According to a preliminary report presented at the recent 2015 Greenbuild International Summit in Washington, D.C., the amount of green building that is being implemented is doubling about every three years. Complete findings will not be available until 2016, but this rate of increase continues to occur, substantiating a trend for over 2 decades. The new report surveyed over 1,000 professionals in the field globally about their thoughts of the future of green building.

The report also highlights trends, such as a rise in green building in emerging nations and increased demand from clients and tenants for buildings that meet sustainability standards.

Historically, the greatest barrier for developers to do green building is the perception that it is more expensive than doing convention construction. The survey showed that the percentage of respondents who cited this as the top barrier dropped from 76% in 2012 to 50%.

The report also indicated that the largest growth in green building activity is anticipated to be in the commercial and institutional areas. The latter, including government buildings, schools, hospitals, and public buildings was perceived as a major future area of growth as more government agencies with strapped budgets are beginning to understand the long-term cost savings and improved worker productivity and learning capabilities of those in green buildings. More important, agency managers and politicians are beginning to show the fortitude to insist on at least green building elements of more projects.

Respondents were asked which benefits of green building were important to their clients and, therefore, driving such projects. 84% said saving costs through reduced energy consumption was important, while 76% said reducing water consumption.

Overall, the preliminary report shows that the public worldwide is beginning to understand the long-term benefits in cost savings and productivity of green building and given this decision makers are having the courage to forgo short-term savings for longer-term improvements in the value of their buildings.

CCES has the experts to help you develop green building strategies for your existing buildings to improve your energy and water use efficiency, save costs, improve productivity, which will result in greater demand for your space, and raise the asset value. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

In the run up to the COP21 UN Climate Convention in Paris later this year in which nations intend to finalize a global deal on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, six huge US banking institutions (https://www.ceres.org/files/bank-statement-on-climate-policy) and six major oil companies (http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/major-oil-companies-letter-to-un/) called for both a strong global climate agreement and policies that recognize the cost of carbon.

JP Morgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, the 4 largest lending institutions and two largest investment banks with over $7.6 trillion in managed assets also committed to provide “significant resources” to finance climate solutions.

Officers from these banks issued an open letter for the UN’s General Assembly session for which climate change and sustainable development is strongly covered and as a prelude to the COP21 convention. The letter from the banks openly stated that climate change is real and is already threatening world prosperity. It also described efforts from their point of view – financing the changes for the world to become a low-carbon economy – as a “business opportunity” for them and the whole banking industry.

The statement indicated that while they believe fossil fuels will remain part of the global economy, it is important for an accelerated transition to clean power to begin soon with sound governmental policies.

The statement also called for policies to establish a future cost of carbon. While they did not advocate a specific policy, such as a carbon tax, governments need to recognize the need for carbon to have a cost as part of future economic policy. According to CERES, while many large corporations currently price carbon as part of their internal operations, these standards are disparate and national policies are needed, important to provide guidelines to value the emissions and reduction of GHG emissions.

The six major oil companies (BG Group, BP, Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Total) wrote their open letter to governments and the UN saying that they can take appropriate actions if governments provide clear, stable, and long-term rules and carbon pricing that puts a proper price on the environmental and economic costs of GHG emissions.

This is critical as the oil and gas industry, producers of fossil fuels that have contributed to climate change, has been the last to be “on board” with addressing the issue.

The letter recognizes that climate change is becoming one of the biggest risks of their and many other industries. Many companies want to implement positive solutions, such as renewable and efficient energy, reduced pollution and resilient economies, but need robust government policies to allow them to plan and invest in such projects properly.

These unequivocal open letters from bastions of industry and capitalism are particularly strong against the backdrop of the current US presidential campaign in which candidates of one party openly deny and mock climate change and state that reducing GHG emissions would hurt the economy. And in Congress, leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell openly vow to prevent the US from implementing any agreement to reduce GHG emissions and price carbon coming out of the COP21 UN Climate Convention.

CCES can help your company prepare for the coming clean energy revolution, helping you reduce GHG emissions by reducing your energy demand and usage and by assessing how you can create your own energy from renewable sources, in both cases, increasing your economic benefits. Contact us today to discuss this more at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

By Sherry Rivera, Envirron

Legionella bacteria traced to and found in cooling towers have affected several areas of the Bronx, NY and North Carolina, worrying public health officials and producing much negative publicity. Do you want to keep your Cooling Towers safe and clean and FREE of Legionella? This is critical given the publicity and remediation costs and legal fees for those found to have Legionella. We share news of a better way for those willing to do something other than the same old AND costly reactive measures.

