A Font of Green
Your tips-filled AIA.org sustainability page

Summary: Raising public awareness, understanding the science in the solutions, and empowering people to try new technologies requires leadership and innovation. With the AIA promulgating an immediate goal of at least a 50 percent reduction of carbon emissions from new and largely renovated buildings by 2010 and carbon neutral buildings by 2030, there is a need right now for insight into the many opportunities for integrated, high-performance, environmentally conscious buildings. That is the impetus behind the just-updated AIA.org Sustainability Page.

The elements of the Sustainability resource page are four-fold:

• Advocacy, bringing the AIA architects’ message to the public and government leadership
• Initiatives, encompassing the areas in which the AIA is working to provide real-world solutions
• Tools and Resources, for architects to use “out of the box”
• Knowledge, the storehouse of lessons learned from sustainable-design successes.

These resources encompass everything from how to conduct an environmentally conscious conference; current federal, state, and local laws and legislation; many case studies of successful projects; and tools and resources you can use now. References span from AIA member-to-member best practices to Associated General Contractor resources and ASHRAE guidelines.

One example among the many helpful resources in the AIA.org Sustainability page is the 2030 toolkit. For other links, refer to the right-hand Reference column.

The SustAIAnability2030 Toolkit
This is a virtual connection to resources and examples that demonstrate the greening of our built environment.

The toolkit is organized around three major sections. The first chapter on Advocacy focuses on sustainability policies and practices at the national and state levels. You will find links to federal Web sites like the Environmental Protection Agency and state resources that provide a database of energy efficiency state incentives. There are also links to sustainability education, including presentation materials and curricular references for students of all ages and interests who want to learn more about sustainability.

The second chapter, Design, incorporates a variety of tools for design professionals and for anyone who wants specific ideas about constructing buildings that are more environmentally responsive. One exciting tool in this chapter is called “50 to 50.”

Organized around Frank Lloyd Wright’s Tree of Life image, 50 to 50 suggests 50 green principles that can lead to a 50 percent reduction of carbon emission. This flexible Web-based tool will be periodically updated with new information and examples. The leaves on the Tree of Life will be increasingly abundant with new ideas. Another important tool is this chapter is the metric standard by which the carbon reduction challenge is being measured. An analysis of rating systems is offered to assist designers in understanding how building design and performance links to the carbon reduction challenge.

The third chapter focuses on Community. With energy conservation and human health and well-being at its core, this section offers ideas about high-quality, diverse, mixed-use communities that use green principles to foster a sense of place. Included are suggestions about compact development, wise use of infrastructure and community resources, walkable environments, and open space preservation. There are links to projects and programs that individuals and communities have developed to engage their communities in the carbon reduction challenge. There are demonstrations of how to maintain and operate buildings in sustainable ways, and there are suggestions on how consumers can make green choices in planning meetings and conferences.

Good design is inquisitive and considers many potential solutions. To that extent, this toolkit asks questions and offers linked resources that your colleagues invite you to explore and consider. To find out what might work for you, click on any of the Toolkit sections in the Reference column and follow the instructions provided.