The buildings we build and the lives we lead make a lasting imprint on the Earth. What is your carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide produced by our activities, including the built environment)? How about the footprint of the buildings you own or manage?

An average resident of the United States emits 16.64 metric tons of CO₂  into the atmosphere (significantly higher than the world average), according to The Climate Trust.

So, how do you rate? Check out a calculator — it only takes a few minutes to identify how much you “emit.” Then focus on ways to reduce your negative impact on the environment. There are plenty of online resources for calculating your personal or professional CO₂  emissions. See how your buildings rate by using a tool like the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_portfoliomanager).

Maybe you don’t manage any net-zero energy buildings, but you can take simple steps without sacrificing money. You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice comfort, either. You can buy carbon offsets, which can help fund projects (such as energy efficiency and renewable energy projects) that actually remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere through a variety of initiatives, like Green Tags from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation or the Leonardo Academy’s Cleaner & Greener Program. The BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) is designed to educate building operators on low- and no-cost solutions to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings.

One of the most notable initiatives taken in this environmental movement is The 2030 Challenge. Architecture 2030, a group headed by architect Edward Mazria, AIA, has issued The 2030 Challenge asking the global architecture and building community to adopt several future targets, including: that all new buildings and developments be designed to use 50 percent of the fossil-fuel energy they would typically consume — half the national average for that building type as benchmarked by the U.S. Department of Energy; and that the fossil-fuel reduction standard for all new buildings be increased to 60 percent in 2010, 70 percent in 2015, 80 percent in 2020, 90 percent in 2025, and, finally, 100 percent (carbon neutral) in 2030. Architecture 2030 suggests that these targets may be accomplished by implementing innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable power, and/or purchasing renewable energy, and/or certified renewable energy credits.

The 2030 Challenge’s CO2 reduction goal is supported by mayors, government officials, green building organizations, private and public companies, and more. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air–Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architecture 2030, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), supported by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy, developed an agreement of understanding, establishing a benchmark and a goal of net-zero energy buildings.

Hats off to some facility management groups and energy engineering services groups that have already gotten on board by adopting The 2030 Challenge, including: Walsh Bishop Associates (Minneapolis), Cabit Holdings LLC (Albuquerque, N.M.), Refresco, PLLC (Charlotte, N.C.) and CAF Energy Inc. (Keller, Texas). A complete list of supporters can be found on The 2030 Challenge website. Visit www.architecture2030.org. I encourage you to add your company to the list.

So, whether or not you were glued to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, it’s time to build and manage healthier, more efficient buildings. It helps the environment, our society and our economy.

Take the initiative by setting lofty benchmarks for the future sustainability of your buildings today. Let me know how it goes.

Michelle