The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) joined with six major organizations at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to announce the Global Initiative on Urban Resilience (GIUR), an effort designed to spur building and infrastructure development, create new investment opportunities, and foster community action around the world. Partner organizations include the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group; ICLEI International; the World Bank; the Eye on Earth Summit; the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Program on Energy, Resources, and the Environment; and the Earth Council Alliance of Rio de Janeiro.
“Resilience cuts across all issues and sectors, and provides a new and vital dimension to the cause of sustainable development,” said Jason Hartke, Ph.D., vice president of national policy at USGBC. “This initiative will mobilize a new brand of leadership — leadership that advances solutions today while preparing us for the challenges of tomorrow.”
The GIUR aims to create solutions by focusing on urban geographies, identifying the synergies between city governments, nongovernmental organizations, financial institutions, and different business sectors. The report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, “Resilient People —Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing,” outlines a compelling vision, including 56 specific recommendations as well as a call to action.
“Mayors know the supposed choice between saving money and spending it on climate action is a false one. Mayors know climate change puts their cities at particularly great risk, but they also know there is economic opportunity for cities in the response to climate change. This initiative represents an opportunity for C40 to identify partnerships and resources that can turn plans for adaptation investment into action,” said Jay Carson, executive director of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative.
The GIUR will focus on eight key areas, but will refine its reach as innovative ideas emerge. These goals of the GIUR are identified as: convene a core group of organizations that will coordinate stakeholders to provide global reach and dimension to the initiative; encourage a resiliency dimension to the green building movement; take a whole-of-urban government approach; develop new incentives for budget action on resilience by local governments around the world; build awareness of resilience as an indispensable precondition to sustainable development; develop harmonized metrics for success to better achieve milestones and outcomes; integrate geographic information systems and geospatial infrastructure into planning and budget decisions; and integrate systems for natural capital accounting, avoiding losses and reducing costs associated with shocks and disasters.
Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, secretary-general of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, representing an association of more than 1220 local government members, observed that, “urban resilience must apply not only to climate change, but to all other shocks and stresses that affect community systems.”
“Building resilient communities worldwide requires innovation and new partnerships, bringing big money to portfolios of green economy projects," noted Dr. David Jhirad, director of the Energy, Resources, and Environment Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Professor in Energy and Environmental Policy.
Said Rachel Kyte, vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank: “We have to change the way we think about infrastructure, agriculture, transportation, water, energy, how communities become resilient and what kind of information we share. We have to help people make infrastructure decisions that will prove resilient far into the future.”
Related Stories
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable features on the bill for dual-building performing arts center at Soka University of America
The $73 million Soka University of America’s new performing arts center and academic complex recently opened on the school’s Aliso Viejo, Calif., campus. McCarthy Building Companies and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects collaborated on the two-building project. One is a three-story, 47,836-sf facility with a grand reception lobby, a 1,200-seat auditorium, and supports spaces. The other is a four-story, 48,974-sf facility with 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, a 150-seat black box theater, rehearsal/dance studio, and support spaces. The project, which has a green roof, solar panels, operable windows, and sun-shading devices, is going for LEED Silver.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Justice center on Fall River harbor serves up daylight, sustainable elements, including eucalyptus millwork
Located on historic South Main Street in Fall River, Mass., the Fall River Justice Center opened last fall to serve as the city’s Superior and District Courts building. The $85 million facility was designed by Boston-based Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc., with Dimeo Construction as CM and Arup as MEP. The 154,000-sf courthouse contains nine courtrooms, a law library, and a detention area. Most of the floors have the same ceiling height, which will makes them easier to reconfigure in the future as space needs change. Designed to achieve LEED Silver, the facility’s elliptical design offers abundant natural daylight and views of the harbor. Renewable eucalyptus millwork is one of the sustainable features.
| Feb 10, 2011
Green Plumbing Fixtures Take a Major Leap Forward
Today’s low-flow plumbing fixtures not only conserve water, they also provide convenience and ease of maintenance.
| Feb 10, 2011
Sloan Valve Co. Flushmate
Sloan Valve Co.’s Flushmate IV 1-gallon pressure-assist system uses air pressure to flush. Rather than pulling waste through the trapway, the system, which works with tank-style high-efficiency toilets, pushes the waste through at nearly three times the flow rate of gravity units. Large water surface area also helps the toilets stay clean longer.
| Feb 10, 2011
Delta WaterSense-labeled showerheads
Delta offers nine collections with WaterSense-labeled showerheads, which are equipped with droplet-enlarging technology that increases both water and energy savings. An Arzo Collection showerhead is pictured.
| Feb 10, 2011
Kohler urinals
Kohler offers urinals with three flush options to fit a variety of applications: standard 1-gallon, pint, or waterless.
| Feb 10, 2011
Moen M•Power electronic faucets
At 0.5 gpm, Moen’s M•Power electronic faucets meet the current standards, and offer features that eliminate waste. Improved electronic sensors reduce reflectivity to stop false sensing, and turn off automatically after 30 seconds. Electronics can be installed above or below deck to accommodate different sink styles.
| Feb 10, 2011
Zero Energy Buildings: When Do They Pay Off in a Hot and Humid Climate?
There’s lots of talk about zero energy as the next big milestone in green building. Realistically, how close are we to this ambitious goal? At this point, the strategies required to get to zero energy are relatively expensive. Only a few buildings, most of them 6,000 sf or less, mostly located in California and similar moderate climates, have hit the mark. What about larger buildings, commercial buildings, more problematic climates? Given the constraints of current technology and the comfort demands of building users, is zero energy a worthwhile investment for buildings in, for example, a warm, humid climate?
