ABSTRACT
Green building used to be a movement of people in tie-dye shirts offering straw-bale and rammed-earth homes. The US Green Building Council estimates that up to 48% of new nonresidential construction was green in 2014, which equates to a $145 billion investment opportunity. Green building has become an ethical and economic no-brainer. Citi’s previous $50 billion goal was announced in 2007 and was met three years early in 2013. It would seem that environmentalists can be found wearing grey pinstripe suits in the corner office. Success depends on who does what, when, and how. Business is engaging with environmental issues for market reasons, not to “do the right thing” for moral reasons. To begin to grasp the systems-wide market shift that is turning the tremendous powers of the world’s corporations to solving environmental problems like climate change. Customers are beginning to look for products and services that are environmentally friendly and energy-efficient.
