Economic Development is the Only Way Forward

Some of the most passionate supporters of the environment argue that we cannot make the necessary changes within the current consumer oriented capitalist system. They point to the fact that growth in the 20th century was all about resource depletion.

Economic growth is not an end, but rather a means to an end. Because economic growth is premised on the concept of increasing quantity, it may be more productive to frame the issue in terms of economic development. Economic development looks at growth as a means of achieving a higher level of individual and societal well-being. While economic growth is about quantity, economic development is about quality. A well developed economy is one that meets people's needs and provides well-being for everyone.

Economic development is based on the collective good which is ultimately about creating more value per person.

UNEP's Executive Director Achim Steiner said in the statement: "With 2.5 billion people living on less than two dollars a day and with more than two billion people being added to the global population by 2050, it is clear that we must continue to develop and grow our economies. But this development cannot come at the expense of the very life support systems on land, in the oceans or in our atmosphere."

Growth and resource depletion are not inexorably linked and given the urgency, the green economy is the only solution we have of capable of addressing the environmental and social threats we face.

We simply do not have time to rebuild society anew, nor is it reasonable to wipe the slate clean. In the form of economic development, growth can serve the earth and its inhabitants. However future growth will not be based on wanton resource depletion, it will be about increased efficiency and productivity.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Sustainable Growth Excludes Fossil Fuels

Sustainable economic growth is utterly impossible as long as oil, coal and natural gas provide nearly 88 percent of the world's energy needs. According to EIA (the US Energy Information Administration), total world consumption of marketed energy will increase by 49 percent between 2007 to 2035. The International Energy Agency predicted that Chinese energy demand would soar 75 percent by 2035, accounting for more than a third of the growth in global consumption.

The most egregious source of energy is coal, in India, more than 50% of commercial energy demand is met with coal and according to 2008 statistics, coal accounts for 71 percent of China's energy mix. The US is not much better with 23 percent of its total energy demand being met with coal.

We simply cannot afford economic growth that is so reliant on dirty energy like coal. Although growth is a serious environmental threat, it could also be a valuable opportunity to radically expand the clean energy economy. New innovative applications of sustainable technologies can significantly reduce emissions and old inefficient technologies can be replaced with cleaner greener technologies.

Renewable energy is the great hope for the planet because it is sustainable energy, but renewable energy is not cost competitive cheap and abundant coal. Therefore, cost considerations alone will not drive the move away from coal.

The increasing price of oil and the uncertainty of the fossil fuel markets is something that business are increasingly considering and it is only a matter of time before we remove oil subsidies. However, until we see climate change energy legislation and regulation, business have an opportunity to show leadership by voluntarily replacing coal with renewable energy.

Economic growth that includes fossil fuels precludes the possibility of a living planet.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Green California Community College Summit

The Green California Colleges Summit is a Green Technology event, it took place on October 12 and 13 and prior to the start of the event, there were pre-summit classes on October 11. The summit had seminars, showcases and an exposition and on October 12 there was a Green Leadership awards reception and ceremony.

This Summit was focused on everything from green building and energy efficiency to the products and services that new green facilities will need. It also encompassed green job training, specifically the needs of industry and the challenges of developing curriculums that meet these needs.

At this summit attendees also met with leaders of the green college movement, and learned about the programs, projects, policies and technologies that are fueling it.

This summit is important because education is key to a sustainable future and modeling that future with green buildings is a critical component of the new green world. California is serious about green schools. The Los Angeles Community District is in the midst of one of the largest public sector green building efforts in the country.

In California, community colleges account for 79 percent of higher education in the state. Across the system, these campuses are making commitments to greening their facilities The system encompasses 109 colleges, 72 districts and more than 2.6 million students.

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of public education and private enterprise, community colleges in California are succeeding in training the workforce that is manning the largest green economy of any state in the union.


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The Future of Green School Buildings

The greening of schools is leading the green building trend. With large numbers of public schools deteriorating, boards across the US are taking a serious look at new green schools and retrofits that save energy as well as improve learning.

In the US, Federal incentives are already helping boards to green their schools. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s fiscal stabilization fund, $48.6 billion was awarded to the US Department of Education. The construction, renovation and repair of green school buildings qualify for these government funds.

In the future all levels of government as well as new building codes will contribute to even greener schools. The next generation of green schools can be expected to do an even better job of controlling temperature, air, light and noise.

