The Green Building Industry is poised to tackle Climate Change through storytelling

Let me start by sharing my story. Don’t worry – this is important. I’ll explain that in just a second.

I live in a modest apartment in Delhi and by luck, was blessed with a well-oriented and naturally well-lit home that allows me to switch off lights and save energy during the daytime. Once I moved in, I made the decision to retrofit my home by incorporating tight, double-paned windows. I also added some shading to mitigate the harsh summer sun, which cuts down on the need for air conditioning. My air conditioner set point is always at 25 degrees Celsius during peak summers and I have been able to establish this as a norm for my family. Added with efficient lighting and appliances, I do not feel the pinch in paying my electricity bill — which is much lower than a conventional home.

After learning these lessons first-hand, I thought to apply them to the design of my company’s new office space in Delhi NCR. Designed to about one-third the cooling load of a conventional space of similar size and function, we maintain comfort and pay much lower energy bills than our neighbours. Moreover, being daylight, thermally comfortable, and with good air quality, employee productivity is enhanced.

Now, back to why I told you this story. Recent research shows that there is very low understanding around buildings and their profound impact on extreme weather, natural disasters and the health and well-being of people. In this study, the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that environmental problems are important but people don’t feel the urgent need to solve them because the problem feels too overwhelming, too abstract, and too distant from their realities. Hence, there is no clear demand from end users for greener and healthier spaces to live and work in: Most initiatives in this sector are driven by policy and programmatic requirements rather than by user demand. 

By sharing my personal story about the steps I’ve taken for a more energy-efficient home, and then how I applied those learnings to an office environment at a larger scale, others are able to better understand the role these buildings play in everyday life — and this tactic ultimately moves people to take small actionable steps themselves; which in turn, leads to big leaps.

Which is what we need if we’re going to fight the biggest challenge of our time: our changing climate.

Estimates by the International Energy Agency state that building sector emissions globally have risen to 9.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide in 2018, which is an increase of 2 percent since 2017 and is 7 percent higher than in 2010. This is being driven by increases in population, electricity demand, floor area and inefficient cooling.

Given the sheer impact that buildings have on the environment, this sector is well-positioned to fight climate change. In green buildings, the co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation options are huge and have a tangible impact on human health, productivity, and well-being. India is considered a front-runner in driving positive change through green buildings. Fortunately, over the past several decades, this sector has seen a number of initiatives such as policy pushes through environmental regulations, mandates on energy codes, incentives, certifications, and ratings. However, despite many such initiatives, we have not been able to drive mass adoption or change: The common man and the uninitiated do not feel the urgency to live and work out of a green building. The industry needs to change the way we talk about green building to make that connection.

There is also a distinction between drivers and adoption rate in the commercial sector when compared with the residential sector. Commercial buildings tend to see a larger uptake of green concepts because the benefits are well understood: Savings in operational costs and improved employee productivity drive demand for green buildings. This is all great news; however, the commercial sector’s contribution to global carbon emissions is much lower than the cumulative emissions contributed by the residential sector.

In the residential sector, due to low public awareness and demand, developers don’t as readily see the urgency to implement green strategies. One of the key drivers for this sector in India has been availability of incentives such as higher buildability, property tax benefits, or faster environmental clearance. It is clear from the numbers that these incentives are not adequate to create the necessary market transformation. There is certainly a need for a demand-driven pull for homes that are healthier, efficient, and environmentally sensitive.

In this scenario, a larger uptake requires a better way of communicating the benefits to people around us; people we interact with every day – people outside the green building bubble. Once we can make that connection through changing our messaging and sharing our stories, we can drive change.

Going into this next decade, there’s a real opportunity for the green building industry to make a positive impact in fighting climate change, though not only commercial adoption, but residential and consumer demand. We must share our own experiences, stories, and best practices, and spread knowledge in an understandable way that communicate the benefits in a language that is understood by all. To make change on the scale necessary to combat climate-related risks, we need people outside of the green building community to understand the important role that buildings can play in this ongoing crisis. Once that’s understood, we can take steps – and leaps – toward building a better world and more sustainable future for all.