One of the main problems I have with terming things “green” is that it is no longer about the environment, but about reducing CO2, ie, the carbon footprint. That, and that the Warmists go way, way, way overboard. Here’s Grist
In 2009, Seattle set out to to create the next generation of cutting-edge green buildings and inspire other forward-thinking cities to follow suit. Three years later, only one of these space-age structures is under construction, with just two more in the planning stages. What happened to the Emerald City’s “deep green†dreams?
Under the Living Building Challenge Pilot Program, which went into effect in 2010, the city offered special incentives to the first 12 developers who managed to meet at least 60 percent of the requirements of the Living Building Challenge, a program that leaves the LEED green building standards in the dust.
Can you guess how many took the challenge? Three. Why? The explanation by Grist (other than a real estate market in the toilet) are
- Green buildings freak out the code cops. (hmm, government getting in the way? Shocker!)
- Bankers don’t know what to make of this stuff, either. (no, they do know, and understand that these projects are Bad Investments and Stupid Loans)
- Green building is expensive. (well, yeah. And lots of “green” ideas fail spectacularly, like $25k “composting” toilets )
- NIMBYism reigns. (that’s weird. Uber-leftist Seattle doesn’t want this crap in their own area)
- To make a “deep green†building work, you actually have to change people’s behavior. (that’s weird. Uber-leftist Seattle citizens don’t have the right behavior, and don’t want to change. Well, why would they, when most Warmists who push globull warming refuse to change their own behavior?)
And there you have it. So, what’s Seattle to do? Well, extend the program for 3 years, rubbing the flanks of unicorns in a vein hope that more will jump in. But, hey, not everyone wants to bike to work, have few parking spaces, only use water from the sky, and all the other measures that make business more like the 15th century. They do not want to use composting toilets, which are stinky.
I do find it rather hilarious that government itself is getting in the way with regulations, despite liberals telling us that regulations are mega-awesome.
