A lot of our work at In Balance Green Consulting centers around sustainability. With a rapidly changing climate and the onset of a global pandemic, lately we’ve been feeling we also need to incorporate resiliency into our framework.
The world is changing. We still are only just starting to see the impacts from COVID-19 - millions left without work, a cumulative global GDP loss of around $9 trillion, and the way we work and live shifting drastically. Yet, we already know that the pandemic will touch every aspect of how we design for where we live and work. Looking for resources, we were inspired by a recent U.S. Green Building Council publication entitled “Healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy.” Sounds straightforward, but what does this mean?
USGBC was founded to create a healthier, more resilient, more equitable world. Recognizing that in a crisis, the most vulnerable people will feel the gravest impacts, USGBC has focused on finding better ways to spread best practices and resilient behaviors to vulnerable communities worldwide to aid in their recovery.
Its vision for future action comes in two phases. The first focuses on immediate steps: upgrades to LEED 4.1; LEED pilot credits incorporating social distancing, nontoxic surface cleaning, air quality and infection monitoring; a call for ideas on how LEED can evolve, CEO advisory councils, accelerated implementation of the USGBC Equity program, adapting the LEED review process, and guidance reports on best practices. This phase emphasizes the importance of having an urgent response to the crisis and ensuring that architects, designers, or builders are doing their part, using USGBC’s resources to incorporate credits or practices into projects that aid in developing community resiliency.
The second phase focuses on the familiar triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit to create a more sustainable and resilient future. USGBC is launching LEED v4.1 International Regional Working Groups, using the Human Experience performance certificate in Arc to deliver workplace re-entry or healthy space reports, investing in the Better Materials platform, focusing on advocacy for policies, guidance and incentives in support of the new vision, researching to understand broader trends, and bringing people together through Greenbuild conferences to celebrate progress and support for the new vision.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, our situation will evolve, as must our strategy. USGBC was quick to develop a new vision and plan that will be expanded upon to aid in the development of more resilient communities, economies, and environments. We hope to take their lead and do our part as well.