Page 107 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

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energy solutions such as photovoltaic panels, cogeneration of heat and electricity, veg-
etated roofs), while beginning to accrue the differentiation, marketing benefits, and
goodwill that such actions provide. Oftentimes, a multi-year approach to continuous
process improvement leads to this happy and unexpected discovery: previous years’
low-hanging fruit gives way to other easy pickings in subsequent years. 6

Lack of and inconsistent communication. Focusing sustainability initiatives in
just one department can lead to a significant gap in understanding the role of sustain-
ability in an organization’s business model. Toyota, usually considered the greenest of
the major automakers, joined other auto manufacturers in a lawsuit against the state
of California to challenge vehicle emissions requirements. It also lobbied against
increasing federal corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Do you think
its sustainability department was happy to explain this to Prius owners? McDshell
packaging and opening the world’s first CFC-free restaurant in Vejle, Denmark,
released its first “Report on Corporate Social Responsibility” with great fanfare, only
to be strongly criticized by Paul Hawken for such unsustainable practices as using 600
gallons of water for every quarter-pounder and using ten calories of energy for every
7
calorie of food it produces. Senior executives at Pepsico have publicly expressed con-
cern over the increasing amount of refined sugar in the American diet, a long-term
trend linked to increased levels of obesity in the United States, but are nevertheless
8
caught up in the paradox of a business model built around peddling soda. Over two
thousand CEOs of major global corporations have signed on to the United Nations
Global Compact, emphasizing basic principles concerned with human rights, labor
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standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. All but a small fraction, perhaps, live
up to those principles. Inconsistency in a company can be exacerbated by isolating
sustainability in one department, rather than diffusing it throughout the organization.
How do you overcome these three challenges? One solution is integrating “the con-
cerns, needs, and incentives of those on the company’s operational front lines into the
game plan.” 10
As building owners and managers, Melaver, Inc. implements what we call Mark of
a Difference sustainable property management practices. One practice is a green
cleaning program. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all, top-down approach, we meet
with the janitorial crew at each property. We ask about problem areas, recurring issues,
and hard-to-clean spots. We strive to involve all the parties at the beginning, especially
those who are directly impacted by sustainable practices. In the case of green clean-
ers, we’ve learned that the same cleaning products are not always available in differ-
ent markets. Different buildings and tenant types require different green cleaning
approaches. And some green cleaning products just don’t work well. We have learned
a lot by involving, from the early stages, the front line operators—getting their buy-in
and support and creating a sense of ownership in the results.
The same approach holds true for creating an effective sustainability program com-
pany-wide. It requires communication and buy-in from all aspects of the organization.
Early and frequent discussions with financial officers will help secure an adequate
budget for new initiatives. Dialogue with those who actually implement new policies