In our previous issue, we talked about the Green Building Movement and the need for more efficient and environment friendly methods of designing and constructing buildings. In this issue, we shall discuss more on these efforts, particularly on the industry’s response to the worsening environmental concerns. As the world continues to advance in the fields of communication, digital technology and economy, there is a looming, planet-wide environmental disaster happening in our midst. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is growing at a rate that has not been seen in the last million years. Thus, there is an ever-present need for us to preserve our resources.

Green Building is one such effort. It makes use of environmentally sensitive planning, design, specification, labor management, construction and commissioning processes and technologies resulting in a holistic building strategy that should result in more sustainable communities, and hopefully, the reversal of many of the negative impacts of development upon the planet.

A United Nations Environmental Program document defines the word sustainable as “……meeting the needs of people today without destroying the resources that will be needed… by persons in the future; based on long range planning and the recognition of the finite nature of resources available..”

In any commercial building, hotel, office complex, etc., approximately 50-65% of power usage is for air conditioning. There is even a greater need to save power in the Middle East & Africa considering the high ambient temperature. This places a large responsibility on HVAC industry as a whole.

We need to recognize the potentially limited nature of non-renewable resources such as petroleum, coal, nuclear ores, and even potable water. There is only so much of these left that must be better protected and utilized conscientiously. Some corporate leaders in the HVAC industry have begun to recognize the market value of environmentally sound products and manufacturing approaches. Emerson contributes to the development of new power-efficient technologies in air conditioning and refrigeration, resulting in the responsible use of non-renewable resources.

Herein lies the question: Will we have enough resources for the next generation? A holistic approach towards sustainability is probably the best gift we can leave our children and the generations to come.