the following factors into account equally:

Economic factors

Social factors

Environmental factors

These three elements are also referred to as profit/people/planet, or the three pillars.9 Another commonly associated term used with the triple bottom line and green building is “sustainability.” The term was originally defined in the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations in 1987 and generally means meeting current needs without impacts on the needs of future generations.10 An example of sustainability would be producing food for the current population and ensuring that the land, water, and other resources necessary for food production remain for the upcoming generations.

The Three Spheres of Sustainability

Another term similar to sustainability is “regenerative”; however, it extends beyond human needs to all species and offers an opportunity for lost ecosystems to be regenerated. When first introduced to public discussion, some “green” terms may have had specific, separate meanings, but as more people have become involved and invested in environmental goals, many of these words have merged and become interchangeable in their usage. In that regard, the following terms in this book all attempt to describe and relate to a similar approach:

Environmental

Eco

Earth-friendly

Green

Regenerative

Sustainable

A green building professional integrates these principles of triple bottom line into all phases of a building’s life, from inception to demolition. Here are just a few ways in which different green building professionals can foster better communities and buildings:

Urban planners and developers consider urban context, community connectivity, and transportation.

Civil engineers ensure that the building and site work well with the surrounding infrastructure, thereby minimizing ecological impact.

Landscape architects design parks and vegetation to connect the natural and built environments.

Architects and interior designers create healthy buildings and spaces that include efficient and well-considered resources.

Mechanical engineers specify natural ventilation or high-efficiency filtering equipment, supplying fresh air to the occupants.

Facility managers maintain the building with the highest-efficiency equipment and the lowest-impact maintenance program.

Real estate professionals negotiate leases that create a win-win for both landlord and tenant.

Green building consultants are generalists in all of these fields. Their typical specialty is in maximizing green building performance across all of these areas.

Green building professionals range in their scope and scale, creating a vast array of structures from commercial buildings to residential homes. This book, however, concentrates more specifically on communities and commercial buildings—including civic, office, education, healthcare, and hospitality—and explores how green building professionals can influence these buildings’ design, construction, and operation.

LEGACY

When considering becoming a green building professional (or joining any profession), contemplate your ideal legacy.

leg·a·cy [lé-ge-s] something from past: something that is handed down or remains from a previous generation or time 11

Some of the most respected workers in America are doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, government workers, lawyers, teachers, parents, business owners, nonprofit professionals, politicians, and scientists. In concept, the common thread in all of these fields is the desire to create a positive impact on health, safety, business, and science—on a varying scale from one individual (or animal) up to entire cities, states, or the country as a whole. A green building professional has the same common thread of helping in mind, and sews it into the fabric of our communities, buildings, homes, and ultimately, our lives.

Why are you hopeful about the future of the environment in the United States in particular?

Three weeks ago, each child in my daughter’s Sunday school class had to come up with an 11th commandment. Twelve out of the thirteen children’s 11th commandments were about the environment— recycling, picking up trash, conserving water. Yes, I am very hopeful!

Lynn N. Simon, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, president, Simon & Associates, Inc.

There is no hope… but I might be wrong…

Peter Bahouth, executive director, U.S. Climate Action Network

I am hopeful. The reason I am hopeful is because I have the good fortune to know many young people, students currently in our K-12 education system, and these kids that I’ve been hearing from “get it.” They understand that there is a monumental task before all of us to be more aware of how we use our natural resources and how we treat our natural environment. And they are up for the challenge. We have a lot of great minds working on these issues now, but change comes slowly in the beginning. With the rising of the “next generation” of leaders, I am confident great solutions will be seen.

Bryna Dunn, AICP, Associate AIA, LEED AP BD+C, director of sustainability planning and design, Moseley Architects

Green building professionals create a legacy via regenerative, healthy spaces that house people in businesses, schools, health-care facilities, and homes. Buildings can be more than structures that shelter; they can enhance our day-to-day experiences, be a learning tool, and generate income. Next, let’s look in detail at where green building professionals have such opportunities.

GREEN JOBS STATS

When thinking about a career path, it is useful to evaluate the future of the job market you are considering. By all accounts, the green building field will only get stronger over the coming years. One well-researched report was released in late 2009, prepared by the prestigious consulting firm Booz Allen, which was hired by the U.S. Green Building Council to better define where the market is headed.12 The company looked specifically at jobs within the green building industry.

The results are extremely heartening. Booz Allen projected that the number of jobs in green building will increase fourfold by 2013, going from two million to nearly eight million jobs within just four years, which will generate more than $554 billion additional dollars in GDP, and more than $396 billion in earned wages. As for the USGBC, its LEED-related economic outlay has already supported 15,000 jobs—and is projected to support 230,000 jobs by 2013.13

Kiowa County Schools—Main Street. The primary circulation hallway in the school is called “Main Street.” The wide, open hallway is a gathering space for students. It is daylit and clad with wood that came from salvaged cypress trees downed during Hurricane Katrina. Firm: BNIM. PHOTO: © ASSASSI

As another example, an annual international survey called the Carbon Salary Survey released 2010 results on green jobs in a variety of fields. Of the 1,200 people surveyed, interesting findings included the facts that three-quarters of those in green jobs are satisfied with their work and 35 percent feel more secure in their positions than they did one year ago.14 Moreover, the study found that green jobs are available across the world in the renewable energy field, perfect for those who want to work and live abroad.

