Promote green buildings to cut CO2, NAFTA organization urges

cbc.ca ^ | March 13, 2008

[Tailgunner Joe]

Making residential and commercial buildings more environmentally friendly in North America is the cheapest and most efficient way to cut greenhouse gas emissions fuelling global warming, according to a NAFTA commission's report.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation's report, released at the GLOBE 2008 conference in Vancouver on Thursday, calls for task forces in Canada, the United States and Mexico to look into so-called green construction, set clearly defined targets for such buildings and assist environmentally friendly construction already underway.

The Montreal-based commission said although more environmentally friendly buildings can improve the health of inhabitants, the report focused mostly on lowering energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

"Improving our built environment is probably the single greatest opportunity to protect and enhance the natural environment. This report is a blueprint for dramatic environmental progress throughout North America, mostly using the tools and technology we have on hand today," says CEC executive director Adrián Vázquez.

Using high- and low-tech solutions Green-building features can include high-tech practices such as fluorescent lighting, geothermal heating, photovoltaic cell arrays and solar chimneys, and on-site cleaning and reuse of wastewater, as well as low-tech solutions such as green roofs, increased use of fresh air and natural light, and improved insulation.

The report, Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges, said North American buildings release more than 2,200 megatons, or about 35 per cent of the continent's total, of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

It said the rapid use of currently available energy-saving technologies could result in over 1,700 fewer megatons of CO2 emissions in 2030.

The report said buildings account for 50 per cent of natural resource consumption and 33 per cent of total energy use in Canada.

Canada's residential building sector is responsible for approximately 80 megatons of CO2 emissions annually, with the commercial building sector accounting for approximately 69 megatons of CO2.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Greener buildings called quick climate change fix - Mar 14, 2008 - A good place to begin would be to scrap Ontario's new building code and replace it with a much tougher version, says Jonathan Westeinde, an Ottawa-based green developer who chaired the report's 10-member international advisory group.

The report, published after a two-year study, states that in Canada, buildings account for one-fifth of all energy consumption. That figure rises to 40 per cent in the United States, with Mexico midway. Buildings are also responsible for 35 per cent of North America's greenhouse gas emissions. Energy consumption and emissions could be cut by one-third with reasonable green measures in new construction and retrofits, the report says.

The report, since it's aimed at North America, supports incentives and promotion of the benefits of efficiency, he said. "But the rope is only so long," he said. "If the private sector doesn't start moving the bar forward, the public sector will have to do it with regulations."

"In the United States and Canada, many efforts are underway to accelerate the market uptake of green building," the report states. "Economics are helping to drive these changes" as the cost of sustainable technologies falls.

Still, most builders continue to take a short-term approach, designing and constructing to the minimum standard, to keep their up-front costs as low as possible. With homes, condos and many commercial and industrial buildings, they're not responsible for ongoing expenses. Those that try to do a better job are less competitive in the mass market because they must charge higher prices, and most buyers aren't impressed by the fact they'll eventually be repaid in energy savings. Imposing higher standards would help create a level playing field, Westeinde said. "The biggest thing motivating the private sector is the financial model. If you wanted the quickest change, you'd regulate the industry.

"Everything else would figure itself out."

---

http://www.cec.org/

Green Building in North America

[Stump]

Not a bad idea if implemented intelligently. BUT...what does this have to do with Free Trade?

[NormsRevenge]

CEC

Who We Are

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

[DBrow]

Redesigning buildings to merely save money is no longer an incentive. Heck, if I were to order up a new building, last thing I'd think about is long-term maintenance and heating/lighting costs, right? I'm not bright enough to do that on my own.

Now government gets involved to stop the melting of the polar bears.

[gathersnomoss]

The old United States is a slave to NAFTA, The UN, black leaders. Every politician running for POTUS agrees with our servitude to these criminals.

[edcoil]

Not sure how fixing buildings only in North America fixes any global issue.

[Slapshot68]

“Not sure how fixing buildings only in North America fixes any global issue.”

Because, according to High Priest Gore, once we take the initiative, other countries like China and India will follow suit...

(cue hysterical laughter)

[brushcop]

You betcha, you folks in those high rises, skyscrapers and condos, turn off those a/cs and heaters, you bet--that's thinkin' GREEN man! ...and don't take baths either, we're out of water, and see if you can cut down on your breathing too, while you're at it. Get out those old rusty bikes and see if you can carry a load of lumber or about 8 sacks of groceries and two or three toddlers, that's the ticket!

All of this is based on...nothing, but after the Marxists gain total control of your lives, then you understand what all of this is about.

Sure, go ahead and "regulate" all you want, you can demand that vehicles get 100 mpg if you wish, whatever. No wonder kids are so stupid when it comes to science but poly-sci looks like it's doing quite well.

[edcoil]

All this foreign direction will continue until we get a President interested in leading. Been so long since I have seen our current CEO lead anything. Seems he has left the public square and since nature abhors a vacuum, everyone else is telling us what to do and we have no mouth piece to say no.

[1rudeboy]

My guess is that, if country A applies some more-restrictive regulations on building materials or design than country B, that would adversely affect building materials or design exported from country B.

While that by itself may not be a bad thing, if it becomes a method to give an artificial competitive advantage to country A's producers or designers, then it has strayed into NAFTA terrority. The idea, in theory, is to have a common set of regulations so the issue can be sidestepped altogether.

[illiac]

How NAFTA and the green movement are connected baffles me.....

[bigfootbob]

My state has been forcing this crap onto us for a while. Most of the “Green” built institutional scale buildings have resulted in being $GREEN$ in construction and operational costs to the end user. They use more of everything and most are butt ugly.

[goodnesswins]

We are in the process of buying a lot...and having a house built....the builder we’ve talked to says he has to PAY $5000 for the “energy/green certification”.....he refuses. He says “I’ll put in all the same items that would get the certification, but I will NOT pay $5000 for their little sticker.”

[Old Professer]

Like incorporating a solarium and then having to buy a huge A/C system in order to se it.

Remember Biosphere?

The folks responsible for this failed farce are the same sort who now push the green buidings, still using failed assumptions about air quality and energy costs.

It was hidden for years that, in a desperate attempt to salvage the thing, the people running it secretly contracted for huge HVAC systems to try and restore the O2 balance to breathable levels.

[rollo tomasi]

.... We have assumed control We have assumed control We have assumed control ...

[pepsionice]

A comment about “green buildings”. The US government gave Ramstein Air Base plenty of money...in the $160 million range to build a hotel and a new mall at the base. The mall...was to have a “green roof”, as one of its biggest selling items. So a German roofer was brought in...after the main part of the building was up...and began the roofing episode. Tons of dirt was placed on the earth...to grow the grass...to absorb the water....and run down the drain. Well...within weeks after the German roofer finished...the roof was leaking. It continued to leak as the guy declared bankruptcy.

Engineers have now determined that the roof can’t be fixed...so it must be modified. The government guys won’t say how much...but I’d be guessing in the $10 million minimum to fix this and dump all of the dirt up there on the roof.

A lot of things that folks say that are “green”...aren’t smart to put up. One might want to think about that before investing money into such a operation....unless you are the US government with tons of money to spend.

[bigfootbob]

Good point.

Probably the only good product I’ve seen come out of this UN generated hysteria, and the jury is still out on it or I would be using it in my new 5 car garage, is pervious concrete. I am contemplating using it in several of the bays so I can wash my vehicles inside during the winter or inclement weather without sloping the floor and utilizing other moisture controls.

[steelyourfaith]

 

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