zerochampion

Less than Zero

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The journalist complaining about the PR industry is an old whinge. But with greenwash all around, the overpaid and underskilled are finding new ways to make our blood boil. I receive an email from a member of the Camargue PR team about the UK's 'first sustainably-built conference centre' - I'm not going to name it - which can "enable businesses to host 'carbon neutral events'.'"

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"Most importantly," the pitch tells me, "for the first time it allows businesses across the UK and abroad to run events which themselves have zero carbon footprint - a major step forward for those seeking to demonstrate their environmentally responsible credentials to potential clients and partners."

The Green Way

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Back in 2003 when I was full-time at Building - yes those bygone print days - I got to know Mark Way pretty well. A thoroughly nice bloke he was at architect and engineer RMJM at the time as head of research. He'd dreamt up a simple yet great concept called Soft Landings, which I wrote an article on it back in 2003. As a typical hack I moved on to the next subject and have given the idea little thought in the intervening years. Until a piece I spotted in BSRIA's website came to my attention which promises to give Way's vision renewed momentum.

Swiss Re's disappearing natural ventilation

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Here's a cautionary and probably typical tale for post-occupation. Swiss Re was dubbed "London's first ecological building" when it was completed back in 2003, which would lead to up to 50% less energy use than a traditional office. This was partly down to its natural ventilation system. Martin Spring's revisit in today's Building offers the reality - Richard Stead, the current property services director says such savings are "a bit over-ambitious" as now that the building is multi-lease only one occupant (Swiss Re itself) is using natural ventilation. Why so - maximum comfort, tenants that want confidentiality who put up partitions and a lack of financial incentive in energy savings for firms that are paying top dollar rents for grade-a space.

Supermarkets in the spotlight

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Plenty of attention of late on the role of supermarkets in society of late. The attention can become somewhat hysterical but a couple of recent interventions have been interesting. The Sustainable Development Commission's new report Green, Healthy and Fair looks like a useful addition to the debate.

Beyond corporate responsibility

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I had an interesting chat with some key people at property management outfit Prupim last week. I underlined one part of what Paul Cornes, head of sustainability, had to say. The firm has effectively outlawed the phrase 'corporate responsibility'. "It's over," he says.

Carbon Reduction Commitment and property

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Who knows much about the carbon reduction commitment? I must admit that it's not something I've got my head around fully, but from the looks of it it's one of those pieces of legislation that business and industry need to get up to speed with pretty bloody quickly. Property Week has been covering it for a few months in relation to the impact on landlords. A piece last week claims that the British Property Federation has won some concessions from Government on the scheme.

The R word and sustainability

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I don't know about you but it's been pretty gloomy year so far. And now the R word enters stage left. Yes recession appears on the cards. So where does this leave clients, both in the private and public sectors, and their decisions on future sustainable budgets? Will the talk be cheap or will the rhetoric really turn to reality?

Hermes points the way forward for property

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I was encouraged to see some sustainable coverage in the finance section of Property Week last week. It occupied a full page at the real business end of the magazine, and for me that's quite a statement. It's hopefully part of the evolution in the demand and client side of the industry from an interest in the environment to really embracing the principles and doing it. The article (subscriber only I'm afriad) sets out the steps being taken in particular by fund manager Hermes.

And the next Code is

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So we end 2007 with yet another report and yet another major piece of future legislation for the industry to grapple with. This one's for non-domestic buildings and the report has been worked on for government by the UK Green Building Council. Although the code is some way off the UKGBC is talking 2020 as the date when zero carbon buildings can be achieved. It would be easy to dismiss as another document with heady ambitions leading to botched delivery but I see the report somewhat differently.

Planning co-ordination

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I think I'm largely repeating points that have been made before this week. Anyhow. An interesting chat with a client at lunch today. He was positive about how both project teams and end users are becoming more and more enthusiastic and demanding about going green. There was a but, of course, and it's the profession that usually gets it - planners.