What do buildings look like through Earth's glasses? by Earth's Perspective

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Doron Bracha Apr 25, 2014 01:08 Member 1 \| Share via:	Transparency and disclosure of the environmental footprint are indeed important, although the proposed method may not be easy to 'sell' and execute. People may not appreciate the negative approach, since buildings are after all an essential part of human life and activity. There may be more effective ways to raise awareness and encourage reducing our carbon footprint. In some countries in Europe, building owners are required to provide info on the actual energy usage per sq. meter, so that prospective tenants know what to expect. It's somewhat similar to knowing the expected gas mileage before buying a car. http://www.energy.ca.gov/ab758/documents/2012-10-08-09_workshop/presentations/Day-2/IMT_Energy_Rating_and%20Disclosure_2012-10-09.pdf http://www.buildingrating.org/content/rating-disclosure http://www.cityofboston.gov/eeos/reporting/ We need to continue making progress in disclosing energy usage of buildings, and other aspects of environmental footprint. It would be good to also provide info for comparison with more efficient buildings, so that people realize and understand the point. Seeing that your building is in the 'red' area and far from the 'green' may encourage the owners to take action to make the building greener. If not for the sake of preserving the environment and enhancing the occupants' health and well-being, then perhaps for the sake of lowering utility bills and improving public relations. Cheers !..
Maryette Haggerty Perrault Jun 7, 2014 02:08 Member 2 \| Share via:	While the "shock and awe" approach similar to the anti-smoking or anti-drug campaigns does create a greater awareness of the problem, I tend to believe that singling out specific buildings could cause challenges and some very upset property owners. I do think the idea of using a general educational billboard campaign (along the lines of "Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening") about building emissions could be very useful to inform the general public about the impact of existing buildings on the environment and how each one (of varying degrees) contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. A campaign such as this could also create awareness about the energy disclosure ordinances instituted by cities/states - both for the building owners that need to comply and for the potential tenants who may not be aware that this resource exists to aid in their search for a new space. I look forward to seeing an expanded proposal!
Climate Colab Aug 5, 2014 08:38 Member 3 \| Share via:	This idea is innovative and challenging - it would be great to have more details about how it could be developed and how challenges such as legal challenges by owners of the buildings targeted could be addressed. An interesting idea that needs more development. Interesting idea that needs more detail on: criteria for targetting buildings, locations and impact and costings.