Published: November 16, 2008 10:19 pm      

State needs to hasten ‘green’ idea, WVU

CHARLESTON — Going green can save money and improve productivity but time is running out to make buildings environmentally friendly, a West Virginia University instructor told lawmakers Sunday.

“The time has passed to take baby steps,” Chris Haddox, an assistant professor of sustaining design at WVU, told Government Organization Subcommittee A at the start of November interims. “We’ve got to take some pretty big steps quickly.”

What this boils down to is looking at the “green building” concept from two approaches, he said.

One entails the official mandate, or forced participation, and another views the idea from incentives, such as tax breaks, he said.

“Some people respond to a stick; some people respond to carrots,” Haddox told the lawmakers. “If we are going to use a club, which club are we going to use? We can’t just say you’ve got a mandate and walk away.”

Research has shown that moving into a “green building” concept has made workers healthier and, in turn, raised the level of productivity, and lowered insurance costs, he said.

One lawmaker, however, wasn’t convinced.

“A lot of this relates to the people and management involved, not the environment they’re in,” Sen. Joseph Minard, D-Harrison, told Haddox. “I have a hard time accepting this is going to make a work environment better.”

Haddox agreed that the quality of management is one aspect that possibly should be examined, but told Minard that with “great management in a great building,” things should go up.

Only in a dream world are both possible, however, Minard countered.

The senator said he wasn’t opposed to the concept of green buildings — which his committee is studying under HCR87 — but called for additional facts to support the theory that environmentally sound structures can lead to enhanced production.

Haddox said research has shown a domino effect when a company or government building goes green, since it uses less energy and pumps fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.

“That doesn’t stop at these public buildings,” he said. “That affects our entire state.”

Haddox acknowledged that an exact measurement of the value of green buildings isn’t in hand.

“That’s probably one of our biggest challenges now,” he told the committee. “We don’t have a lot of buildings that are meeting these standards.”

On the other hand, he added, “These benefits have been documented for years and years and years. They’re now coming under the green building umbrella.”

Among those observing the panel’s work was Mirza Baig, a member of the Charleston Area Youth Environmental Network.

“In the long run, it will save money,” he said, alluding to less energy being consumed, in such concepts as waterless toilets. “You can take very simple steps to reduce energy usage and reduce energy costs. It will help with future environmental concerns. There are simple steps we can do to contribute and help out.”

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com