The more I observe the Occupy Wall Street movement, the more I realize how important it could be—if it doesn’t simply dissolve.

The movement, representing a diverse group of individuals that have harnessed ubiquitous discontent and leveraged social media to join in undefined protest, has, at least in theory, the potential to affect significant social metamorphosis. The window is undeniably open for an authentic leader of Gandhi or Martin Luther King proportion to transform dissatisfaction into action, frustration into cohesion.

But, as far as I can tell, the Occupy Wall Street movement seems like a modern day Woodstock without the music. Where is the compelling figure that can represent the people, compile an organized and logical list of demands, and confront Wall Street and Washington?

When interviewed by various news reporters and journalists, participants claim that they’re satisfied simply with the opportunity to “just have the conversation” about their discontent. But despite of how much misery loves company, it’s impossible to imagine how real change can originate from “just conversation.”

Perhaps there is method in the madness. Just as green is the new black, perhaps the strength of such a diverse community is the new version of leadership and pathway to social transformation in today’s age of technology.

We’ve already witnessed the extreme effectiveness of collectives harnessed by social media to topple regimes throughout the “Arab Spring.” It’s hard to identify specific individual leaders who emerged as galvanizing forces in those movements. Rather, the lack of individual leaders seemed to catalyze the collectives’ power and excitement.

I haven’t encountered one person on Main Street, Wall Street, or Pennsylvania Avenue that isn’t fed up with our country’s dysfunction. The nation is primed for a drastically different approach to politics.

But censure alone is not enough to precipitate change. While leadership can emerge from dissatisfaction, it can’t be effective without organization and engagement. We won’t be able to spur our immobile nation from stalemate to achievement by whining about it.

I commend the Occupy Wall Street participants for exercising their right to free speech and assembly, but I can’t help wondering—will their conversation transform into action, or will participants walk away as disgruntled as they came? How will this end—in further apathy and discontent, or in implementable success and a more enlightened nation?

Do you think that the Occupy Wall Street movement will create real change? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

For more information about green building and sustainable living, visit www.greenbuildermag.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @greenbuildermag for regular updates and breaking news.
 

After a protracted gestation period, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced the long-awaited Sensible Accounting to Value Energy (SAVE) Act yesterday. If approved, this Act has the potential to transform the way green homes are valued for lending purposes and appraisal by directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to modify underwriting guidelines and appraisal practices. 

There are two primary components to the proposed legislation. The first is the Affordability Test, which incorporates expected energy efficiency costs into the debt-to-income qualifying ratio—turning PITI (Principal + Interest + Taxes  + Insurance) into PIETI (+ Energy). 

The second key component of the SAVE Act is the Loan to Value Adjustment, which incorporates the Net Present Value (NPV) of expected energy savings into the loan-to-value ratio. Both the Affordability Test and Loan-to-Value Adjustment allow homeowners to apply for financing as a part of their traditional mortgage, which could enable them to invest in additional energy improvements.

“The SAVE Act is a bill that has no downsides,” says Mike Collignon, executive director of the Green Builder Coalition, “The associated costs are nominal, and, as far as I can tell, everyone seems to win."

Homeowners will be able to obtain loan reductions and higher resale values for high-performance homes, encouraging energy improvements, and, ideally, rendering questions about payback periods for basic green upgrades moot.

Builders will have the ability to recoup upfront investments that improve home performance through accurate and consistent appraisals, thereby providing incentive to construct enhanced structures and move away from poor decisions based solely on lowest upfront cost.

After decades of inertness, lenders will be able to accurately project repayment risk, presumably enabling them to finally deliver on their elusive promise for green mortgages.

Utilities will benefit from the reduction of demand on their already overtaxed infrastructure.

And, it is anticipated that a shot in the arm to energy-efficiency investing will result in industry growth and a marked increase in available jobs for professionals and manufacturers alike.

I could continue with the rhetoric, that our nation wins because any reduction in energy demand decreases our dependence on foreign oil and enhances our national security. However, I think it’s the environment that perhaps is the biggest winner in this scenario. For too long, the environment has been conspicuously absent from our collective balance sheet. The SAVE Act sets an important precedent by inserting an environmental factor into the equation in a meaningful way. Let’s be honest, it’s still all about money and risk reduction, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

There is a long road between the SAVE Act’s introduction and enactment.  It’s important that we do not sit idly by and let the Act languish in the bureaucratic morass of contorted Washington politics.  Use your voice to create positive sustainable change—contact your Senator today and express your support of the SAVE Act!

Have ideas or want to learn more about the SAVE Act?  Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

For more information about green building and sustainable living, visit www.greenbuildermag.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @greenbuildermag for regular updates and breaking news.