Big News: BuildingGreen Article and Built Green Conference

It’s another busy week at Sustainable Strategies - we have two big announcements!

First, we are honored to be a guest author for BuildingGreen. If you’re not familiar with BuildingGreen, this great company has been around since 1985, and is “the trusted source on healthy and sustainable design and construction strategies.” In our guest article, “Redefining the ‘Risks’ of Sustainable Buildings,” we describe how innovative technologies can incite fear of unknown risks, but when making choices or recommendations, practitioners should question whether those risk are grounded in reality. We then argue that, particularly in the context of climate change, “risks” related to sustainable buildings must be placed in the appropriate context, not analyzed in a vacuum. We then provide two examples where the “cost of inaction” is arguably higher than the risk of innovation - “healthier” indoor spaces and wood products as structural materials. Check out the entire article by clicking the button below.

Second, it was just announced that we will be speaking at the (virtual) Built Green Conference on September 17, 2020. Our presentation is entitled, “Reframing Risk: Arguments and Strategies for Projects that Push the Envelope.” During this presentation, we will describe how a solid risk analysis is a key component of any successful project, but that outdated notions of “risk” can stall much-needed innovation, and disincentivize deep green projects. We will describe how now is the time to challenge these frameworks and take into consideration the current regulatory and economic landscape. We are really looking forward to sharing resources and strategies during this great conference! Click the button below to learn more.

Perhaps you’re picking up on a theme - much of our work focuses on managing the risks of sustainable innovation. We help companies identify and manage these risks, so they can do great work without the surprises. If you want to learn more about our work, including our training programs, visit our website or reach out using the button below. To stay connected, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Our take on the return to work? Carefully consider the risks and reasons.

Recently, there has been a significant amount of conversation regarding the return to work.

We have studied the latest research, attended webinars sponsored by leading organizations, increased our expertise by obtaining the Fitwel Ambassador credential and even participated in a multi-disciplinary, global Task Force of more than 500 experts.

Yet, what constitutes a “safe” workplace in this new paradigm is still an evolving analysis. For example, consider two (of the many) aspects of this conversation: (1) while we can look to prior pandemics, the current situation is unprecedented in the context of modern buildings and their complicated systems and (2) buildings are not designed to sit idle, and the full impact of a multi-month shut-down is largely unknown.

At Sustainable Strategies, we help companies manage the risks of sustainable innovation. This means that we apply a legal and risk management lens to new and evolving challenges - like the return to work. We generally support bold innovation, but we balance this ethos against the many unknowns and big questions with respect to the pandemic and the return to traditional office spaces.

From our perspective, it is important to ask why you want to return to the workplace or why you want your employees to return to the workplace?

Every situation is different, but generally speaking, we suggest letting the research evolve to a more robust understanding of “safe.” There are too many unknowns and variables to justify the risks to physical and emotional health and wellness to rush this process. We know that our offices will likely never look or function exactly the way they once did. Now we also know that we need them to be safer and more resilient.

Instead of focusing on a quick return to traditional office spaces, we suggest leveraging the variety of available tools and resources to support emotional and mental health. Consider this: according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Over half of U.S. adults (56%) report that worry or stress related to the coronavirus outbreak has caused them to experience at least one negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing, such as problems with sleeping or eating, increased alcohol use, or worsening chronic conditions.”  Pushing the return to traditional office spaces too soon will only exacerbate these negative health impacts. Instead, companies can provide their employees with support services and tools for managing these stressors while working from home. This strategy will also ease the stress of the eventual transition back to work - when it is appropriate - by providing employees with a solid foundation of health and wellness.

Prioritizing employee health and wellness will reduce future risks for building owners, managers and employers.

Employee health and wellness should be at the top of every risk management professional’s priority list. We will be creating additional content on this topic in the coming weeks, but if it is not already clear, “unhealthy” buildings are a liability and many buildings are, at least to some degree, unhealthy. Conversely, healthy buildings can be a risk management tool, and we encourage business leaders to get ahead of the healthy buildings curve. If you need support or have questions about where to start, contact us.

