Finding value in green building designations
On January 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued a report that linked smoking cigarettes with developing lung cancer. We then debated into the 1970’s if smoking was bad for people. As someone...
Let’s talk about sewer
When Salt-N-Pepa’s song “Let’s talk about sex” came out in August of 1991, I thought it was important. I am not certain that they are related but, within 24 months, the Japanese book, “Everyone...
Where the water goes
People have said to me, “we cannot control our property’s water consumption because we cannot affect what the residents do in their units.” Oh, really? According to EPA’s WaterSense program, 26.7% of all indoor water...
INFOGRAPHIC: Grinding housing into votes
download pdf Landlords rarely escape the machinations of politics. Just how far will tinkering with free markets go this election cycle? In an election-year effort to shift responsibility for the nation’s high costs of living away...
LEED’s bold green overhaul
After more than 10 years, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is putting out a new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. According to the authors, LEED v5 is more than just...
The sun will heat it
As I have shared before, I grew up in a rural part of California in a farmhouse built in 1913 which was surrounded by 1.5 acres of grapes, oranges, walnuts, and various farm structures....
Remembering Earth Day
I know, when people think of U.S. presidents who made significant impacts on the environment, we think of Teddy Roosevelt and the founding of National Parks. We think of Jimmy Carter expanding the national...
Return of the carbon
My office is decorated with comic book figures and movie posters to the point that, during the pandemic when we were all forced to work from home, one customer exclaimed, “you must be working...
The tech it is a changin
I do not particularly care for the movie “Pretty Woman”, but I do think it provides an important frame of reference. Specifically, there is a scene in which one rich character uses a cell...
Shining a light on sustainability
“You cannot manage what you do not measure.” –Peter F. Drucker. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen or heard that quote applied to the importance of benchmarking for sustainability. If...
The good stuff is at the bottom
As a child, I loved it when my grandmother would pick my brother and me up for an afternoon playdate. It was the best. My grandmother was indescribably beautiful, exuded love, spread laughter and...
The opportunity in commercial conversions
When I first started in multifamily, I heard an acronym that I admit I had to look up: NIMBY. Not In My Back Yard. As I learned from many conversations with developers, there is...
Consider the emotional benefits of lighting
Have you ever walked down the freezer aisle of a store and found that the cases look a little dark? Then, as you approach, the insides light up. I personally love that! It makes...
What will whole building data reveal?
“Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get for the work you didn’t do.” --Unknown On January 25, 2024, HUD, the DOE and EPA joined forces in a superhero mashup to sign a joint...
Exploring the energy-water nexus
I am normally not a Dane Cook fan. As far as comedians go, I am more of a George Carlin and Doug Stanhope fan. Stanhope’s “Kick How You Kick” piece basically gave me permission...
