Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, has announced the acquisition of Fore Solutions, a green building consulting firm that will allow Thornton Tomasetti to significantly expand its sustainability consulting services and integrate green objectives across all its practices.
The new Building Sustainability practice will be headed by Gunnar Hubbard, Fore Solution's principal and founder, who becomes a principal at Thornton Tomasetti. Wolfgang Werner, formerly director of sustainability, becomes a vice president and head of the practice's East U.S. region.
The phenomenal growth of the green building movement in recent years means that sustainability is here to stay. By 2015, approximately half of new construction in the United States is estimated to incorporate some measure of sustainability.
The addition of Fore Solutions gives Thornton Tomasetti expanded experience and an established brand in the green building world.
With the creation of its Green Building Strategy Team in 2007 and a sustainability department in 2010, Thornton Tomasetti started offering sustainability services and performing sustainability project work. The addition of Fore Solutions will greatly advance Thornton Tomasetti's sustainability services effort to address clients' needs for high-performance, energy-efficient buildings.
The Fore Solutions team will remain based in Portland, Maine, which is now a Thornton Tomasetti office within the East U.S. region.
Joseph Burns, managing principal, Thornton Tomasetti, said, "This is a dramatic expansion of our commitment to sustainability at Thornton Tomasetti, especially our ability to support a new Building Sustainability practice. I look forward to working with our Fore Solutions team in expanding our newest practice, as well as integrating sustainable services in our existing practice areas."
About Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
Thornton Tomasetti is a leader in engineering design, investigation and analysis serving clients worldwide on projects of all sizes and complexity. With practices in building structure, building skin, building performance, construction support services, property loss consulting and building sustainability, Thornton Tomasetti addresses the full life cycle of a structure. We have supported clients working in more than 40 countries, with projects that include the tallest buildings and longest spans to the restoration of prized historic properties. Founded in 1956, today Thornton Tomasetti is a 550-person organization of engineers and architects collaborating from offices across the United States and in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
About Fore Solutions
Established in 2003 by Gunnar Hubbard, Fore Solutions is a leading high-performance green building firm recognized for its expertise in assisting design teams, contractors and building owners to create or improve the environmental performance of their buildings and communities. Fore Solution's passion and experience enable it to serve as LEED consultants, facilitators, sustainability consultants, and energy modelers and daylight analysts.
Showing posts with label Green Building Consulting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Building Consulting. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Leading Green Building Consultant Warns: Green Jobs are Not an Automatic Fix for Either Economy or Environment
In the current uncertain economic climate, it's easy to accept the logic of investing in green technologies as the ultimate tonic for both an ailing planet and a sick economy. But the sweeping claims being made about this solution to the nation's current economic problems merits closer scrutiny, says Jerry Yudelson, author of eight books on corporate sustainability and green building.
"The idea that green jobs can solve both climate change and the current recession is a tall order," says Yudelson, as he explains that both of these issues are incredibly complicated problems that require thoughtful, carefully calculated solutions. "Green investment is certainly a remedy for hard times," he adds, "but it may not be a cure."
Yudelson's analysis of the impact of green investment and green job creation is contained in a new white paper "Green Jobs: Separating Hype from Reality," published by his firm, Yudelson Associates, and co-authored with Jaime Galayda, PhD. The report investigates the job definitions, growth forecasts, and investment projections that paint a more complete picture of the relationship between green jobs, government action to address climate change, and the health of the nation's economy.
In order to separate hype from reality, the authors first attempt to clarify the definition of what constitutes a "green economy" job. They quote Van Jones, special advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and author, who posits that these are either jobs related to blue-collar employment that has been upgraded to better respect the environment or family-supporting, career track, vocational or trade-level employment in environmentally-friendly fields.
Examples of these types of jobs would include solar panel and solar hot water installers, farmers engaged in biofuel production, renewable energy power station technicians, and construction workers who build energy-efficient buildings.
But how many of these jobs can be tied to economic recovery? According to the Yudelson white paper, green employment in the U.S. will be turbocharged by the passage of The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, a.k.a. the "stimulus package," in February, 2009. The bill provides $75 billion for energy efficiency, renewable energy and the smart grid. In addition, the Obama administration's 2010 budget includes significant revenues from proposed carbon cap and trade rules, with as much as $150 billion in carbon reduction revenues targeted for clean energy programs and tax incentives by 2018.
