Alliance President Kateri Callahan left EE Global delegates with this thought: according to numbers and early feedback, they had attended what was the most successful event in the EE Global series to date – but more importantly, they had become “agents for change in energy efficiency.”
Believing in Green Buildings
Commencing EE Global’s Closing Plenary Session was the Hon. Bruce Oreck, U.S. Ambassador to Finland, who began by asking delegates a simple question: What do you believe?
Oreck – a green building advocate who has rallied for efficient embassies – said he often faces audiences that think green buildings just don’t make sense.
So Oreck has made it his mission to travel the world and convince people to change their mindset. The “fierce urgency of now” presents us with water and energy shortages and rising energy demands of critical proportions – so much so that ‘business as usual’ is no longer viable.
The second part of his message is one which energy efficiency advocates know well: there are tremendous efficiency gains to be had in buildings.
Whether these gains are accessed by retrofitting the Empire State Building for a 33-percent return on investment or building zero net energy homes with Habitat for Humanity as Oreck does, buildings are key to relieving the “urgency of now.”
Says Oreck, “Any one who tells you high-performance buildings don’t make sense are the same guys who believe that smoking cigarettes will make you a better athlete.”
The next step, advises Oreck, is to move the conversation forward.
Climate and Energy Policy in Real Time
Offering his views on how policy can help that conversation gain some ground is Founder & President of the Bipartisan Policy Center Jason Grumet.
Well-versed in the climate and energy debate on the Hill, Grumet gave commentary on today’s release of the climate and energy bill put forward by Senators Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lieberman (I-Conn.), known as the American Power Act (APA).
Calling it “courageous” and “bold” with the progressive resources and provisions geared toward building and industrial energy efficiency, Grumet noted some of the challenges the bill is sure to face. For example, any market-based solutions to the climate question will prove a hard sell to a Congress unwilling to let Wall Street “figure it out.”
Likewise, the recent oil spill in makes it hard to pair the concept of a carbon commodity with ramped-up production of domestic oil.
Says Grumet, the missing piece in this equation is international offsets. “No matter how lovely we want to be [with this bill], we will not be taken seriously in an international society. “
What factors might influence future debate on this and other climate and energy bills? “We’re broke,” said Grumet, referring to the U.S. economy. Similarly, an effort to close the financial gap could cost the U.S. government more than $400 billion annually in new revenue.
Yet these challenges could position energy efficiency as a way of ‘dealing with our debt’. Says Grumet, “It gives us a narrative…to get behind”; one that could inspire the patriotism needed to fuel a successful energy efficiency campaign.
EE Global: the Bright Idea
Thomas Dreessen, chairman & CEO of the Energy Efficiency Project Investment Company, Ltd. as well as an Alliance Board Member and one of the original authors of the EE Global series, took the stage to tell delegates about the history and mission of EE Global.
The idea came years ago, after discussions with fellow Alliance board members who, like Dreessen, had noticed that global energy efficiency practices were far from being standardized. Dreessen then realized that “the important thing we could do was to provide leadership in building a global forum.”
“We needed a starting place in which to set up a repository for energy efficiency. “ And thus EE Global – the world’s premier energy efficiency event – was born.
Aspiring to an Energy-Efficient Economy
Dreessen’s fellow Alliance board member, Duke Energy Chairman, President & CEO James Rogers was unable to serve as the plenary’s master of ceremonies, but for good reason. He was amid the political action that accompanied the release of APA.
Said Rogers, “Today has the potential to be an historic day,” as the Senate’s progressive bill – which puts a price on carbon and a cap on emissions – marks a new chapter in U.S. climate and energy debate.
“This bill will amplify what we are now doing today in a dramatic way: it will stimulate the economy, create jobs, ensure energy independence and clean up the air,” said Rogers.
APA would also kick start the grid modernization necessary to power homes more efficiently. But most importantly, its provisions fall in line with what Rogers himself has called his aspiration of many years: “to see our economy become the most energy-efficient economy in the world. “
Tags: climate mitigation, emissions reductions, energy-efficient building technologies, Policy, smart grid, Utilities