Do you know what LEED means?
(http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988)
LEED is the abbreviation of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is also named Green Building Certified. It is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is workable for all commercial and residential buildings. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
Each building is built with specific design aimed at improving performance in energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources. It would be certified by U.S Green Building Council.
How the Buildings are evaluated?
4 levels of qualification can be classified for the buildings, Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The rating system for green buildings are evaluated based on the six categories, sustainable Sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resource, indoor environmental quality and innovation design. For examples, reduce heat islands, Water use reduction, reuse of existing materials, CO2 emissions control, etc.
Social Cause and Impact of LEED
In Hong Kong and many cities, wall effect is a serious environmental problem. Generally, wall effect building means a number of modern buildings arranged together. They blocked the sunlight, made poor ventilation and raised the temperature in that area. As a result, it causes serious air pollution in that area. The air pollution will lead to respiratory diseases of human. On the other hand, it raises the usage of electricity because of the blocking of sunlight and high temperature. When the household use more electricity, it will lead to the energy problem since the resource, such as oil and coals, are scarce. Abuse of natural resource will push up the price of these raw materials and the cost of living of people will be increased. Besides, the abuse of natural resources will also accelerate the rate of temperature rise. It is known as global warming. It will affect the climate of the world and disaster will happen frequently. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a standard of environmentally construction. It will help to solve the environmental problem in the construction industry since the building with LEED can use resources more efficient than others.
The label can raise the people’s awareness of environmental effect of the buildings. Many people may know the wall effect but not aware the seriousness of the wall effect. LEED can provide the standards of how building can have energy and environmental design. It will make people understand how LEED building can help to solve the serious problem. If the awareness increase, more people will put one more factor in their consideration when they purchasing the flat. Eventually, resources can be used more efficient and the ventilation can be improved.
LEED is brought by US Green Building Council. When the ownership is clearly claimed, it helps to promote a label that will stick in shoppers’ minds and reduce the most common disadvantages of green product branding. (Baranowski, 2009). It means that the ownership can be powerful tools to promote the green label. Our group agrees with this argument because everybody always believes authority. If the label can clearly state the ownership, the people will have more confidence on it. However, it is part of the way to promote the e-label. LEED still cannot be succeeding in HK now because the values of building are focus on beauty and the investment value. There is low awareness on environmental building and also LEED.
Need Gold so refuse ‘Green’ ?
Concerning the financial matters are always recognized as the common value of Hong Kong people. That’s why cost and benefit is always deeply in the people’s mind. ‘Recycled content products are more expensive’(Barrier/Motivation Inventory #3, November 25,2002) which drives HongKongers hesitated about purchasing any green products.
High housing prices of Hong Kong is because of limited land supply. So the housing price definitely is at a huge value, and individuals would get the loans from banks for house purchase. Normally, they would try to pay it back within 20 to 30 years. Therefore, the buying process of an apartment is not as simple as normal goods. Consumers would have to make a serious consideration before any decisions.
The housing prices always create barriers for them, especially paying extra for a green building. ‘Even when consumers profess strong support for environmental protection, they are still extremely price sensitive when it comes to buying green’ (Barrier/Motivation Inventory #3, Novermber 25,2002). The reason of people refused buying Green building is obvious even they know it can save our world.
In the views of construction firms, we can also figure out the common value of HK, focusing on ‘Costs and benefits’. These firms hesitated to build green building for the reason that the development costs would be higher and the need of Green building in Hong Kong is not remarkable.
HK people purchase dwelling mainly for 2 different purposes, investment or own used. They worry about flat’s future value and degree of comfort but how flats are capable to save the energy efficienlty. “Green”, who cares? According to the research of Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong 2007(Monitoring of Solid Waste, Environmental Protection Department URL: https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2007.pdf), which is done by Environmental Protection Department, more than 40% of daily home wastes could be recycled. This survey revealed that Hong Kong citizens do not pay much effort to environmental protection.
Green Buildings Are Worth
Many consumers may think that the green building is not safe enough because it is built with the recycled materials. However, these materials are tested by many times in experiments. This kind of materials is incredibly safe, affordable and efficient.
“The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong has conducted study and trials on concrete paving blocks made with recycled aggregates. Results indicated that recycled aggregates mixed with bottom ash from power-station can produce good quality paving blocks.”(Recycled aggregates, Hong Kong Green Building Technology Net, EMSD URL: http://gbtech.emsd.gov.hk/english/sustainable/materials_agg.html) For example, the Hong Kong Science Park and Hong Kong wetland park are built with recycled building materials.