These aggregate spending programs and tax cuts will create an enormous number of environment-oriented jobs over the next several years, but how large a number? The Conference of Mayors' green jobs report forecasts 1.5 million green jobs by 2018 in power generation, retrofits for buildings, and renewable fuels- plus another 846,000 jobs in related engineering, legal, research, and consulting positions.
Another forecast from the The Center for American Progress and the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts estimate that $100 billion invested in green economic recovery programs over the next two years could create 2 million green jobs in renewable energy, advanced biofuels, "smart grid" improvements, expanding mass transit and freight rail lines, and energy efficient building retrofits.
But this new employment will only partially offset the loss of five million jobs already suffered in the nation's recession. Likewise, the president's Council of Economic Advisors estimates that the stimulus spending will create or save 3 million jobs by the fourth quarter of 2010. Many of these jobs - but certainly not all - will be "green."
Bottom line, according to the Yudelson white paper, government spending, including on green job creation, will have an enormous impact on job creation overall, but federal and state environmental initiatives will not replace every lost job with a green one. Says Yudelson, the leading green building consultant, "What's really at issue here is how we can invest productively to create the maximum number of new jobs."
He suggests that retrofitting existing buildings for energy efficiency is the best place to start, because reductions in energy costs will have a more immediate effect than investments in renewable energy. As far as he's concerned, "that's job one in the current economic downturn."
For access to the Yudelson "Green Jobs: Separating Myth from Reality" white paper, go to: http://www.greenbuildconsult.com/books/#greenjobs
To view a 90-second YouTube video clip entitled: "Green Building & Green Jobs: Where's the Beef?" featuring highlights of Jerry Yudelson's perspective on green jobs, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fNJTETWBE
About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates is a leading international firm in sustainability planning and green building consulting. The founder, Jerry Yudelson, is widely acknowledged as one of the nation's leading experts on green building and green development. He is the author of eight green building books and serves as Research Scholar for Real Estate Sustainability for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member international trade organization. He is a frequent green building speaker at industry and professional conferences and chaired the industry's largest annual show, Greenbuild, from 2004 through 2009.
For more information on Yudelson Associates please visit http://www.greenbuildconsult.com.
Individuals may also use this site to subscribe to Yudelson's green building blog and/or his Green Build Bulletin E-Newsletter.
"The idea that green jobs can solve both climate change and the current recession is a tall order," says Yudelson, as he explains that both of these issues are incredibly complicated problems that require thoughtful, carefully calculated solutions. "Green investment is certainly a remedy for hard times," he adds, "but it may not be a cure."
Yudelson's analysis of the impact of green investment and green job creation is contained in a new white paper "Green Jobs: Separating Hype from Reality," published by his firm, Yudelson Associates, and co-authored with Jaime Galayda, PhD. The report investigates the job definitions, growth forecasts, and investment projections that paint a more complete picture of the relationship between green jobs, government action to address climate change, and the health of the nation's economy.
In order to separate hype from reality, the authors first attempt to clarify the definition of what constitutes a "green economy" job. They quote Van Jones, special advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and author, who posits that these are either jobs related to blue-collar employment that has been upgraded to better respect the environment or family-supporting, career track, vocational or trade-level employment in environmentally-friendly fields.
Examples of these types of jobs would include solar panel and solar hot water installers, farmers engaged in biofuel production, renewable energy power station technicians, and construction workers who build energy-efficient buildings.
But how many of these jobs can be tied to economic recovery? According to the Yudelson white paper, green employment in the U.S. will be turbocharged by the passage of The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, a.k.a. the "stimulus package," in February, 2009. The bill provides $75 billion for energy efficiency, renewable energy and the smart grid. In addition, the Obama administration's 2010 budget includes significant revenues from proposed carbon cap and trade rules, with as much as $150 billion in carbon reduction revenues targeted for clean energy programs and tax incentives by 2018.
