Developers need incentives: energy efficient buildings

Opinion

Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

The following phrase in this media story says it all about people.   "The report also noted a disincentive for both landlords and tenants - property owners tend to focus on their capital investment rather than operating costs, which they can pass along to renters.

Tenants don't have any incentive to make changes because they don't have a long-term interest in their homes."

Well, "Bingo is his friggin Name-O", for one, even if developers do get incentives to build Green, armchair environmentalists who talk the talk, but will never walk the talk as homeowners, tenants or landlords, especially in Stratas, want sustainable energy efficent extras they do not have to maintain monthly for it's sustainable life in other words "WE WANT IT ALL FOR FREE"!!!!

Once again British Columbians show the world that whatever the "New Catch Phrase Flavour of the Month Cause" they will all collectively "Jump on the Environmental Bandwagon", but will "Scramble enmasse over dead bodies" to frantically jump off when they see the "Conductor arriving to collect the wagon fare".  So typical and so true and invariably what your Politicians count on time and time again at voting time, empty political promises, hence why nothing is ever done about anything, unless it's in the Governments interest and usually around Election time.

I hear and meet so gadammn many such "Faux Poser Environmentalists" who buy the Eco-T-Shirts, but never action anything are such Complete Utter Morons who think Green is cost effective, perhaps for the environment, but not on their pocketbook. Kitsalano is the worst.

As a registered and certified in LEEDS and ISO14001EMS Auditor I know what I speak of, having tried for a decade to implement LEEDS and other environmental programs, pretty much giving up dealing with bottom line idiot bean counters, politicans and bureaucrats and going back into Forensics and Human Health Environmental work. UBC being the sole Big Ticket exception to the rule, thank god.

For housing even for a single family house there are all recycled steel buildings which one could never tell from a all wood and all wood framed building, virtually fire, mould, insect and earthquake proof. These building are a 1/3 the weight of normal houses and your design is only limited by your imagination.  To build it, you only need tin snips and a screw gun, your home will last more than a few lifetimes and is far cheaper by 30% to build than wood.   They have a steel frame, floor, roof and you can easily affix drywall to the interior.  Thus reducing the use of wood and VOC emitting Open Strand Board (OSB) sheathing.  These houses will be much more attractive than the cookie cutter Pink Palaces which seem to dot every bit of our landscape in the lower mainland.  Granite or cement counters, and real wood cabinets are natural and hard to tell from the expensive one. As for your yard, go XENO Landscaping, little maintanence or watering required, if it was good for the Persians for thousands of years, such as the hanging gardens of bablyon, it should be good enough for you. Best of all including the house, all are pretty much MAINTENACE FREE!!

Below is a link on steel frame homes, one of the few in North America 

 http://www.rhinobldg.com/residential-steel-home-erection.htm

Here is what I proposed as many in the environmental research industry have always proposed, for example ,Green Roof technology on all downtown office and apartment building in which to farm vegetables or shallow root plants,vegetables and plants love to suck up carbon dioxides, granted some veggies would lose nutritional  value and be composted, but some would thrive. Other plants would suck up Carbon Monoxides and Nitrogen Oxides.   All would release cleanly. 

There are technologies out there, my god they have electric cars that can "Kick The Snot" out of a porche from a standing start and run all day and run quietly and cleanly for half the price at around 40K.  

As for building techniology there are environmentally friendly coatings when applied to windows that can clean a office building by rain water only, the rain water is then collected and reintroduced into plant soils thus being cleaned.  Reflective window coatings reduce heating and cooling costs, HVAC systems and DDC controls can limit CO2 levels in buildings and off gassing products before bringing them into a building can reduce VOC's dramatically. Jesus Tap Dancin Christ,  I could go on and on the available technology out there being ignored and unused, but the bottom line is they cost money, money to buy and money to maintain.  Apparently Maintenance and Life Cycle costs are a dirty word amongst most faux armchair Environmentalists, who want that Magical FREE, FREE, FREE solution for everything. Well guess what? Unless you're willing to pay for it, and from the recent Carbon Tax imposed by the BC government and public and business outcry, it aint gonna be happening anytime soon.  As for me, I recycle, one small bag of garbage a week, use my new vehicle as less as I can, energy efficient lights off all the time when not in use, I rarely use my gas furnace even in winter unless needed.  I subscribe to the Valu Village, why pollute more in new clothing manufacturing, underwear, socks and shoes the exception.  I buy garage sale, such as real wood furniture, metal tools etc, preferring used over pollution causing manufacturered new, the exception is beds. My toaster is older than my youngest kid (20) my energy saving appliances 10 years old. My computer is a decade old as is my software.  No carpets, only hardwoodfloors and cabinetry throughout.  Granite counters.  My stereo system is as old as most Now Public readers (1970s) .  I buy pesticide free and local only at neighbourhood markets, I would grow my own, but  the local wildlife around here do not  appreciate a backyard garden as they eat them as soon as they sprout.

 So I say to those who only "Buy a Eco T-Shirt society", who do little else for the environment, if you do not want to pay for change, then reuse, recycle, and limit your environmental impact, it costs you nothing, it's "FREE", unlike your Starbucks $9.00 Friggin Latte ! So if you are not prepared to pay money out of pocket to do anything else, at least do something about your own little universe.

Excuse me now as I have to go out in the backyard and hug my Fig Tree.
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Developers need incentives for energy efficient buildings, report saysBY Scott Simpson,
Vancouver SunPublished: Friday, March 21, 2008

VANCOUVER - Traditional business practices by financiers, engineers, architects and even landlords are greatly at odds with global efforts to conserve energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions, says a new report from the International Energy Agency.

The report on barriers to energy conservation, titled Promoting Energy Efficient Investments, identifies "market failures" in the residential sector as "a significant impediment" to efficiency gains that could actually save consumers money and take a huge bite out of carbon dioxide emissions.

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