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Viewpoint

Being Green: Not Rocket Science, Just Common Sense

Guest Editorial - Rich Robbins
Guest Editorial
August 2008

Editor’s Note: The following guest editorial was submitted by Rich Robbins of Wareham Development. The views expressed herein are those of the author.

Being green is good, but we also need to separate substance from form. Waving a LEED certificate should not be a substitute for daily green practices that exude common sense.

Emeryville has been successfully “greening” for years. The Emery-Go-Round has seamlessly met customers’ needs with flexibility. Along with the development of policies like storing bikes or accommodating large packages, the system has a low cost and a reputation for reliability in transporting people on time. Given that 28% of all emissions come from vehicles, the EmeryGoRound needs to expand on its success in getting autos off the road, without diluting its quality.

Because more people now commute daily to our Emeryville Amtrak Intermodal Transit Center, especially via the Capitol Corridor route from Sacramento to San Jose, we also need to continue to encourage and embrace greater transit-oriented development.

Although many in real estate focus on new construction, the larger challenge is to effect green modifications for operating existing buildings. Approximately 35-40% of carbon emissions come from operating existing buildings. To be sustainable here, we also need specific ongoing compliance requirements for existing buildings along with the smaller changes that will have the largest cumulative impact.

At Wareham we found that one of the simplest ways to mitigate the effects of mechanical systems in larger buildings was by building terraces, balconies and operable windows. Allowing access to the outside air ultimately creates a healthier work environment and to be environmentally regenerative, buildings need to bring the outside in. By working in concert, energy systems, smart controls and co-generation energy plants can also reduce waste in delivering and distributing utility systems, cutting carbon emissions in the process.

Prohibitive construction costs can discourage long-term green decisions, so with new construction we need a longer view. A series of incentives and bonuses from local, state and federal governments can achieve instant, measurable success, not to mention ongoing upgrades.

The initial capital investment is demanding, but expanding loan programs to provide capital for commercial and industrial communities can solve that “penciling” problem. By creating a lien or property tax, the recapture of public capital would be assured, but over a longer period of time, making it affordable and accessible to the smallest property owners.

In fact, government policy should be open to creativity. A classic example of how government can play a key role was the 1970s effort to allow industry to use accelerated tax credits to replace old facilities and equipment. That effort created safer systems for mitigating waste that went into our atmosphere, land and water systems.

We need the same creativity and consensus now. Maintaining and improving the health of air, land and water is an obligation we all owe our children and children’s children. The greening key will be to mobilize and engage common sense policies that encourage and honor multiple levels of participation.

After all, as John Lennon said, “As breathing is my life, to stop I dare not dare.”