These aggregate spending programs and tax cuts will create an enormous number of environment-oriented jobs over the next several years, but how large a number? The Conference of Mayors' green jobs report forecasts 1.5 million green jobs by 2018 in power generation, retrofits for buildings, and renewable fuels- plus another 846,000 jobs in related engineering, legal, research, and consulting positions.
Another forecast from the The Center for American Progress and the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts estimate that $100 billion invested in green economic recovery programs over the next two years could create 2 million green jobs in renewable energy, advanced biofuels, "smart grid" improvements, expanding mass transit and freight rail lines, and energy efficient building retrofits.
But this new employment will only partially offset the loss of five million jobs already suffered in the nation's recession. Likewise, the president's Council of Economic Advisors estimates that the stimulus spending will create or save 3 million jobs by the fourth quarter of 2010. Many of these jobs - but certainly not all - will be "green."
Bottom line, according to the Yudelson white paper, government spending, including on green job creation, will have an enormous impact on job creation overall, but federal and state environmental initiatives will not replace every lost job with a green one. Says Yudelson, the leading green building consultant, "What's really at issue here is how we can invest productively to create the maximum number of new jobs."
He suggests that retrofitting existing buildings for energy efficiency is the best place to start, because reductions in energy costs will have a more immediate effect than investments in renewable energy. As far as he's concerned, "that's job one in the current economic downturn."
For access to the Yudelson "Green Jobs: Separating Myth from Reality" white paper, go to: http://www.greenbuildconsult.com/books/#greenjobs
To view a 90-second YouTube video clip entitled: "Green Building & Green Jobs: Where's the Beef?" featuring highlights of Jerry Yudelson's perspective on green jobs, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fNJTETWBE
About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates is a leading international firm in sustainability planning and green building consulting. The founder, Jerry Yudelson, is widely acknowledged as one of the nation's leading experts on green building and green development. He is the author of eight green building books and serves as Research Scholar for Real Estate Sustainability for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member international trade organization. He is a frequent green building speaker at industry and professional conferences and chaired the industry's largest annual show, Greenbuild, from 2004 through 2009.
For more information on Yudelson Associates please visit http://www.greenbuildconsult.com.
Individuals may also use this site to subscribe to Yudelson's green building blog and/or his Green Build Bulletin E-Newsletter.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Green Jobs Can Boost Employment, But Green Building Consultant Highlights Challenges
One of the nation's leading authorities on green building predicted today that an accelerated move to sustainable economic development will create millions of new jobs in the "green" economy. What's more, those green jobs will continue to proliferate, but only if federal and state government policy continues to provide the support and incentives required to make the transition to sustainability.
Jerry Yudelson, principal of the green building consulting firm Yudelson Associates in Tucson, Arizona, made his predictions in reply to the challenge posed by those who are grappling with the prevailing economic downturn and asking, in effect, "Green jobs? Where's the beef?" He provided his answers as part of a series of short video commentaries on green building trends and sustainable development practices distributed to the public via YouTube.
"The new green jobs will come from three areas," said Yudelson. "The first area is green buildings, both new and existing, where the growth is already tremendous - about 80% in 2008. The second area is renewable energy development, particularly wind and solar. And, the third area is efficiency upgrades for older buildings."
These are the same drivers of future employment that President Obama is promoting in his proposed budget and policy projections, says Yudelson, the author of eight books on the subject of sustainability and green building including the recently-published "Green Building Through Integrated Design." "Assuming the President and the Congress keep the momentum going, investments in green building, renewable energy and energy efficiency literally could provide millions of sustainable new jobs over the next four years."
According to green building consultant Yudelson, many of these new jobs in the building and construction industries will be created by the need to retrofit the hundreds of thousands of structures that were built for an era of cheap energy, without regard to environmental consequences. "Now," says Yudelson, "we have to go back and make design and operational changes that are consistent with our new knowledge of the financial costs and environmental consequences of building without sustainability in mind."
This new green building consciousness is crucial for the success of this transition, observes Yudelson, who learned the hard way in the late seventies and early eighties when he was director of the California solar energy program designed to establish a permanent solar industry in the state. "We had a good start," he recalls, "but in 1985 the federal and state governments took the props away simultaneously, and the industry collapsed overnight." For Yudelson, this is a valuable lesson to remember today.
