I am astounded by the conspicuous absence of any mention of climate change in the recent Presidential debates (this was the first time climate change was not discussed in a set of Presidential debates since 1988). The science is irrefutable, and both President Obama and Governor Romney have publicly recognized that climate change is real, is in part caused by human activity, and is an issue that will have a significant impact on our future.

It seems intuitive that the candidates would find some way to leverage this topical issue for political expediency, augmenting their plans for national security and wooing essential moderate swing voters (especially since a recent poll by Yale and George Mason Universities indicated that 80 percent of undecided voters believe that global warming is happening, two thirds believe that the federal government should do more to address climate change, and 61 percent say it's an important issue they consider when voting for president.)

Unfortunately, when it comes to scenario planning for our current and future environmental realities, this campaign appears to be a competition of avoidance rather than an opportunity to exhibit real leadership.

Given that both candidates are highly intelligent and educated—they’re not ignorant about the state of our planet, even though they’re playing it on TV—I can’t help but speculate about the root of the problem. Perhaps the lack of political will to claim climate change as a legitimate and crucial issue is not only attributable to pusillanimous politicians, but also to an overtly complacent general public? Is the deafening silence on the topic due to politicians’ skepticism, or because voters don’t want to hear a difficult message?

The entire topic of climate change is disturbing, and often the issues that make us most uncomfortable are the very ones that we try hardest to ignore. Ultimately, people will only galvanize to action if one of two things happen: either a catastrophic environmental event will occur, or a strong leader will emerge who has the credibility, charisma, and courage to tackle the issue. That leader will not only have to reach across aisles to mollify Washington, but also across oceans to unify nations and garner international cooperation for curbing carbon emissions and resource use.

One of the essential ingredients of the American Dream is the ability to manifest what we see—to bring our dreams to life —so that each and every one of us can become a hero. With the flavor and tenor of today’s political discourse, I am convinced more than ever that our era’s greatest heroes won’t come from the public sector, but rather from the private one.

Creating realistic strategies to deal with climate change is not a partisan issue open for raging debate. As stewards of the planet, developing effective environmental solutions is a human responsibility.

It’s clear that our approach to the future needs to be updated, beginning with what we each manifest in the world, extending into our work lives, and then, hopefully, permeating all the way into our public policy. As distinguished environmental educator and author David Orr said, “The planet does not need more ‘successful’ people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every shape and form. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight and make the world habitable and humane. And these needs have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.”

What do you think we can do to bring awareness about climate change and environmental realities to the forefront of our social, economic, and political discourse? 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 at @greenbuildermag and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.

The immortal words of English naturalist Charles Darwin remind us that, in the perpetual struggle for existence, “it is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

The basic truths of natural selection apply not only to the diverse spectrum of living beings that inhabit our precious planet, but also to the forces that underlie the complex framework of our social structure and economic system.

Corporations are just as susceptible to the need for constant adaptation as any living being. Depleted resources and altered environmental realities are undeniably affecting the underpinnings of our capitalistic system, forcing corporations to evolve beyond a purely profit-driven model to one that incorporates social responsibility and environmental stewardship. Items that economists have traditionally described as “externalities” are now becoming central tenets of blended-values based decision making.

While traditional business structures continue to focus solely on shareholder return and financial valuation metrics, the B Corp, or “For Benefit” corporation, is emerging as a solution to address the needs of our changing economy. This rapidly growing class of organizations is redefining fiduciary responsibility, governance, ownership, and stakeholder relationships, so that B Corps can simultaneously and equally value social, environmental, and financial considerations.

According to the founders of B Lab, a not-for-profit that created the B Corp certification, “the primary objective of the benefit corporation is to enable mission-driven businesses to be built to last and scale with their missions intact… Benefit corporation status requires that the corporation seek to create a material positive impact on society and the environment as assessed and publicly reported against a credible and comprehensive third party standard. Current corporate law does not address these issues of corporate purpose or transparency, but increasingly, entrepreneurs and investors care about these issues, as does, and perhaps because so does, a skeptical public that wants to support a better way to do business.”

Prominent (and profitable) corporations are taking the leap into the new business structure, including well known consumer products brands such as Seventh Generation, Method, and Dansko, as and some companies in our own industry, including Icestone, US Tile, Southern Energy Management, and Sun Light & Power.

Not surprisingly, Patagonia is leading the charge and will become one of California’s first For-Benefit Corporations. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, says that by turning the company into a For Benefit corporation, he can “ensure the values of my company continue. I compare it to a conservation easement on a piece of property: It’s a conservation easement on a company.”

To learn more about the expanding role of B Corps and triple bottom line accounting in the emerging green economy, join us on October 24 at 2:00 ET on our Impact Series: Game Changers in Sustainability webinar program as we interview Bart Houlihan, one of the founders of B Labs and an architect of the “For-Benefit” corporation. Bart will explore how B Corps utilize innovative legal and accounting practices to achieve a triple-bottom line in a way that makes them not just viable, but increasingly competitive, in today’s economy.

What do you think about B Corps? 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 at @greenbuildermag and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.
 

When two of the fathers of the green building movement join forces with the nation’s leading green media company, the results are legendary…

Green Builder Media is proud to introduce the next exciting project in our VISION House® Series, located in the highly esteemed development of Armory Park del Sol in Tucson, AZ. The project will bring together iconic green builders John Wesley Miller and Ron Jones (Green Builder Media President) to assuredly achieve epic results.

To envisage the VISION House Tucson, imagine a world in which the average American family can affordably and comfortably live in a green home. The home is optimized for performance and includes the most efficient features, materials, and technologies available on the market, without sacrificing style or increasing the cost of ownership. The homeowner can rest assured that the home is safe, healthy, and durable, and that energy and maintenance costs will be much lower than a conventional home. The home is a part of an existing sustainable community that carefully addresses the specific ecological concerns of the surrounding natural environment and appropriately mirrors adjacent historical buildings.

We’re proud and honored to have the opportunity to work with acclaimed builder and solar pioneer John Wesley Miller, who built the Biosphere 2 at the University of Arizona and designed and constructed scores of award winning sustainable homes and buildings.

For more than a decade, Miller has been developing Armory Park del Sol, a nationally celebrated community in the heart of Tucson, offering attractive, net zero-energy homes to American families. The colorful community, comprised of more than ninety single-family homes, embodies sustainable development, embracing elements such as proper orientation, solar power generation, walking paths and parks, and proximity to amenities. On average, homeowners at Armory Park del Sol pay only $300 per year to heat and cool their homes. Additionally, Armory Park homes use less than half the water of a standard Tucson home.

Like all of our VISION House projects, the VISION House Tucson will highlight the fundamentals of green building and sustainable living, such as appropriate land use, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, material selection, and behavioral modification (including how daily lifestyle choices impact our environment, our health, and our economy.)

In our VISION House projects, we explore unique and innovative products, systems, and technologies from leading green manufacturers that are applying sustainable principles in their pursuit of a more responsible built environment. We’ll use some of the most innovative products available on the market today, such as smog-eating roof tile from Boral Roofing.

Stay tuned for more information about the VISION House Tucson over the next 6 months on our website, in the Vantage e-newsletter, and in the pages of Green Builder magazine. We’ll provide updates on the design and building process, interesting insight into the challenges and opportunities that we encounter, performance results, and exciting news from our partners and sponsors.

Want to get involved in the VISION House Tucson? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com, 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 and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.