Consumers in HK may also worry about the green buildings are extremely expensive. They are not affordable. However, green buildings can save the money from better utilizing the solar energy, building the green roof, and energy-efficient glazing. Recently, the power companies of HK proposed increase the charges in electricity. If flats are certified as green building, these methods can absolutely reduce the expenditure on electricity using on lighting and air conditioners in long term.
Production cost is always the major concern of construction firms when it comes to the building process. Firms are unwilling to do it in practical because they deemed the cost would be rocketed. However, firms are only need to pay more 2% on the cost in average. All the cost they pay which could get it back in the future easily. “Real-world examples show that you can complete a LEED-certified green building project for an average of 2 percent more in upfront costs, and sometimes even below standard market construction costs. Plus, any extra first costs you pay can be recovered through faster lease-up rates, rental premiums and increased market valuation.” “A 2004 study by Davis Langdon Adamson, a construction cost-planning and management company found that the first costs of constructing a sustainable building tend to match or only slightly exceed those of comparable non-green buildings.”(How much does Green Building Cost URL: http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/factsheets/cost.asp). Therefore, putting more resources on construction and investment of green building is worth nowadays.
Since more and more buildings are aging in different districts of HK, they would be under rebuilding very soon. Almost 80% of construction waste can be recycled or reused in construction works. “About 80% of it is inert construction waste, also known as public fill, which is suitable for reuse as fill materials in reclamation and earth filling works or recycle for subsequent use in construction works.”(Environment and Sustainability Services, Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR URL: http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/fact_sheet/doc/environment_and_sustainability_services_300408.pdf).
To save cost and the world, the concept of green building should also apply for the rebuilding and deconstruction of older buildings. Firms should not neglect the importance of deconstruction which also considered as a part of the process of LEED.
Other institutions like education institutions should try their best to promote green building. It is easy to change the value using tools of the education when students are still young. They can accept the concept and realize that they have the need of protecting environment.
HKSAR government still can do more in promoting LEED to public. For example, they can subsidize green construction projects or set up laws of new Building of school should have a proportion of green design that worked on saving the energy and better use of solar energy. Although government has working on some projects like HK Wetland Park but all the green buildings which available in HK are only with limited proportion of environmental design, it is still not at an international standard.
HK Need Change
We are the owner of this beautiful world. Try to imagine our deep blue ocean, incredible waterfalls, amazing mountains, etc. different vacation spots of many people’s dream such as Maldives, and the wonderful of eco-system in Amazon rainforest, all the lovely animals like Pandas, Kangaroos and Koala, that all of them disappearing by the day after tomorrow. “Leading others to realize a vision is perhaps the most powerful use of narrative in leadership “(Kathleen Marvin, Story listening and Story Telling in Organizations.JFK University May, 2006) Will you be down and depressed?
If you are guilt, you should start from telling construction firms that you have the need of green Buildings. Because it can reduce the emission of green house gases, saving more energy, improving energy efficiency which eventually relieve the impact of greenhouse effect.
We are sharing the world with each other and you are not the only one who is using it. Please act as a hero instead of the destroyer. Take action now, ladies and gentlemen! Green buildings are what we need more in HK.
Rhetorical strategies
Rhetorical strategies are strategies that used to persuade others to change their motivation and their behaviors. There are numbers of rhetorical strategies, for example, shock people, rational calculation, guilt-trip, humor, celebrity and altruism.
What strategies we use?
In our video, we used three rhetorical strategies which are Shock people, Rational calculation and Guilt-trip. For the first one, we used the figure and data to surprise people to have the motivation for the action. “Green consumerism may involve difficult motivational conflicts. Environmentally concerned consumption is motivated, in principle, by two different types of consumption goals or motives: the private individual objectives of the consumer and collective long-term environmental protection-related objectives of society.” (Motivational complexity of green consumerism, by J. Moisander) By Shock people, we stimulate the reader to think about the ethical issue of the environmental-friendly products. It may change their perception toward the environmental friendly products. Also, the Shock people can make people take the protection-related objectives of society into their consideration when they choose the products in the future.
Hence, we used the rational calculation to show the benefits and costs in order to affect people’s mind. As we mentioned above, the consumption pattern of Hong Kong people toward buildings is for investment purpose. They are emphasizing on the money value. We would use the rational calculation to compare the short term benefits of normal building and the long term benefits of the green building. By this, we can change the people mind in considering buying an apartment in green building rather than the normal building.
