One of green building's greatest potentials is carbon reduction.
Depending upon where you draw the boundaries, buildings are
responsible for somewhere between 20% and 70% of GHG emissions.
Regardless of which percentage you personally ascribe to, because
buildings are at the center of a vast network of business,
transportation, and other human activities, they are an incredibly
important and effective leverage point for changing human behavior
and reducing our impacts on the planet's life support systems.
Couple these points with the fact that the things we do to make
buildings use less energy are the most cost effective things we can
do to reduce GHG emissions, and you come to the undeniable
conclusion that society ought to be focusing a lot of attention on
this sector - which it is beginning to do.
Unfortunately, however, the Kyoto protocol does not clearly
recognize and encourage these efforts. In fact, the subject is
somewhat controversial. In order for credits to be issued, a
project must use a UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change) approved methodology (see
http://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/PAmethodologies/index.html).
Currently these span a limited number of project types and focus on
specific technologies, rather than integrated combinations of
technologies such as occurs in buildings.
Defining the details of a carbon trading protocol for buildings
has become a kind of holy grail of green building. In this paper, two of
green buildings brightest lights, Ché Wall and Maria Atkinson-both
Australians-tackle details that could meet the Kyoto protocol's
"Clean Development Mechanism" requirements and finally give the
building sector it's deserved role and recognition. Getting UNFCCC
approval for a new methodology is a long and arduous process. Thus
the importance of supporting this initiative is clear.
Lend Lease's Integrated Emissions &
Efficiency
Trading Scheme Report
Lend Lease's Integrated Emissions &
Efficiency
Trading Scheme Summary
Huston Eubank is an architect with
extensive experience in the sustainable design of buildings,
communities and businesses. His background includes serving as
Executive Director of the World Green Building Council, a Principal
with the Green Development Services team at Rocky Mountain
Institute, the Director of Building Futures Services for David
Gottfried (the founder of the USGBC and WorldGBC), the "EarthSmart
Ambassador" at Portland General Electric, and a senior project
architect at Gensler. Huston has a Bachelor of Architecture degree
from Cornell University. In 2004 he was named a Fulbright Senior
Specialist. He is currently focused on creating a "beneficial
social virus"-a radical new web-based green building community and
resource that will be a highly effective tool for improving the
property industry's environmental performance globally.
