Last year, The Washington Post published a timely article on the rise of green certifications in the building industry. Back then, there were 80 labels in the United States and 600 internationally; those numbers are even higher today.
With project budgets being slashed and energy costs rising, how are building owners supposed to prioritize sustainable strategies?
Our survey is one way to make sure that building owners get what they paid for from their project team. The informed owner knows that much more than LEED points are at stake when it comes to sustainable design. In the building industry’s most competitive growth area, it remains imperative that owners assemble the right teams to deliver quality, cost-effective, and timely services.
In an increasingly green-washed industry, however, it may seem impossible to differentiate between those who “walk the walk” and those who “talk the talk.” A firm’s capability to deliver a competitive, innovative, cost-saving, timely design depends on the complete package: leadership structure, team commitment, internal/external resources and proven performance.
The Sustainable Performance Institute’s Owner Checklist empowers owners to enter the sustainable building market in the most impactful, efficient and cost-effective manner. Owners can use responses to and achievement of the benchmarks to verify capabilities and escape the green-washing trap.
The survey addresses five key areas: leadership and commitment; project delivery/property management; infrastructure and support; partnering and collaboration; and outcomes and performances.
Each section of the checklist includes targeted questions, such as:
- Does the company track the performance of any of its projects (energy, water and return-on-investments)? If so, how does it learn from that information?
- Are clear sustainability goals and project performance targets set for every project, regardless of client expectations?
- Are (green) design spec standards maintained and used consistently on all projects?
- Do contractual relationships create conditions conducive to effective collaboration?
Aaron Desatnik is director of marketing of the Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI). Email: aaron@greenroundtable.org