We now know that current methods prove less, if not ineffective. Dr. Jay Varna, New York City Deputy Commissioner for Disease Control said the problem is that most people think of cleaning a cooling tower like a kitchen counter – scrub hard and it is good. One needs to be incredibly aggressive in dealing with this, he says.

The threat of Legionella bacteria in cooling towers remains very real since these rooftop devices use an evaporative process which allows a small portion of the water being cooled to evaporate into a moving air stream. This process exposes recirculated water – the perfect incubator for bacterial growth and biofilm which can be dangerous and unhealthy – to the atmosphere.

Many operators use chemicals to control this environmental exposure. However, these same chemicals prove harmful to the environment and to operators and are expensive, difficult to store, dispose of, and manage. A better way exists instead of total reliance on chemicals: the innovative application of Ultraviolet Technology set up appropriately to manage the microbial growth.

Why Ultraviolet (UV) Technology?

All living organisms, including microbes, contain DNA. UV light penetrates the cell body of microorganisms, reaches the DNA and harms it. This safe and reliable UV process renders the bacteria unable to reproduce in a non-chemical manner. By exposing microbes in the water of a cooling tower to UV, you assure their destruction.

Environmentally safe Ultraviolet needs no operator licensing, proves effective on a wide variety of pathogens, operates continuously, offers low operating costs, significantly reduces the need for chemicals, and requires little maintenance. UV use – in conjunction with a Filtration system – results in a much cleaner system; it introduces constant suppression of microorganism growth at better levels than those achievable with chemicals.

The end results: A More Efficient, Economical and Environmentally Friendly Water Treatment Program; a very attractive payback period; and an effective treatment to prevent outbreak of Legionella. It makes sense for Real Estate Owners, Property Managers, Facility Managers, Engineers, and anyone responsible for these towers to seriously consider adding UV technology to their Cooling Tower management program.

If you have any questions or for more information on the use of UV radiation for cooling towers and other health-related water management issues, please contact Ms. Sherry Rivera of Envirron at sherry@envirron.com or at 516-458-5384.

Many companies and building owners and managers are skeptical about investing in green design of commercial space. It is a new concept to many; something not familiar from school. And many look at any change in terms of short-term business gains; environmental benefits are unimportant. For most businesses, personnel costs are its biggest expense. Can a “greener” office environment raise worker productivity and therefore make the firm more money? A report from the World Green Business Council (http://www.worldgbc.org/files/9714/3401/7431/WorldGBC_Health_Wellbeing__Productivity_Full_Report_Dbl_Med_Res_Feb_2015.pdf) provides widespread evidence that green office design does have a positive impact on worker productivity. And this is a key competitive business issue for most businesses.

This paper notes that for some businesses, up to 90% of their costs are involved in personnel (salaries, benefits, etc.). How can they get the most production out of this cost, whether it is better productivity and/or less absenteeism? The associated business cost of each employee with a high absentee rate and being underproductive can be $2,500 per year or more.

The report reviews peer-reviewed research and outlines a number of key areas where green features have been proven to improve occupant productivity or health:

1. Indoor Air Quality. Also known as IAQ, the concentration of solvents, particulates, and microorganisms that workers may be exposed to 40 or more hours per week has a major influence over productivity whether it be absenteeism or alertness and productivity while in the office. Studies show that improved ventilation can increase productivity by as much as 11%, making an investment in filters or better fresh air replenishment a great value. Of course, for retailers, IAQ is important to ensure that customers are relaxed and comfortable and, therefore, more willing to buy product.

2. Thermal Comfort. The thermal comfort that workers perceive affects productivity, as well. Productivity has been shown to drop 4% when workers are too cool and 6% when they are too warm. Studies have also shown that by giving office workers some control over the temperature of their workspace, some are more willing to accept a wider temperature range. However, do note that this is a difficult problem as different people in the same room may perceive the surroundings as too cold or as too warm at the same time, no matter what the thermostat is set for. What one wants to do is avoid the extremes which can distract a worker’s attention and potentially make him or her more vulnerable to infections. I came across a poorly functioning building where the office workers had to sit at their desks in their parkas or several sweaters. You can imagine the motivation to work hard and the productivity was poor. And these both were raised quickly when the HVAC was upgraded.