GREEN AS IN “SALARY”

Income estimates for various green building professionals range widely and are updated frequently, so generally it is best to check reliable online sources and reputable annual surveys for the most current information. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a website and associated tools dedicated specifically to the green building field. As a basic reference: in 2011, an environmental engineer is estimated by that site to make around $80,000 a year.15 Another resource, PayScale, is a massive database of salary profiles for a variety of jobs, and it gives another good sense of current market salaries. This resource gives job seekers accurate numbers and negotiation leverage for interviews; average salaries for related building professionals in 2011 ranged from $76,000 for a mechanical engineer to $67,000 for an architect to $58,000 for a construction project manager.16 These figures do vary, however; the Carbon Salary Survey found that the average salary for those they polled in the United States was $104,000.17

HOW TO GET INTO THE FIELD

Many different paths lead to the green building field, which means that each path may be customtailored or combined to fit specific needs and interests. These paths will be explored in greater depth in Chapter 3, but as a brief overview, here are the three main paths that can be taken: learn, involve, and collaborate.

Learn

The first path into the green building field is via educational knowledge and academic skills. This could be through formal higher education, training, hands-on experience, or competitions.

Involve

Another wide path to take could be volunteering at a local nonprofit organization, or a more formal mentoring or internship program where an experienced professional demonstrates how to incorporate green building principles.

Collaborate

One of the most important avenues to being hired in any profession is networking with existing and new relationships. Another form of collaboration is a formal engagement with a green recruiter that actively seeks an alignment between a candidate’s skills and job opportunities. Lastly, a career coach can support those who know they want to enter the green building field but are unsure of their specific area of interest or how to transition into their chosen career.

What are your best tips for entry into the green building profession?

DIVERSIFY. Learn all you can about economics, biology, business, systems thinking, and sociology. We need people who are able to bring deep knowledge and experience across all aspects of sustainability to address the real challenges and come up with truly innovative, effective solutions.

Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, senior vice president/global director of sustainable design, HOK

Developing relationships through professional development and networking opportunities is vital for someone who wants to enter the green building profession. Green building is a collaborative process and it is through these relationships where true sustainability lies.

Lynn N. Simon, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, president, Simon & Associates, Inc.

There will be plenty of opportunity for folks with environmental degrees. However, I would recommend getting a building-or business-related education and augment it with deep environmental/sustainability knowledge (enthusiasm and idealism are great, but knowledge is critical). Also, just get involved. There are plenty of opportunities to get your feet wet, gain some experience, and meet lots of green building professionals.

Henning M. Bloech, LEED AP, executive director, GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

Follow your heart and follow your passion. I decided in the third grade that I was going to major in biology and I was going to make the world a greener place. I did major in biology, and I also majored in environmental science. I earned a master’s degree in environmental planning. But I still didn’t know what I was going to be when I grew up, or how I was going to make the world a greener place. But I still knew that was what I wanted to do, and I wouldn’t settle for any job that didn’t give me that opportunity. When I heard the pioneering architect William McDonough speak about what he was trying to do with design, I finally knew how I wanted to put my education into practice. I have been working with architects for fifteen years now, helping to bridge that gap between the decisions we make every day about the built environment and how those decisions affect the natural environment. I hope that young professionals will discover their own nontraditional ways to also save the world in whatever part of the field that excites them—because if you’re not having fun, you’re not going to stay with it in the long term.

Bryna Dunn, AICP, Associate AIA, LEED AP BD+C, director of sustainability planning and design, Moseley Architects

Harness for Good

RICK FEDRIZZI

President, CEO, and Founding Chairman

United States Green Building Council

What does sustainability mean to you personally?

To me, the definition of “sustainable” is simple: It means living my life today in a way that ensures my children, their children, and their children will be able to live as well as I did. It means laying the groundwork for a future that is more prosperous, more healthful, and more equitable than our present. It means that our habits—at a personal level as well as at a global level—don’t lead to an inevitable depletion of resources that would disrupt our quality of life. Living sustainably means exactly what it says: that our lifestyles can be sustained, and that we don’t prove to be our own worst enemies.

Why did you enter the field of green building, and how did you make the transition?

I was fortunate enough to have worked for 25 years at United Technologies Corp. (UTC), an early pioneer in what was then a fairly esoteric idea: that the unprecedented technological progress of our era could actually be harnessed for good. In other words, UTC recognized that true progress isn’t about a decision between technological expansion or environmental quality; it is about embracing them both, and especially the places where they intersect and complement each other. It was the beginning of our understanding of the triple bottom line, and I knew I wanted to be part of it.

We hear so much about the negative impacts of human activity on the environment; tell us how, in your view, green building acts as an “antidote” to alleviate these negative impacts and/or creates positive impacts on the environment.

Green building isn’t about a laundry list of negative human behaviors that we shouldn’t do; it’s about all the innovative, exciting, and life-affirming things we can and should do that lead to an economy, an environment, and a social landscape in harmony with each other. It’s about solutions, and the businessman in me knew that this was the key to making real change.

Kiowa County Schools: Courtyard. The building is organized around a courtyard gathering space, a hub of activity for all ages (LEED NC Platinum). Firm: BNIM. PHOTO: © ASSASSI