A reasonable approach to risk management is our specialty, and that usually means moving faster. Based on our review of the research, in this context, it means asking more questions, having more conversations, and moving in a more mindful and compassionate manner.

Healthy buildings are a risk management tool.

Three Big Announcements!

It’s a busy week at Sustainable Strategies!

First, we are very excited to be presenting as a part of Ignite! Seattle at Town Hall on Thursday, 2/27. Our topic is “Nobody cares about drowning polar bears,” and the theme of this five-minute talk is how to “rebrand” the messaging around climate change in a way that fosters engagement and inspires individual action. This event is sold out with 900+ attendees expected, but you can register for the Livestream at the link below.

Second, on Friday, 2/28, we will be presenting as part of the Leading Innovation at Work series on Wellness at Work. Our topic is “Health and Wellness + The Built Environment: strategies to create ‘healthier’ spaces, manage risk and foster engagement.” During this presentation, we will (1) discuss the importance of being mindful when using terms like “healthy”; (2) analyze some of the latest research regarding health and indoor spaces; and (3) develop a set of strategies and best practices for improving health aspects, fostering engagement and managing risk. This webinar is free and you can register below.

Third, we are very pleased to announce that Sustainable Strategies has been certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). With this certification in place, we are excited to continue our work on some really great projects!

You can learn more about this program and certification, at this link.

Insights from Kate Brandt, Google's Global Sustainability Officer

Last fall, the Financial Times, Tech Tonic Podcast, interviewed Kate Brandt, Global Sustainability Officer for Google. Kate brings a unique perspective, having worked in both the public and private sectors. In this podcast, she provides some key insights into the future of sustainability and shares some of the strategies Google leverages to achieve their sustainability goals. You can access the entire podcast, here.

Below are our top takeaways:

- Carbon Neutral: Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 by employing a three part strategy:  be as energy efficient as possible, match all electricity use with renewables and purchase high quality carbon offsets.  Kate noted this is incredibly challenging.

- The Circular Economy: How does this concept impact the operation of Google's data centers?  The goal is to maximize reuse of finite resources across operations, products and supply chains and enable others to do the same.  To do this, Google employs three core principles:  designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and enabling the use of safe chemistry and healthy materials. 

- Food Waste: According to Kate, about 1/3 of food gets wasted globally.  Google attempts to design out food waste in their kitchens by partnering with Leanpath, a tech company that documents unused food. This provides Google with greater insights into what food its kitchens actually use and what they don't. According to Google’s data, 6.6M pounds of food waste have been avoided since 2014.

- Environmental Insights Explorer: this is a tool that cities can use to get a baseline assessment of their climate footprint in order to set climate action targets.  For example, San Jose wanted to set an aggressive solar target. The city used the Explorer to assess the solar potential of available rooftops, which allowed city officials to feel confident setting solar targets that were actually achievable. Kate noted that cities account for over 70% of carbon emissions; if we can put data / insights into the hands of policy makers, they can set targets that are ambitious and also based on what's possible.

• Smart tools and better information can help government entities avoid situations like the over-broad green building incentives that were implemented in Nevada in 2005 (more on that, here).

- Optimism: Kate noted that science tells us we have roughly 11 years to make significant changes. Within this work, there are important roles for policy makers, businesses and individual action.  The challenge of climate change is great and can be daunting but Kate is encouraged by the level of engagement we are now seeing across all sectors; and we need everyone to engage. She’s also encouraged by the role of technology and machine learning.

An Additional Example of Smart Marketing to Engage Consumers with Sustainable Behavior

Sustainability doesn’t have to be boring.

In our last post, we highlighted how sustainability doesn’t have to be boring; it can be fun, engaging and sometimes involve a foul-mouthed Salmon. As practitioners, we can help move the needle even further by emphasizing how sustainable choices can actually be fun.

ChemSec recently released a series of advertisements that align with this ethos.

We encourage you to watch and enjoy these videos (be sure to also view the video involving a car seat and a blind date), and challenge yourself to consider how you, your business and your community can make sustainability and sustainable behavior more engaging.

