Sustainable Economy & Development
The Good, The Bad & The Truth
William G. Russell
Transitioning to Green, LLC
Presented to NJ Appleseed Policy Forum
March 23, 2015
Agenda
• Green Business & Building Economics: The Good!
• Current Economics of Development: The Bad!
• Sustainable Communities: The Ugly Truth!
Profit could
increase by 51-81%
Bottom Line
Business Case
Profit could
drop by 16-36%
Green Buildings: Save Money
World Green Building Council, “The Business Case for Green Buildings,” March 2013.
Green Buildings are Good Business
20-Year Net Present Value
Total 20-Year Net Benefit
Gregory H. Kats, “Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits,” 2003.
Green
Building
Business
Cases
World Green Building Council, “The
Business Case for Green Buildings,”
March 2013.
Leonia, New Jersey
• Today:
– Church on 1-acre parcel
– Zoned single family
– $ 0 Property Taxes
• Approved:
–
–
–
–
–
–
37 Units, 4-Story Multi-family
Nine zoning variances
Church contingent sale of land $1.8 million
$200,000 estimated property taxes
$ Community costs to serve new people?
$ Value to developer for $0 in community concessions.
7
Rigged Rules
Between 1979 and 2007, incomes of the 1% rose 224%;
incomes of the 0.1% rose 360%.
“Rule-Riggers” in the top 0.1% have
direct access to legislators and thousands of lobbyists.
They are considered “opinion leaders”
because of their personal and corporate philanthropy.
Rule-Riggers, chiefly the leaders of Wall Street-based financial institutions
and of the transnational corporations they finance,
have changed the rules of the economy to
benefit asset owners at the expense of wage earners,
and global corporations at the expense of local businesses.
“How The 1% Got To Be That Way, And How The 99% Can Fight Back,” book review in CSRwire Talkback, April 2012.
99% Awakening
Consumption & Land Use…
www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/
Sustainable Communities
Sustainable Municipality Indicators
Economic Security
Household shelter spending
Unemployment rate
% Low income people
Household debt
Governance &
Empowerment
Education Voter turnout
City council Public Participation
(27 Indicators)
Social Well-being
Life satisfaction Mobility
Health and access to care
Museums Homelessness
Environmental Quality
Water quality & consumption Green space Solid waste Air quality
GHG emission reduction Urban biodiversity
Infrastructure & Energy
Density Green buildings Public transport Cycling Infrastructure Electricity use
“North American Sustainable Cities Scorecard, Methodology,” Corporate Knights.
Green Economy &
Sustainable Development
Produced by the UN RISD
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5lBwrJcUOk&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs
Conclusion
Be smart! & Get Engaged!
Sustainable Communities, It’s not the economy, but the environment
Society and Business are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Environment
Thank You!
William G. Russell
Principal
Transitioning to Green, LLC
Phone: 646-345-8836
Email: wgrussell@transitioningtogreen.com
Website: www.transitioningtogreen.com