Also, in the article of “What is Altruism?”, the author defined the altruism into three meaning:
1. Loving others as oneself.
2. Behaviour that promotes the survival chances of others at a cost to one own.
3. Self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.
To make the world sustainable is a kind of altruism as we want to provide a better environment for our future generation which is the interest of others rather than ourselves. Sustainable development, according to the World Commission on Environment and Development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In our video, we use guilt-trip to arouse people’s altruism by making them guilty so that they will change their lifestyle with considering the life of future generation.
How to do?
Our video uses data of comparing the materials wasted in normal building and building with ecological label to shock people. And we show that how these additional wastes affect our earth negatively. Thus, guilt will lead people think about environmental issue and then we will show a figure of how building with ecological label helps to save cost. These help people to change their mind by calculating the costs and benefits.
Effectiveness of our strategies
What strategies we use are matched with Hong Kong people’s culture and value.
Since Hong Kong people are rational, it is easier to draw their attention and it is good to provide figure and data for them to do analysis.
Besides, Hong Kong people are well educated, so that it is easier for Hong Kong people to get the information. We do not need to worry about whether our audiences do not understand what message we want to deliver. It is also convinced people easily as we look so professional.
Also, Hong Kong people always concern about money issues. The weighting of cost and benefit would highly affect their decision making process. So, we would like to point out the costs saved by buying building with ecological label, so that people will more willing to change their focus from investment value only to investment value plus “Green” concept. Individuals may also focus more on the energy saving and environmentally design.
What’s more, our video can use to educate the next generation. This can educate the young people to pay more attention on environmental issue. Educational organizations, such as schools, will seek for a building with ecological label as it will help in saving our earth. More business organizations would like to have such building as it will help to create positive image to the public.
As more demands are created, it forces Hong Kong Construction companies to put more resources on developing the “Green building”. Thus, we will successfully make Hong Kong people’s awareness on green issue and change their behaviors.
Motivation and Altruism
Motivation and altruism are really important in persuading others for action. Motivation is the activation or energization of goal of goal-oriented behavior (Definition abstracted from Wikipedia). By this definition, it means that people will do something if their motivation is being stimulated regardless of their cultural background. If we want to promote the green products, the first thing we have to do is to motivate people by ourselves. We can use the rhetorical strategies to stimulate people’s motivation in the cross-cultural communication. For example, the guilt-trip is to make people feel guilty of what they are doing. Hence, they will try to change the current habit in order to compensate for what they did before. It is a kind of motivation. We can use some instincts which are built in human being regardless of cultural backgrounds. In this case, guilt is one of the instincts of human being so that we can make use of this instinct to motivate the people no matter where they come from. Hence, the motivation is very important tools for the cross-cultural communication especially in the case of persuading other for actions.
Altruism is defined as self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. The rhetorical strategy can arouse people’s altruism. For example, in our case, we use the figure of the waste by normal building and green building. By these figures, we want people can consider the interest of future generation and change their habit. The interest of future generation is the benefits of others. Hence, it would arouse the altruism of the reader and persuade them to scarify their benefits for the future generation. I think Caring and loving the future generation is a kind of altruism and instinct of human being. It would be effective in the cross-cultural communication.
Reference
http://greencomputing.com/news/2009/09/23/most-green-labels-missing-mark-survey-finds
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988
Barrier/Motivation Inventory #3, Novermber 25,2002
Monitoring of Solid Waste, Environmental Protection Department URL: https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2007.pdf
Recycled aggregates, Hong Kong Green Building Technology Net, EMSD URL: http://gbtech.emsd.gov.hk/english/sustainable/materials_agg.html
How much does Green Building Cost URL: http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/factsheets/cost.asp.
Environment and Sustainability Services, Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR URL: http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/publications/fact_sheet/doc/environment_and_sustainability_services_300408.pdf
Kathleen Marvin, Story listening and Story Telling in Organizations.JFK University May, 2006
Motivational complexity of green consumerism, by J. Moisander
“What is Altruism?”
