Notes from the First SCL Summit

I thought the Summit was the highlight for me.  More generally, I had less enthusiastic feelings about Greenbuild.  Hopefully that was just me, but I didn't feel the energy and enthusiasm that I experienced in earlier years.  People who I would consider important to the industry aren't even coming anymore in favor of going to other conferences that interest them more - including ILFI and the SDL Summits.  I think the strongest part of Greenbuild is the people that are there and the connections you make, but this year seemed like it was continuously half-full.  On the upside, the sessions I went to were really good.  On the downside, I think I only went to 6 different sessions because I opted not to go to the "Education Labs" in the expo hall.  On Thursday I had a 5 hour break between my morning and afternoon session for that reason.  The fact that the schedule practically forced you to hear from manufacturers pitching their products definitely bothered me, although it would have been less of an issue if the convention center was more centrally located and my hotel wasn't 20 to 30 minutes away. Overall, the mood of the conference confirmed in my mind that LEED is continuing to lose its attraction.  This is: 1) Really unfortunate because LEED is the foundation from which the green building industry has been able to proliferate, and 2) Really troubling because demand for green building certifications is often what can drive a company to justify employing a dedicated sustainability professional. I still think that LEED will continue to be the main green building rating system in the marketplace - partially due to its name recognition, initial position as the original system to mass market, and integration into several building codes/standards - but certification interest is definitely dwindling.  My friend Conor McGuire at Columbia Construction here in MA has said they spend too much on marketing and not enough on substance, and I think he is right.  He has also said the reference guide is exceedingly complex to the point it isn't helping inspire people and in many cases is turning people off, and I think he is right about that as well.  It's all really too bad because I want people to have good experiences with LEED and want to do it again, but it doesn't seem to be trending in that direction. With all this in mind, I think Greenbuild needs to bring that fire of inspiration that people need re-center themselves and get back on the horse.  Unfortunately, Mahesh is no hype man - in fact he is downright awful in my opinion - and they aren't pulling inspirational figures from the industry to get us revved up.  They have done this in the past (Ed Mazria, Bjarke Ingels), but seem to be moving further away from that.  Apologies for the rant, but it feels good to get it off my chest!  Now, on to those mashed potatoes and gravy I've been waiting for...

I was out to dinner last night with some green building industry friends and I said that LEED feels like a sibling that continues to make bad choices. There is huge love under the outward frustration.  I want to grab LEED, shake it and say "Why are you doing this? Can't you see we love you and you're hurting yourself and all of your advocates!!!" Why we have things like 'LEED for Transit' before we have a LEED website that works great is really inexcusable in my opinion. I've heard it said, "If you have more than 3 priorities, you have no priorities."  An 800-page reference guide is just too many priorities. If the green building cause wasn't so noble and necessary, LEED would have died many years ago based on user experience. However, I am optimistic about an industry group like SCL.  I think we can really work together to clean up our collective projects without needing to be pitch-men/women for a specific rating system.  What can we do that doesn't require client buy-in?  Lately thinking about that has been inspiring to me... and I'm thankful for that! Happy Thanksgiving!

I agree - the SCL summit was my highlight.  While I learned a couple of interesting things in the Greenbuild sessions, it definitely felt like it was lacking the energy of previous years.  Even the trade show felt weak - and I talked to a few others who had the same sentiment. All that being said - I feel the SCL summit alone was worth the trip. It was great to come away with some intentions for the group and direction.  Its going to take all of us banding together to push the industry forward and keep making the necessary changes for everyone's futures.  

I have the same sentiment - SCL was energizing, Greenbuild was not. I also skipped the education labs and was disappointed for having so much time wasted. I haven't attended Greenbuild regularly for many years because it stopped inspiring me and I felt like I wasn't learning anything new. We have a great opportunity to represent the construction industry and help drive some innovation in green building ourselves. I'm looking forward to our collective efforts! 

It was wonderful spending the day with you all at the Summit!

Here are the slide decks from the 5-minute presentations. 

Unfortunately I was not able to attend the summit, but heard from many sources that it was a great event. I will be sure to plan my schedule around SCL Summit next year. Do we have any other events planned for the year, before Greenbuild 2019?