Related to this topic, in the future a future post we will discuss choice architecture and sustainable behavior, based on some of the principles outlined in the book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

And if you need help understanding the risks associated with materials and materials transparency disclosures, or marketing the sustainable attributes of your products, projects and design services, Sustainable Strategies is here to help. We have experience working on the issues associated with “healthier” building materials and indoor spaces, and we maintain the WELL AP credential.

Why a Swearing Salmon is Exactly What We Need

In October, Seattle Traffic released a brilliant marketing campaign, urging Seattleites to “Flip Your Trip.” This type of marketing is central to moving the needle, and here’s why.

Environmental topics have a tendency to suffer from what we call a “branding” problem. The messaging often goes something like this: in order to be “sustainable,” you have to give something up, usually in the form of comfort or convenience. This messaging is also commonly littered with images of globes, tree frogs, earth tones, and sad polar bears. These are important themes - but they don’t engage people or inspire action. And that’s what we need!

Contrast these “branding” issues with the Flip Your Trip video and campaign. It’s funny. It’s engaging. It makes you want to participate and Flip Your Trip. It doesn’t (at least directly) shame people for driving single occupancy vehicles. Instead, it suggests that using alternative transportation could actually be fun. It challenges residents to explore the city in a new way, and to try something new (with minimal risk or inconvenience, just once a week).

We need more of this positive messaging - and the engagement it fosters. We will dive deeper into this topic in later posts, but campaigns like Flip Your Trip often leverage research that explains our social and psychological barriers to sustainable behavior.

At Sustainable Strategies, we help clients utilize these and other tools to create authentic marketing materials that engage audiences while accurately portraying sustainable attributes.

Resources:

• Overcoming the Social and Psychological Barriers to Green Building, by Andrew J. Hoffman and Rebecca Henn of the University of Michigan (2008), available for download from various online sources.

• More information and other resources regarding Flip Your Trip are available on the Seattle Traffic page, here.

A (Very Rough) Sustainability Timeline

When looking forward, it often makes sense to look back - below is a very rough and very big-picture timeline of some key events.

In my work, I’ve found that studying and honoring the lessons of the past is one of the best ways to innovate; look back to look forward. To that end, I’ve consolidated some of what I would consider key events in the history of our collective sustainable thinking. Keeping these dates / data points in mind helps frame my thinking.

• 1792 - 1750 B.C. - Code of Hammurabi - often cited as one of the earliest codes to contain building requirements

• 1666 - London’s Great Fires

• 1871 and 1889 - Great Fires of Chicago and Seattle, respectively

• 1888 - AIA’s first contract documents released

• 1962 - Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

• 1970 - First Earth Day; Environmental Protection Agency; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• 1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

• 1976 - Toxic Substances Control Act

• 1990 - Austin Energy Green Building Program; Americans with Disabilities Act

• 1992 - US Energy Star Program

• 1993 - US Green Building Council; approx. time John Elkington credited with coining the phrase “Triple Bottom Line”

• 1998 - LEED 1.0

• 1999 - Executive Order 13,123 Greening the Government Through Energy Efficient Management

• 2000 - LEED 2.0; Green Globes

• 2005 - Energy Policy Act of 2005

• 2006 - Living Building Challenge

• 2007 - Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

• 2009 - LEED 2009; AGC ConsensusDOCS 310 Green Building Addendum; American Reinvestment and Recovery Act

• 2010 - CALGreen Code (California Green Building Standards Code); International Green Construction Code (IgCC) 1.0

• 2013 - WELL Building Standard; AIA D503 - 2013, Guide for Sustainable Projects

• 2015 - Executive Order 13,693 Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade

• 2016 and 2018 - LEED v4 and v4.1, respectively

Resources:

• Whole Building Design Guide - Green Building Standards and Certifications page.

• Whole Building Design Guide - Federal and Executive Government page.

This blog is provided by Sustainable Strategies PLLC for general educational and informational purposes only, not to provide specific legal advice. By reviewing this blog, you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the blog publisher. Moreover, if you have a specific legal issue, this blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.