Each classroom will have independent climate controls and the ability to independently deliver fresh-air. Part of delivering fresh air, involves the ability to open high and low windows that can quickly refresh a room without drafts. Green schools will also manage solar overheating with awnings and shades that do not eliminate light or obscure the view.

The next generation of green schools will also do a better job of managing traffic noise, room reverberation, and noise transmission between rooms.

New green schools will be designed with materials that are easy to clean. This is important because the cleanliness of surfaces directly contributes to indoor air quality. Materials used in desk and contact surfaces must be easily disinfected to help prevent the transmission of infectious diseases.

As early adopters of new innovations green schools will continue to improve their environmental, health and performance benefits.
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Green School Buildings: The Many Benefits of Ventilation

The kind of ventilation we see in green schools, promotes wellness and supports a healthy learning environment.

Poor ventilation is often behind sick building syndrome, which is known to cause symptoms including eye, nose, and throat irritations; headaches; fatigue; difficulty breathing; itching; and dry, irritated skin.

The primary purpose of a building’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is to provide comfort for the occupants by meeting thermal requirements and diluting contaminants. HVAC systems accomplish this through the conditioning of outside air coming into occupied spaces and the removal of irritants and pollutants.

Green school guidelines typically address HVAC systems as they relate to energy efficiency, indoor air quality (ventilation), moisture control, filter efficiencies and maintenance, and the elimination of CFC-based refrigerants.

In a comprehensive review of the literature related to indoor air quality, ventilation, and health symptoms in schools, Daisey et al. (2003) found that a significant proportion of classrooms did not meet the minimum ventilation standards. A variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bioaerosols (primarily molds and fungi, dust mites, and animal antigens) could be found in school environments.

Reducing indoor pollutants, providing adequate quantities of outside air, and ensuring that the ventilation system is properly maintained have all been linked to reducing absenteeism, improving teacher productivity and student learning. In a 2006 study of 54 elementary schools, researchers identified a 14.4 percent improvement in standardized math test scores in classrooms with a ventilation rate that was double the norm.

Through moisture management, pollutant source control and adequate ventilation rates, green schools have cleaner air and thus a healthier environment more conducive to learning.
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Green School Buildings: The Many Benefits of Natural Lighting

The use of natural light in green schools benefits students, teachers and administrators. By reducing energy requirements, natural light also offers an environmentally friendly means of bettering the bottom line.

The sun provides higher light levels than traditional lighting while reducing energy costs. Natural light affords excellent illumination of educational materials and this appears to improve test scores. A well known school-building study, completed by the Heschong Mahone Group, identifies test scores 7-26 percent higher for schoolchildren in classrooms with plentiful natural light than for those in classrooms with little or no daylight.

A study from Alberta Education, titled A Study into the Effects of Light on Children of Elementary School Age indicates that natural light does have a positive effect on health and on rates of achievement. Children in classrooms with a natural spectrum of light including trace amounts of UV radiation had 1.75 fewer cavities than children in schools with traditional lighting. Children exposed to high pressure sodium vapor lighting were absent 3.2 days per year more than students in classrooms with full spectrum light.

The Alberta Education study also linked scholastic achievement to natural lighting. Students exposed to high-pressure sodium vapor lighting demonstrated the poorest rate of academic achievement.

A Sacramento California study titled, Light Helps Pupils Learn, is one of the largest ever done on natural light in schools and it suggests children learn faster and do better on standardized tests in classrooms with more daylight. Learning rates were 26 percent higher in reading and 20 percent higher in math in rooms with more daylight.

Windows let in light and when opened they provide natural ventilation. Windows also provide visual access to the outdoors, from morning to night and season to season, this is important to our circadian rhythms and our sleep cycles.

Ideally natural light in a green school lets in light without glare, while preventing overheating and excessive UVs.

Cost efficiency, energy reductions, improved scholastic performance and health benefits make natural lighting a logical choice.

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G20 Disagreements and Global Economic Reforms

There are a number of disagreements between G20 member nations. Although the passage of a US financial reform bill was an important step for the recovering world economy, diverging national assessments threaten a coordinated global strategy.

The UN would like to see the developed world assume a greater share of its responsibilities for the green economy. Americans and Europeans disagree on whether to maintain or withdraw stimulus. The US warns against choking off nascent growth, while European countries are imposing austerity measures to manage rising levels of debt.

