Last month, I told you about a green building project in South Carolina, the Navy Yard at Noisette. It was featured along with 9 other green building projects in the first issue of 2008 of Natural Home Magazine. In addition to shining the international spotlight on praiseworthy undertakings, the magazine article helps us address the practicality of green building vs. traditional building methods and the larger issue of triple bottom line sustainability.
One commendable real estate initiative which was not included in Natural Home Magazine’s coverage is Playa Vista in Los Angeles, California. In addition to being located in an area with an accelerating turn toward green building vs. traditional building methods, Los Angeles has a climate nearly ideal for demonstrating green builder homes in high desert surroundings.
Few places on the planet call for the use of green building methods more than the desert. Residents are under threat of death from exposure most every day of the year. Likewise, water shortages are chronic. However, desert climes also can be quite attractive. Where, then, do these seemingly contradictory forces meet? The triple bottom line of sustainability is the answer.
The triple bottom line is holistic sustainability. It is the intersection of economic success, social equity and environmental sustainability. When applied to real estate projects, it informs us that if we factor in quality of life for the people who will live there and do everything in our power to be respectful of the planet every step of the way, we increase our chances that the end result will be prosperity for all, including wildlife.
People + Planet = Prosperity
Builder homes constitute a superb method of highlighting green building methods because they are designed to act as templates. What’s more, since modern technology facilitates our expansion into the desert more each year, builder homes in high desert localities can showcase the future right before our eyes. I call that an holistic approach to sustainability.
However, since life seldom fits neatly into little boxes, the real estate application of triple bottom line sustainability more closely resembles a cluster of concentric circles, representing the zone in which traditionally adversarial interests not only coincide but overlap.
In my book, then, the comparison of green building vs. traditional building methods most certainly can include financial projections and cost analyses. However, I contend that the triple bottom line of sustainability should be the default measurement. If we use that default measurement broadly, we can convince more developers to deploy green builder homes in their projects. When those developments occur in the desert, as they continue to do in the United States and elsewhere, we can take pride. Green builder homes in high desert towns and villages showcase sustainability at its best.
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
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