Author: Energy Cost

Feature image: The LEED Zero Energy El Dorado International Airport. Photo credit: Opain SA.

The climate crisis has urged governments, industries and companies alike to set goals and commit to mitigation strategies, acknowledging the great need to reach zero carbon by 2050. As we all know, the built environment has a huge impact on reaching this objective. I see this impact as an opportunity to contribute to reaching our decarbonization goals.

Building consensus, defining goals

In 2020 in Colombia, we started a great journey to bring together the government, the private sector, the finance sector and academia to discuss how we could reach net zero by 2050 in alignment with the commitments the country had already made. The initiative was led by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Colombia Green Building Council (CCCS), and it had the participation of more than 160 organizations and over 380 experts.

The first step was to build a shared definition of net zero building for Colombia. This definition certainly needed to include emissions as a central pillar, but it was important for all stakeholders to include other aspects that we have always considered as needing to go hand in hand with emissions. In addition, specifically for the government, the whole life cycle approach was a must, even though most of the global conversation was around operational carbon at that time. As a result of these discussions, in Colombia a net zero building was defined as “a building highly efficient and resilient to climate change, which in its life cycle and the interaction with its surroundings generates well-being for its occupants and a net balance of carbon emissions equal to zero.”

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change released its draft synthesis report for the first Global Stocktake on Sept. 8. The report is the first comprehensive assessment of collective progress on climate action since adopting the Paris Agreement in 2015. Its release comes on the heels of the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which described “widespread and rapid changes” occurring worldwide.

Key insights

The Global Stocktake report issues a stark review based on two years of data collection and stakeholder insights. Here are the key emerging messages:

1. The Paris Agreement is driving near-universal climate action, but far more ambition is required on all fronts and by all actors. More ambitious mitigation targets, adaptation goals, and efforts to avert, minimize and address loss and damage are urgently needed.
2. The global community is not on track to reduce emissions to the level needed to limit global temperature rise below 1.5 C (2.7 F). The window of opportunity to bridge this 20.3–23.9 GT CO2e divide is rapidly narrowing.
3. Achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement calls for systems transformations at all scales. Systems transformations should mainstream climate resilience and low-carbon development across sectors.
4. By nature, systems transformations require a whole-of-society approach, engaging cities, states, financial institutions, the private sector and others.
5. Renewable energy should be massively scaled up while phasing out all unabated fossil fuels. Critical elements of a just energy transition—beyond inclusivity and equity—include electrification, energy efficiency and energy storage.
6. The global community must unlock and redeploy trillions of dollars in climate finance to enable climate action in developing countries.

Potential solutions

While the report offers a sobering review of climate action’s serious shortcomings, it also highlights the solutions that hold the greatest promise. Among those most relevant to the work of USGBC and the global green buildings community are

• Pursuing low-carbon energy sources, efficiency gains and electrification for buildings.
• Using low-carbon construction materials.
• Leveraging nature-based solutions to sequester carbon and boost resilience in cities.
• Implementing smart urban planning to reduce and manage waste.

https://www.usgbc.org/articles/gauging-climate-action-progress-key-findings-un-global-stocktake-report

Each year, the Center for Green Schools Leaders in Sustainability Fellowship program selects a small group of school district sustainability staff from across the country to meet to connect and collaborate on common goals, challenges and strategies.

Melissa Carroll, resource energy manager for the Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado, participated in the 2022–2023 fellowship. Through this program, she received support and feedback from the group regarding outreach and education strategies and shared lessons learned from programs such as the turf transformation project at Cottonwood Plains Elementary School.

Solving a local issue

Drought conditions in Colorado are common, and water costs are increasing each year—something Thompson School District is seeking to address through turf (or grass) conversions to native plantings throughout their school grounds. With design support from Denver Botanic Gardens; funding from Northern Water and Colorado Water Conservation Board; and community support from Cottonwood’s parent-teacher organization, in summer 2023, the Cottonwood Plains Elementary School replaced approximately 3,000 square feet of irrigated Kentucky bluegrass with low-water native landscaping that included over 300 plants, walking paths and sitting rocks.

The native plants can withstand drought conditions, while also offering year-round color and providing local habitats for hummingbirds and butterflies. The Thompson School District intends for this space to provide the students a way to connect with nature and a space for the community to learn about landscaping opportunities suitable for the local climate. Teachers are encouraged to use this space to enhance classroom learning on all topics, from biology to art to arithmetic.

Feature image: The LEED Platinum One Museum Place in Shanghai, China. Photo courtesy of BEE Incorporations.

Feeling the effects of climate change and its devastating impacts on the environment, economies and societies, the world has recognized the urgent need to address the carbon emissions responsible for this crisis. Nations, corporations and communities are increasingly adopting net zero targets, aiming to balance their carbon emissions with carbon removal or offsetting measures. One crucial aspect of this endeavor is building decarbonization, where we focus on transitioning the construction and operation of buildings to low- or zero-carbon emissions.

The building sector contributes to approximately 40% of total CO2 emissions worldwide, making it a significant driver of climate change. As urbanization continues to rise, the demand for energy-efficient, eco-friendly buildings is surging, necessitating a shift toward more sustainable construction and operation practices.

The role of performance monitoring

Building performance monitoring is a cornerstone of successful building decarbonization efforts. It involves consistently tracking and analyzing various aspects of a building’s operation, including energy consumption, emissions and overall operational efficiency. Performance monitoring allows us to identify areas where buildings may be operating inefficiently.

At BEE Incorporations, we have gained significant experience in real-time monitoring through our smart building performance monitoring system. It is integrated with buildings and uses an ESG reporting tool to share real-time insights into indoor environmental quality, energy, water data and more. This type of system helps businesses minimize their environmental footprint and make informed sustainability decisions.

With information on energy usage patterns, facilities teams can pinpoint specific systems or behaviors that contribute to excess energy consumption. This real-time feedback loop promptly addresses deviations from sustainability goals, whether from human behavior or system malfunctions. It also helps prevent long-term inefficiencies by detecting issues that could lead to increased energy consumption or emissions over time.