3. Lighting. All (indoor) workers work under artificial lights. The amount of light (lumens) is critical for a person to feel well (avoid eye strain) and to perform their jobs safely and properly. ASHRAE 90.1 and the IES publish information about minimum recommended concentrations of light per square foot (in lumens/sf) for different rooms with different functions (office, parking garage, class room, etc.). However, recent research shows that productivity is more complicated than just ensuring the right concentration of light in an area, as measured by a light meter. Research is showing that not all light is the same in terms of how they enter our eyes and stimulate the retina. The key is to maximize what scientists call visually effective lumens (VELs), based on the relative amounts of scotopic and phototopic light or S/P ratio. People appear to be more sensitive to cooler tone light (toward blue and green) rather than warmer tone light (toward yellow and red). As you change lighting to be more energy efficient, look for lights with a higher S/P ratio and those that are cooler in tone. It is worth investing in an experienced lighting professional to design the most productive light for your workers or to sell your product if you are in retail.

4. Daylighting. The report describes numerous studies stating that seeing natural light by having access to windows increases worker satisfaction and can even have health and mood benefits. This is certainly a positive contrast to earlier trends of windowless offices built with the thinking that a worker is more productive if he or she is not distracted with what goes on outside. Again, allowing sunlight in does improve productivity and mood. Similarly, the report states that workers with a view of nature from a window or those who have plants near their desks are more productive than those without a connection to nature. Some studies have shown workers can increase their time-on-task by up to 15% due to the presence of a window with a view.

5. Noise and Other Distractions. Workers exposed to distracting background noise suffer potentially large drops in productivity. Studies show an up to a 66% drop in productivity when workers are exposed to high background noise. This is particularly a growing issue as companies increase worker density to control real estate costs. The report cites research suggesting that installing physical design features affecting acoustics can be effective at reducing distractions and background noise in offices.

6. Access to Amenities. Though the report notes that not as many studies have been conducted on the matter, those that have consistently point to facility location and the presence of accessible amenities such as healthcare, shops, gyms, and particularly childcare centers as having a significant impact on occupant productivity. For example, the LEED point system for green buildings awards points for accessibility to mass transit and for having amenities, such as bike racks. One employer found that 68% of parents would have missed days of work if they were without access to an onsite childcare center.

CCES has the experts to help you improve your office, retail, or residential space to save you energy costs and improve the productivity and satisfaction of your workers. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

A growing number of companies and municipalities are producing reports highlighting their sustainability achievements of the previous year. If your business or municipality is not currently creating such a report to highlight your green achievements (whether done to impress those interested in green achievements or not) is missing an opportunity to communicate a positive story in an open way to critical stakeholders who are craving reading such positive news. A Sustainability Report is an essential piece of any communication effort, but is often overlooked in working on the program, as many focus only on making the goals. But a success not communicated reduces its impact.

Reporting efforts do not have to be a major undertaking. To get started first determine who your audience is. Which stakeholders are most likely to read the report and what facts or style are they looking for? Sustainability will impact different parts of your entity, but by focusing on who follows such news the most, you can keep it short and simple while establishing the credentials to satisfy your most important stakeholders.

With this information, identify the focus of your report and the message you want to get across to the key stakeholders who care deeply about sustainability. What information do you want to give to the readers and how do you want to get it across to them? Should it be short and factual in nature? Or by a narrative as if you are telling a story?

Whether your report is factual with bullets or with more text, at one point your report will communicate facts and data about your sustainability program or projects. Therefore, it is critical that it state data and it needs to be right. What metrics are you using to demonstrate progress? Is it the same commonly used by other organizations? Double check that, for example, the reductions in energy or water usage that were calculated are correct and beyond reproach. Data will likely be checked by stakeholders or perhaps those who may be critical of your effort. If the data is off or not the whole truth in summarizing the project, your entity may be criticized and worse off.

As you can tell, this is a complex effort and should not be undertaken by a single, even smart, well-meaning person. Because you are looking at message, data, and people, a team effort is the best approach to prepare your sustainability report. The draft report should also be reviewed by those outside the preparation process before issuance.

Once the report is released (as a webpage in your company’s website or a pdf), make the effort to promote it through the entity’s website, social media, annual reports, and marketing materials. Attempt to get feedback through the Internet from the stakeholders you had focused on to determine whether they read the message you wished to get across. Did significant numbers of people in other groups who were not your focus also read the report? If so, were they satisfied with the progress? Use this as a learning experience to improve the process and message put out in future reporting.

CCES has the technical personnel to prepare a successful sustainability or “green” program with concrete successes and can help you communicate your successes to your key stakeholders in a clear manner. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.