07 Aug Questioning the Obstacles to Green Building

As I look at our fits and starts in green building – a project here and there, projects that don't really push the limits on what we can do in energy and water efficiency – I wonder what's actually holding back an explosion of green building, even in Austin. This brings up many questions.

Are the obstacles purely economic and social? Are real estate developers only into building quickly and making a pile of money? Do people buy/lease/rent conventional inefficient, unsustainable structures because that's really what they want, or because that's simply what's available? How long can we sustain Austin's growth and economic strength if our built environments continue to be dominated by energy and water hogs?

When I tell people about the possibility of radically green buildings that are net zero energy and water with no sewer effluent made from natural/local materials, they get excited. Everyone from urban planners, engineers and family/friends back in Kansas to the random Lyft drivers I've ridden with, smile and say something like, “That's exactly what we need in our cities!” People want and are inspired by healthy, long-lasting structures that work in concert with our natural surroundings. Why aren't real estate developers hearing that? Is the sound of money deafening them in the hot Austin real estate market? Is Austin's building boom unsustainable like an oil boom?

Perhaps the clink of cash is deafening, yet real estate developers are people, too. They want to make money and make a positive impact in the world. If you're doing any job just to make money, your commitment is weak. Developers shape the stage on which we live out our lives. Someone coordinates the design, planning and construction of the neighborhoods and cities where the vast majority of people in this country live. In Austin, many developers get the public desire for green spaces near where we work and play. However, the innate desire for our built environment to function like and interact with nature hasn't registered. As human beings, certainly those in real estate can sense this. How can our developers in Austin be moved as professionals and business people to create a green building setting that people are truly inspired and excited to make their home?

Once we open the door that allows us to answer this last question, I believe green building will quickly become simply building.