Ken Sandler joined us today from the Environmental Protection Agency. The topic of his presentation was “Introduction to Green Building– and What EPA’s Doing About It”.
Sandler discussed the goal of significantly reducing the lifecycle impact of building on the environment, as well as the health impacts of materials and products.
The EPA has already established programs set up to do this that focus on construction debris. However, the focus is shifting beyond the building toward the landscape and the community. This is part of the philosophy of smart growth so that we can have livable communities.
Sandler also mentioned that the EPA is seeking to redefine the meaning of green building. In doing so, the EPA aims to raise building codes to at least minimum green levels and to facilitate the mainstream adoption of effective green building practices. The EPA would like to spur adoption through public education, partnership, and leadership by example. And, by influencing the vocabulary of consensus-based standards, the EPA hopes to fill in the gaps of the market definition and create a new bottom line.
In the Q&A session, Sandler discussed Homeowner’s Associations as a potential barrier for community greening. The EPA offers technical assistance and model ordinances, and Sandler encouraged the audience to check out the EPA website on the topic– http://epa.gov/smartgrowth
Sandler was also asked if the change in the presidential administration means that there will be increased acceptance of greening practices. Sandler replied by saying that Tom Friedman said in his recent book that ”We’re in a Green Revolution”; but, Sandler points out that “revolution” implies there is friction and people that are in dissention. However, green opportunities seems to have very positive reception and that the devil is just in the details.
Finally, Sandler talked about what’s becoming the industry standard for green certification rating standards and managed to give, in his words, a typical Washington “non-answer.”
“Building science needs to catch up with certification.”
Feel free to discuss Sandler’s presentation in the comments section.