Definition of Motivation abstracted from Wikipedia
pictures we used in the blog
Barack Obama - "Change We Need" Rally in Manchester, NH
www.flickr.com/photos/profjosh/2853946198/
http://www.archsd.gov.hk/ExhGallery_ViewPage.asp?viewPhoto=True&viewProject=wetland02&PhotoName=Project_Exhibition/wetland02_photo12.jpg
http://www.archsd.gov.hk/ExhGallery_ViewPage.asp?viewPhoto=True&viewProject=wetland02&PhotoName=Project_Exhibition/wetland02_photo08.jpg
Driving Development, Preserving Heritage
5 July 2009
Construction waste
www.crns.org.uk/index/news-app/story.485/title.vol...-industry
Smart living
http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c67ce53ef0120a5ead06f970c-800wi
http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c67ce53ef0120a627258b970c-500wi
http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c67ce53ef0120a5d098d8970b-500wi
http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c67ce53ef0120a627258b970c-500wi
http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c67ce53ef0120a5d098a5970b-500wi
Growing Wasteloads
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/images/wastemain_growing.jpg
buildings
www.flickr.com/photos/m_power/115190812
songs in the video
Imagine -John Lennon
We are the ones - Will.i.am
like a boy - Ciara
Love is colour blind - Sarah Connor feat TQ
Damaged - Danity Kane
Thank you for all the comments. They are really good and make our group think in deep. These opinions can be grouped into four points:
1) The construction cost of “green” building may be much higher than that of “non-green” one, so that people may not able to buy and developers may not be willing to construct;
2) The government should promote the idea of “green” building and encourage people to buy and give more incentive to developers to construct “green building”;
3) Many of you suggest our group focusing on the developers and government, rather than target the individual consumers or companies since many of you thought that having “green” building is not decided by public, but properties developers;
4) Many of you also thought that it is too difficult to implement the “green” building concept in Hong Kong. It is not practical as Hong Kong has less space to develop and has fewer materials to develop “green” building.
Here, we would like to express our opinions to the above points as follows.
Cost Issues
Some comments that developers may not be willing to pay much cost to construct “green” building as this may lower the attractiveness to potential buyers. However, as we mentioned in the blog before, “firms are only need to pay more 2% on the cost in average…any extra first costs can be recovered through faster lease-up rates, rental premiums and increased market valuation”.
Besides, nowadays more and more people are concerning about the environmental problem and try to seek for environmental-friendly products. Potential buyers may not be shocked and refuse to buy as the cost will just increase 2% only. Therefore, it is worthwhile for developers to construct and invest in “green” building.
Action taken by Government
We agree that government should do more on promotion. Although the government now has already given numbers of promotion in increasing awareness of public about sustainable development and be more environmental-friendly, she paid less effort on promoting “green” building.
Government should pay more effort on introducing this new concept to public. To raise the awareness of public, government should not only promote using less water or less paper, but also have a “green” building to save more energy and resources.
Also, she could provide more incentive to encourage the developers to construct “green” building. E.g. there will be tax deductive for construction of “green” building.
In fact, government may also try to work with some organizations which have built “green” building in Hong Kong or which have worked in promoting better sustainable built environment, like PGBC which suggested by our reader, to promote the concept of “green” building.
Furthermore, she may also modify our own system, BEAM, by taking LEED as an example. These will help to spread out the concept of “green” building.
Who should be targeted? Developers? Government? Individual consumers? Or companies?
Many of you suggest us focusing on developers and government as having “green” building is not decided by public, but properties developers. Yet, in our point of view, it is better to target public, i.e. individual consumer and companies.
It is because awareness of public or awareness of consumer is increased which means they do care about the environment issue. So, there will be a need of consuming environmental-friendly product or “green” product. The individual needs will become a huge demand that force the building developers shift to build more “green” building to fulfill their need and gain profit.
It is better than focusing on developers at beginning stage. If there is no demand, no developers will be willing to change their behaviors as they might receive nothing. As demand creates supply, we try to put our promotion more on consumers’ side instead of suppliers’ side.
Not practical in Hong Kong?
Some of you said that it is not feasible in Hong Kong, because apart cost, there are still numbers of constraints, like the limited space and limited resources, e.g. lack of suitable materials to construct “green” building.
However, “green” building doesn’t mean to have much space and construct the whole building in recyclable materials. Refer to our blog, you may find out that the rating system for “green” buildings are evaluated based on six categories. They are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resource, indoor environmental quality and innovation design. That means “green” building should be evaluated the overall design and how it can save energy and be environmental-friendly in overall. For example, it may contain more glasses to get more sun light into the room, so that less energy will be used. It may plant more trees or grass in order to reduce heat islands effect.
As the situation of HK is different from other countries and we need to do some local adaption. And we won’t build a house in HK. So we should work on the design of whole building. Architects in HK should apply this green concept to their new projects and do as much as they can in energy saving.
Thus, it is still workable in Hong Kong. It may not need so much space for building. It can be built by just using as many recyclable materials as possible. We all know that resources are limited, but it doesn’t mean that you can take it as an excuse for not saving the environment and not having “green” building.
