Green Building and LEED certified projects are sweeping the country and every construction company is claiming to be a leader in this area. However most of them are not “green”¯ companies themselves. Their “green” is about marketing, not sustainability, and is often not backed up by real actions.
Talk is easy and talk is cheap when it comes to the environment. We see it in advertising and we see it in the news, but how often do we witness solutions behind closed doors? It’s those companies that use “green”¯ in their corporate culture that are addressing real solutions. They are the leaders who “walk the walk” when the cameras are gone.
Recently I had the chance to meet the President of Corna/Kokosing Construction and his firm is walking the walk. The first thing they did was hire a subsatianilbity director. Her role is not only to pursue LEED certified projects but to make sure their company culture, office space and construction sites are working within these standards.
Below is a list of how their firm is “walking the walk.”¯
- Office Recycling Program
- Jobsite recycling Program: We have mandated the use of waste disposal companies who provide recycling of construction & demolition on all of our jobsites
- Use recycled paper for all of our copiers, faxes and brochures
- Installed motion sensors in all our closed offices and conference rooms
- Installed task lighting at all of the desks
- Installed daylight sensors in our building so that the overhead lights will turn off when there is enough sunlight
- Upgrading our HVAC system to be more energy efficient and have a Building Automation System attached to it.
In addition, they are offering financial incentives to any employee who takes the classes and passes the requirements for LEED certification.
The time for false rhetoric is over. “Sustainability Building” can no longer be just a tab on a company’s website - we need a real commitment to solutions. Thanks to Corna/Kokosing for being the leader and truly “walking the walk.”
This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2007 at 9:32 am and is filed under Eco-Business Strategies . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 31st, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Just a note, Jim. That should be LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. If anyone’s interested, here’s their link:
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
Glad to see a conservative take on the energy challenges we’re facing. Good luck.
PS Why are there so many conservatives named “Tucker?” Two on this site alone, plus that TV talking head with the bow tie. Go figure. Of course, on the more liberal side, we’re all named “Dude.” Makes it easy to remember names at parties.