Neo-Green

In response to articles in last months Wired Magazine one featuring Al Gore and another discussing the next green revolution, I sent in the following to Rants and Raves. Alas, it was not published.

• In the recent issue on Climate Crisis it was invigorating and inspiring to see social leaders in Al Gore’s position addressing what is a very real, persistent and often ignored crisis. As a member of the green (or should it be neo-green?) building industry it was refreshing to hear that there are world leaders out there who get it. That said, the articles could have discuss how some of our environmental woes can be solved with present day technologies, but companies, organizations and people are hesitant to embrace change, even when the economic benefits, let alone the sustainable benefits are obvious (Technologies, methods and materials exist to reduce building energy consumption, but are often overlooked or ignored; residential and commercial buildings account for nearly 40% of the annual energy consumption in the US, ref. DOE 2004 Annual Energy Report). The Climate Crisis is about more than technology it is about sustainable living and involves a different way of thinking, finding new ways to conduct business, measure value and develop economic growth; we’ll need a lot more Al Gores and a few paradigm shifts to get us all the way there.