What, he asks, do we have to do to make the growth in green jobs permanent? His list of requirements includes making sure building codes accurately reflect the current realities of global warming and the cost of carbon emissions, establishing governmental economic incentives that will not go away after a few years. Finally, Yudelson says that we need to create a lasting infrastructure connecting building owners, facility managers and government agencies to ensure that green practices will guide future construction and operations.
"That," says Yudelson, "will ensure the creation of lasting jobs that go hand-in-hand with the need to go green and build sustainably."
To view the brief video of highlights of Jerry Yudelson's perspective on green jobs, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fNJTETWBE.
To receive an email notification when Yudelson's next green building video is posted, YouTube members may subscribe to the new GreenBuildConsult channel by clicking "Subscribe" on this web page: http://www.youtube.com/user/jyudelson.
About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates is a leading international firm in sustainability planning and green building consulting. The founder, Jerry Yudelson, is widely acknowledged as one of the nation's leading experts on green building and green development. He is the author of eight green building books and serves as Research Scholar for Real Estate Sustainability for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member international trade organization. He is a frequent green building speaker at industry and professional conferences and chaired the industry's largest annual show, Greenbuild, from 2004 through 2009.
For more information on Yudelson Associates please visit: http://www.greenbuildconsult.com.
Jerry Yudelson, principal of the green building consulting firm Yudelson Associates in Tucson, Arizona, made his predictions in reply to the challenge posed by those who are grappling with the prevailing economic downturn and asking, in effect, "Green jobs? Where's the beef?" He provided his answers as part of a series of short video commentaries on green building trends and sustainable development practices distributed to the public via YouTube.
"The new green jobs will come from three areas," said Yudelson. "The first area is green buildings, both new and existing, where the growth is already tremendous - about 80% in 2008. The second area is renewable energy development, particularly wind and solar. And, the third area is efficiency upgrades for older buildings."
These are the same drivers of future employment that President Obama is promoting in his proposed budget and policy projections, says Yudelson, the author of eight books on the subject of sustainability and green building including the recently-published "Green Building Through Integrated Design." "Assuming the President and the Congress keep the momentum going, investments in green building, renewable energy and energy efficiency literally could provide millions of sustainable new jobs over the next four years."
According to green building consultant Yudelson, many of these new jobs in the building and construction industries will be created by the need to retrofit the hundreds of thousands of structures that were built for an era of cheap energy, without regard to environmental consequences. "Now," says Yudelson, "we have to go back and make design and operational changes that are consistent with our new knowledge of the financial costs and environmental consequences of building without sustainability in mind."
This new green building consciousness is crucial for the success of this transition, observes Yudelson, who learned the hard way in the late seventies and early eighties when he was director of the California solar energy program designed to establish a permanent solar industry in the state. "We had a good start," he recalls, "but in 1985 the federal and state governments took the props away simultaneously, and the industry collapsed overnight." For Yudelson, this is a valuable lesson to remember today.
What, he asks, do we have to do to make the growth in green jobs permanent? His list of requirements includes making sure building codes accurately reflect the current realities of global warming and the cost of carbon emissions, establishing governmental economic incentives that will not go away after a few years. Finally, Yudelson says that we need to create a lasting infrastructure connecting building owners, facility managers and government agencies to ensure that green practices will guide future construction and operations.
"That," says Yudelson, "will ensure the creation of lasting jobs that go hand-in-hand with the need to go green and build sustainably."
To view the brief video of highlights of Jerry Yudelson's perspective on green jobs, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fNJTETWBE.
To receive an email notification when Yudelson's next green building video is posted, YouTube members may subscribe to the new GreenBuildConsult channel by clicking "Subscribe" on this web page: http://www.youtube.com/user/jyudelson.
About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates is a leading international firm in sustainability planning and green building consulting. The founder, Jerry Yudelson, is widely acknowledged as one of the nation's leading experts on green building and green development. He is the author of eight green building books and serves as Research Scholar for Real Estate Sustainability for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member international trade organization. He is a frequent green building speaker at industry and professional conferences and chaired the industry's largest annual show, Greenbuild, from 2004 through 2009.
For more information on Yudelson Associates please visit: http://www.greenbuildconsult.com.
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