Preface by Grant:  Today I have two (2) brief pre-blog comments.  One, on the relevance of this blog to all sustainability professionals and the other on USGBC's Greenbuild coming up in a few weeks.  First, the work/blog of Ron Wilson and his firm M+NLB . . . it is a model of a leading professional practice that has effectively integrated best-practices for the client, environment and corporate citizenship into their business model.  Comment, and tell us what you are doing in your firm.

Second pre-blog comment:  For the next 60 days, in support of USGBC and Greenbuild 2009, the Institute (IGP) is discounting the regular "professional" member dues of $229 to the "academic" member rate of only $109.  This includes all courses, all benefits, the MIGP (Member) or FIGP (Fellow) designation/credential and the very unique Certificate that is now enjoyed by many of the leading professionals in sustainable development (view the list).  This is the LINK to the MIGP/FIGP quals/application. 

Fighting Climate Change:
A Once‐in‐a‐Lifetime Opportunity

by Ron Wilson, Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch

You can’ have missed the historic news a few months ago, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the first ever cap and trade bill, known previously as “Waxman‐Markey”for its legislative sponsors.

Among other things, the bill names the six greenhouse gases that will be regulated, establishes a capped system of permits for the emission of these gases and requires that 20 percent of the nation’ energy be generated from renewable sources. Over time, this system will get more stringent and most experts agree that it will become more difficult to emit greenhouse gases in the future.

It’ easy to see how this cap and trade system will affect direct emitters of greenhouse gases (e.g., utilities) but harder to understand how climate change regulation will unfold in other sectors of the economy.

As an engineering firm, we work primarily with building owners and corporations who are building or renovating large facilities (hospitals, data centers, laboratories). For several years now, we’e been counseling our clients to think about the impacts of future climate change regulation during the design process, since we’e been convinced that future regulation of greenhouse gases is a “hen,”not an “f.”In the absence of clear law and policy surrounding buildings and greenhouse gases, it can seem overwhelming to try and factor in future decisions when you are managing the building of a new facility. However, we often counsel clients that doing an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and designing a low‐carbon building can provide many valuable side benefits—enefits that usually pay back the initial investment.

The first benefit is risk mitigation. Although rare today, lawsuits targeting companies with high carbon footprints may become more common in the future. An early, possibly groundbreaking case is that of Kivalina, a tiny and impoverished village of Inuit Eskimos in Alaska. Kivalina is suing nine oil companies, 14 utilities and one coal company, claiming that the defendants' actions are resulting in the destruction of protective ice, exposing the village to severe fall and winter storms that are destroying the village.

A second major benefit is the ability to provide relatively easy disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and energy performance of a building. Since buildings (both residential and commercial) are the biggest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S., it doesn’ take a rocket scientist to realize that sooner or later, building owners will soon be required to disclose the energy performance of their facilities.

Third, building owners that do inventory their greenhouse gas emissions and commit to reducing these emissions usually invest in energy efficiency and renewables, both of which markedly cut energy bills, often paying back these investments in just a couple of years. As Congress debates how to move the overall market to more renewable energy sources, cutting your energy use and investing in photovoltaic panels can put your clients far ahead of your competition.

Our climate change consulting practice has proven to be a boon to our firm and to our clients, and we see the market for these kinds of services growing quickly as the nation tackles climate change in a concerted way. We’re happy to tell our clients that climate change, while scary, presents a once‐in‐a‐lifetime opportunity to invest in things that save money and the planet at the same time.

______________

Ron Wilson is Principal Electrical / Global Mission Critical Practice Lead for Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch, a fullservice mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology engineering consulting and design firm. M+NLB was one of the first engineering firms in the U.S. to add a climate consulting practice to their list of client services. The firm is a three-time Practice Greenhealth Champion for Change Award winner, and recently became the first Portland business to receive the BEST Business Center’s new Portland Climate Champion recognition.