Do you have unreasonable friends?
Do you have unreasonable friends? No? Well, by all accounts you need to expand your business network to include as many people from outside your socio-economic comfort zone as possible. Especially if, like me, you work in a world where success is predicated on a fundamental culture shift.
In my line of business (sustainable real estate consulting), I have spent the past 25 years working to change a huge and economically important industry – real estate development and construction – from the ground up. Globally, buildings offer the best chance for society to meet carbon emission reduction targets at the least cost while creating jobs and improving energy security. We spend 90% of our time indoors but buildings can heal us, nourish us and educate us. They can treat our water, clean our air, generate energy and process our waste. They can provide wildlife habitat, improve eco-system vitality and boost biodiversity.
Today buildings are part of the problem. 40% of the world’s energy is used in buildings. More than 150 chemicals commonly found in homes are linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. The average level of wall insulation in a modern high-rise glass tower is less than in a decent wool or fleece sweater. It’s easy to ponder how we got to this point, it’s more useful to be part of the solution.
My company is part of a group of affiliates with world-class skills ranging from building design, planning, business consulting and engineering located in Canada, USA, Switzerland and Germany. We collectively draw from our extensive global network and the best of what each of our countries have to offer to create ideas, make connections and build partnerships. We bring together social and environmental values with clear, measurable business goals to create opportunities, deliver results and inspire solutions for a sustainable world.
Our clients are building owners and developers, governments and businesses that supply and support the construction industry. Our real estate and business consulting services comprise leading edge low carbon solutions for buildings, products and the infrastructure that supports them.
Einstein was right when he said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same thinking we used to create them.” To be effective, I bring together unorthodox (perhaps unreasonable?) parties to solve problems at the local, national and international scale.
We now understand that our planet has finite resources. To work within these limits means we have to shift the way we (society) conduct our transactions.
Here’s a recent example. A developer asks me to help him build an exceptional building in Vancouver. Before he can set his goals and targets, I have to first establish a framework that defines “exceptional” that all stakeholders can agree on. Vancouver has adopted its Greenest City Action Plan which states that “all new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2020.” Given our weak environmental codes and standards, the real estate world is rife with greenwashing and the vast majority of our buildings today are nowhere close to being energy efficient, never mind carbon neutral. Too much glass, sub-standard building envelope, inefficient heating systems. To build a carbon neutral building today within the market realities of the high-rise residential industry would be exceptional indeed.
Before I can help the developer, I first have to define carbon neutrality and develop a way for everyone to understand what is involved and who is responsible for what. The real estate industry is large, slow-moving, fragmented and entrenched in traditional ways of doing things. To do this, I established an affiliation with Intep (who have worked on a similar suite of tools for the City of Zurich) and assembled a project team representing wide (and historically adversarial) industry interests – developers, non-profits, government. A year later (not long in real estate terms), the developer is submitting his “demonstration” project for rezoning application. The framework for carbon neutral high-rise residential buildings will be presented at Globe 2012 at an event hosted by the Swiss Consulate General in Vancouver.
These days the lines between corporate, societal and ecological imperatives are blurring as our consumption of natural resources pushes us beyond the limits earth’s carrying capacity. We have to start communicating clearly across traditional boundaries in a way that will foster a positive basis for change. I am involved with Canada’s wood industry helping to find new markets, break down barriers and resolve technical/policy challenges, in unusual ways. Some are re-crafting the very essence of who they are – from sales-based to service-based - as they re-think how customers (now clients) engage with their products.
The value of a network broker and ideas generator is not new, but has been gaining attention lately, driven by the pivotal times we are living in. I do believe that the more diverse your network (connecting with people of different backgrounds, cultures, values, etc) the more successful you will be.
After all, unprecedented problems need solving by unorthodox people in unusual situations.
Guest blogger: Helen Goodland RIBA MBA LEED AP
Helen Goodland is a well-known expert in green building and sustainable infrastructure. As a principal with Brantwood Consulting Partnership, she works with businesses, governments and non-profits interested in advancing sustainability through their real estate investments.
Helen is a LEED accredited UK-chartered architect with over 25 years of experience designing and building a wide range of green buildings in Canada and around the world. She has worked for Sir Norman Foster, Peter Busby and Theresa Coady. Helen also holds a Masters in Business Administration from UBC. She can also be reached via Linkedin.