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In this episode, Dennis Creech talks about the positive effects of green building and how Atlanta is leading the nation in reducing energy and water demand.
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When Dennis Creech started Southface, energy wasn't even a part of the environmental conversation. He knew it would be one of the most significant issues our society would face, and in this episode he talks about the positive effects of green building and how Atlanta is leading the nation in reducing energy and water demand. Dennis also tells us about the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design on Georgia Tech's campus, and how it's changing the global conversation on conservation.
Dennis Creech doesn't remember the first time he actually met Steve Nygren, because they'd moved in the same circles for so long and it seemed he always knew him. Steve, however, remembers Ray C. Anderson sending him to Dennis when Steve was starting the community-making process. Dennis does remember thinking it was rare to find a developer that was interested in more than just putting in houses. When the Rocky Mountain Institute & Ray Anderson convened thought leaders in September 2000, Dennis was one of them to talk about environmental issues and how they could be a part of the built environment.
6:21 - Starting Southface
Southface started in 1978, though it was an idea that had evolved over time. The environmental movement was new, and energy wasn't yet considered an environmental issue. Looking at it now though, we know it's one of the most significant our society faces. Southface was created originally to fill that gap, and now looks at water, health, natural resources and anything else in the natural environment that the built environment would impact. It started as an all-volunteer organization with Dennis at the co-chair, but eventually formalized.
They built a demonstration facility in Atlanta in 1996, to take advantage of the world's attention on the city during the Summer Olympics. This building was even the first certified Energy Star building in the South, which is a more familiar certification to the general consumer. Southface also created their own certification process, EarthCraft. They had design and construction professionals who were serious about lessening their product on the environment, and that was a way to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
The first year they had the certification, there were 8 homes in the program. Now they've certified over 50,000! EarthCraft even preceded LEED certification, and Dennis was on the committee to develop that. He credits the market for demanding this of developers and home builders, and notes that green building is very local. He thinks you have to determine local/regional climates and topography and find what works best for that area.
12:58 - Pushing For A Better Way
Steve sees EarthCraft as the best certification program because of the process it requires, which includes steps throughout the build process from beginning to end. An aspect Dennis is proud of is that Southface and EarthCraft, with Serenbe alongside, have changed the industry. He's seen all construction improved across the country because of various certifications. Some cities even require all new buildings to meet energy certifications, including Decatur, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta). Serenbe is one of the first EarthCraft communities.
20:39 - Better Homes = Better Health & Better Lives
People may not understand the ins and outs of green building, but they know the certification means they have better comfort, better respiratory issues, and lower energy bills. Now that Serenbe has had residents for 15 years, Steve hears most about health results from green building. This was critical to the program from the start, according to Dennis, because many times people connect more to the health aspects than the dollar savings. Particularly, asthma is a huge problem in Atlanta and the South, and can be an expensive illness to treat over a lifetime.
A challenge of green building is what's known as the "split-incentive." The person who makes the decisions on how buildings are designed and constructed is not the same person that benefits from a certified green home. This is why we see cookie-cutter developments pop up, where they've taken out all the trees, graded the land, and built homes quickly and cheaply. That Serenbe and Steve Nygren built they way they did, building for the long term, for the environment, and for the people, makes for a better and more sustainable community. Steve comes back to the market, in that the people are what driving this trend. Dennis agrees to an extent, but notes most of the buildings built still aren't certified. This is why he thinks it's important to have visionary people who work hard and are stubborn (like Steve Nygren). Steve just can't understand why people are ok paying energy bills when they don't have to! He remembers the house Serenbe built with Bosch, that reduced energy demand by 70%. It was more expensive initially, but the home was cash positive in the first month of mortgage payments because their mortgage was less than what a regular energy bill would have been.
30:58 - Kendeda
The Kendeda Building is a living building on GA Tech's campus, that produces more energy than it uses. All the water the building uses is water that is captured from the rooftop and stored. It's also net-positive for waste because 98% of the construction waste was recycled and the other 2% is made up in reclaimed and salvaged materials used to construct the building. Most importantly, the building is healthy. Kendeda also believes strongly in equity, so when you walk in the building one of the first things you'll notice is a salvaged wood ramp following the slope. It's front and center, adding beauty and function.
34:34 - Atlanta A Leader In Green Building
Atlanta, and those in government, civic institutions, and businesses in Atlanta, are leading the world in sustainability. There's a program called the Better Buildings Challenge that's been going on for ~10 years that was initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy. They said that by the end of 2020, they challenge communities to reduce their energy demand by 20%. Atlanta challenged back and added water as well (now everyone has to do that too). They beat it by 2 years in 2018.
Nearly all areas have energy and water challenges, so Dennis feels there's still plenty of work to be done to create a better world. Places like Serenbe show how thoughtful design and construction can help. One thing Serenbe doesn't have is stormwater because of regulations. In fact, the Kendeda Building is the only building in the South that's been able to use captured rainwater. Dennis wants us to get rid of policy barriers so we can change the conversation about how all buildings and communities are constructed. Steve mentions that 50% of what's in Serenbe today was against policy back in 2000. There were many he was able to push, including total zoning, but federal stormwater didn't make the cut. He still has hope that it's something we'll be able to retroactively put in. There are also barriers that keep people from installing solar and lessening their bills, put in by the utilities themselves.
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Dennis joined The Kendeda Fund in 2017 and serves as the fund advisor for a variety of sustainability initiatives in the southeast. In 1978, Dennis co-founded Southface, an Atlanta-based nonprofit promoting sustainable homes, workplaces and communities. He ran the organization for 38 years, and under his direction Southface has become a trusted partner to federal and local governments, utilities,
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