sustainability & the environment
Sustainability – evergreen or green wash?
The term ‘sustainable’ seems to have lost some of its magic. Have our rigid codes and practices been thwarting its high ideals? Carry de la Harpe met with Jonny Riggall of PBA to try to pin down this elusive notion and what it means for businesses in the south today
A chartered environmentalist by profession, Jonny Riggall leads the environment and energy group within PBA. And permeating through this development and infrastructure consultancy is the word ‘sustainability’ which he says means “both everything and nothing”.
Today sustainability means so many different things to different people, “you can get lost in the narrative”. To the idealist it might suggest a utopian future, while to the skeptic putting the word ‘sustainable’ in front of a sizeable ‘urban development’ could be read as an effort to soften the term.
But probably most guilty of dulling the notion of sustainability are the codes and rigid standards that people have tried to measure it against over the past decade. There is no doubting that such codes and standards have started a conversation, but the danger is that they can create sustainability by numbers. Riggall said: “A building code might state that if you put in 50 cycle spaces you’re more sustainable than if you put in 50 electric vehicle charging points. But whether you’re going to get 50 people turning up on bicycles is a different thing altogether. A company can occupy a building with a ‘top sustainability rating’ and on paper it’s sustainable, but to be truly sustainable it must also implement sustainable working practices.”
The PBA-designed Caversham Bridge House in Reading is a BREEAM Excellent- rated office building. “It’s one of the best work spaces I’ve ever been in,” said Riggall. “Yes, PBA has invested in the environmentally-friendly systems that have earned it sustainability on paper, but we also invest in the management systems, and staff education and training that help all of us using the building to push the boundaries beyond just reducing our energy demand.”
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Another knock sustainability has taken is in relation to cost. Asked about the economic case for sustainability, Riggall said: “Well, if it’s not viable, you inherently can’t call it sustainable development because it’s not going to happen. There was a momentum for sustainability from about 2006, which has a strong environmental ethos, then, during the years of austerity, people gained a better understanding of the costs involved and started shying away. Since then we’ve seen a move away from fiscal and dictatorial policy associated with resource efficiency. The code for sustainable homes, for example, has been removed as a requirement for new housing development.”
There’s no question, ‘sustainable development’ as a concept has had a rocky few years. As Riggall said: “This is because sometimes when you scratch the surface it turns out to be just an ‘aspiration rather than a true commitment’.”
So how do we move from this to proper ‘green’? “The three pillars of sustainability are: social, environmental and economic,” he explained, “and they are co-dependent. To be sustainable a community needs to build a collective investment around each of these.” Riggall’s job is in fact to go through the myriad of different frameworks, approaches and benefits of a project, and look at what gives the best outcomes. “In many ways it’s the really simple things that enable a sense of community to form. For example, if a development is to cater for young families, there should be facilities for childcare that support working families.”
Asked for an example of sustainability PBA is truly proud of, Riggall said: “Green Park is fantastic. Yes, it’s got cycling; it’s got electric vehicle plug-ins; it’s got a great big wind turbine; it ticks the boxes …. But all the different elements of biodiversity
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – DECEMBER 16/JANUARY 17
were considered as well, the flow of the roads and the trees ... every element has been designed to blend in with every other element.”
But good relationships make businesses sustainable just as much as effective solar panels, and what Riggall’s most proud of is the relationships PBA has with its clients. He says well-designed and well-crafted legacy projects are often the result of excellent working relationships.
In conclusion, it seems the complication with sustainability is that while the economic side of it is relatively easy to calculate, the social benefits are difficult to prove, and the proof is long term. But true sustainability can really enhance economic productivity, said Riggall. “I don’t think this needs a paradigm shift, it just requires mindfulness of people and their environment. There needs to be a collective investment around creating a positive workplace environment, but to make it endemic within the organisation this has got to come from the very top.”
So asked what business leaders in the region can do right this minute to make a difference in terms of sustainability, he smiled: “Call me.”
Jonny Riggall 07917 372806
jriggall@peterbrett.com peterbrett.com
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