What's It Worth To Be Green?

A recent article in the Austin Business Journal caught my eye. Real estate appraisers from all over the country convened in Austin to determine how to properly value the "greenness" of real estate. It's just one more indication that "green" and "sustainability" are permeating the public psyche.

Here are a few more tibits along that vein:

• Texas governor, Rick Perry, has declared that the governor's mansion, which recently was destroyed by fire, will be rebuilt using green methods and recycled materials. The organization, Environment Texas, has also requested that it be outfitted with solar panels.


• Recent trips to the local grocery store show a sizeable contingency of shoppers bringing their own bags to the store. A year ago, hardly any were observed.


• The lawns in my neighborhood are turning brown this year. The days of cavalier watering to maintain a lush, green lawn all summer seem to be vanishing. This is partly because everyone's pocket books are being squeezed, leaving little for such luxuries. But an informal survey of neighbors also concludes that there is a definite desire to conserve. Profligate water usage is no longer politcally correct. To the contrary, there seems to be a badge of honor accruing to those who are letting their grass sucumb to the summer heat.

The anecdotal evidence points to a true greening of America, and this is wonderful! We are making better and better choices for our environment, our resources, and our sustainability. But we are also introducing a new crop of tough decisions.

For example, wind turbines help replace petroleum-generated energy, but introduce a new tension between the conservation of mineral resources and reduced pollution, and the conservation of migratory birds. One of the leading causes of death for migrating birds is the proliferating placement of buildings, towers, and wind-turbines along migration routes.

There is an ongoing debate between energy conservationists and ornithologists as to how much truth there is to the detrimental aspects of wind farms. (There are links to some interesting opnions and evidence at a previous post, Is Wind Energy For The Birds?)

Another consequence of greenness pervading the national psyche is that we might be turning green for the wrong reasons. See the story on NPR, Conspicuously Green.

Still another point of tension produced by an awakening to environmental sustainability is the conflict between the desire to do the right thing and the need to survive economically. Read some insightful analysis at Staying Green in a Tough Economic Climate.

There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before. -- Robert Lynd