Canada disagrees with key European nations on taxing banks. Canada has argued against taxing banks to guard against future financial crises, while Britain, France and Germany want to see a tax on the banking sector.

China's recent announcement of renewed flexibility in its currency, the yuan, will probably succeed in deflecting attention away from new protectionist measures.

There appears to be agreement that the global system is under-capitalized and a there is a broad consensus on the need to invest more capital. Although there is agreement on the broader issue, there is disagreement on implementation time frames. Europe wants to move slowly to give its banks time to adjust, while the U.S. would prefer to see a faster pace.

The G20 has a pivotal role to play, decisions made by economic leaders in Toronto will not only determine the future of the economy, they will decide the future of our environment. While there seems to be agreement on the need for sustainable growth, charting a strategy to get there is proving difficult.

We need international economic reforms that will help maintain stability. We also need a strategy that positions green as the engine that will drive the global economy.
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The Growth of the Green Market

The green market has been growing fast and shows no signs of slowing. The global environmental industry is presently worth almost one and a half trillion dollars and it is expected to double in the next decade.

Even in an economic environment marked by widespread declines, the green market showed steady growth. In 2007 the green market grew 8%. In 2008 as the wider economy began feeling the effects of the most serious downturn since the Great Depression, the green market managed to grow a remarkable 3%.

Forecasts published in July 2009, by US trade publication Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) expected a 2009 growth rate 0.6% for the US environmental industry. However, the EBJ described 0.6% growth as a significant achievement given that the prevailing estimates expected the US gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 2-4% in 2009.

On June 17 2010, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry released a newsletter that indicates the global market for environmental products and services will double by 2020.

Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favorable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) has released this year's fourth issue of its bi-monthly newsletter, CSR Al Youm. The newsletter addresses the opportunities, competencies and complexities of the Green Market. According to the newsletter, the green market will double from $1.37 trillion a year in 2010 to $2.74 trillion by 2020.

The news that the green market will double in the next decade adds to the growing number of reports that point to vast opportunities.
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The Overwhelming Logic of Sustainable Business

Steady consumer demand and the rapid growth of green industries, makes sustainable business very appealing. Sustainable strategies and best practice are an increasingly important part of basic business planning.

Those businesses that showed leadership in the early years are reaping the benefits. The companies that broke into the green market first are now leading the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Today green is not just about adding cache, it is increasingly a matter of survival. Using less energy per unit of output, reducing waste, and using less water are all part of efficiency efforts that decrease costs and contribute to the bottom line. Many of the world's most successful business owners recognized the value of efficiency long before it was fashionable.

Numerous consumer and industry reports are corroborating the ongoing growth of the green market. According to Mintel, US consumers are still willing to pay more for green products despite the recession. In the recently published paper “Going Green to Be Seen: Status, Reputation, and Conspicuous Conservation,” Griskevicius and co-authors find that people will forgo luxury and comfort for a green item.

Despite a decline in venture capital due to the recession, clean energy continues to grow and in 2009 it accounted for 12.5 percentage of total US venture capital investments.

According to a report entitled Clean Energy Trends 2010, the three major clean energy sectors, solar, wind power, and biofuels, grew world-wide to almost $140 billion in 2009, an 11.4% increase over 2008 revenue numbers.

The report also indicates that wind power is projected to expand from $63.5 billion in 2009 to $114.5 billion in 2019. Last year's global wind power installations reached a record 37,500 MW. China, the first-time global leader in new installations, accounted for more than a third of new installations, with 13,000 MW.

The same report indicates that solar photo voltaic (PV) sector is expected to grow from a $30.7 billion industry in 2009 to a $98.9 billion industry by 2019. New installations reached almost 6 GW worldwide in 2009, a nearly six fold increase from five years earlier.

The global solar PV and wind power industries together currently account for a total of more than 830,000 jobs worldwide. By 2019, global industry growth will push the total to more than 3.3 million jobs.

There are many economic inducements to go green, while ignoring climate change is expected to result in unacceptable costs to life and property. One study claims that global warming already is causing 300,000 deaths and $125 billion in economic losses annually.

Sustainable businesses are more efficient and more competitive, they provide jobs, and generate economic activity while reducing the impact on the environment. The logic is overwhelming and unavoidable, becoming more sustainable just makes sense.
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