A JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC WRITING VOLUME 5

The majority of executives (70%) queried
indicated that they “perceived” higher construction
costs as the biggest hindrance to adopting green
building practices. Conversely, two-thirds of the
executives with actual experience in green building
reported a higher return on investment (ROI)
for green buildings over conventional buildings.
(Switzer)
This disparity between reality and professional
perceptions has been an impediment to green
building but it is slowly changing. According to
a 2003 report by California’s Sustainable Building
Task Force, “a 2% upfront investment in green
building design results in 20% savings on total
construction costs” (Switzer). While the life cycle cost
factors, including improved health, environmental
sustainability, and community enrichment, are not
typically quantified in traditional cost-benefit analysis
models, the idea that green building is good for
business is helping to drive new interest in LEED
standards. According to the founding chairman of the
Opus Group, a $1.4 billion dollar real estate developer
that builds sustainable buildings routinely, even
despite their clients preferences, “Sustainable design
is good business from an operational standpoint”
(Switzer). The investment community is also being
won over to the green building revolution and is
developing a major pension fund that will consist
exclusively of LEED projects because “buildings with
better amenities and better working environments
will ultimately be more attractive to tenants over the
longterm, making them more valuable than those
which are less environmentally friendly” (Switzer).
How do these numbers translate to Hawai’i
concerns? One of the main factors that can drive
up the costs of green building is the learning curve
involved in exploring the technologies and products
involved. When the learning curve is diminished by
training and experience, there are zero cost differences
between green building and conventional, or green
building often comes out cheaper (Oliver). Another
factor that can drive up costs is finding a general
contractor that is interested in it. According to the
National Association of Home Builders, the number
of U.S. builders enrolled in green building programs
are around 1,000 – and though they are growing,
this still represents a tiny fraction of the housing
industry (Weber). Temporarily, while Hawai’i
struggles to catch up with the new techniques, the
costs of building green may prove to be higher than
conventional standards. Even in this case, we should
view the higher costs as the natural growing pains
that are to be expected as we adapt to a new model,
and not as signs of the inherent failures of green
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building strategies. It is noteworthy to remember that
financial concerns are not the primary drive behind
green building; sustainability is about more than
dollar signs.
The primary drive behind the green building
movement is a fundamental shift towards sustainable
values. This shift is not a new direction for Native
Hawaiians, but more of a return to traditional
philosophies that were practiced for thousands of
years before the Anglo invasion of the Hawaiian
islands. According to a nonprofit Hawaiian
organization on the island of Hawai’i, Kanu o ka ‘Äina
Learning ‘Ohana, they are choosing to build green
because it supports the traditional value system of
“malama ‘aina” and “aligns with the ancient wisdom
of our ancestors who perfected systems that preserved
resources and fed millions” (Marshall). Kanu o ka
‘Äina Learning ‘Ohana is currently in the process
of designing and constructing a three-phase green
project in Waimea, including a Community Center,
and two Hawaiian schools.
There are already other impressive green building
structures in the State of Hawai’i. On the island
of Oahu, Iolani School’s Weinberg-Multipurpose
Building is a multistory educational building
designed to save 28% on its annual electric bill of
$32,000 by designing the rooms to reflect sunlight
indirectly into the interior spaces, thereby reducing
the need for electrical lights. It is expected that these
design improvements will lead to payback in savings
in as little as 8-9 years if energy costs do not continue
to rise (Kaneshiro). Another school that went green
is Hawai’i Baptist Academy, which will save 45%
on their annual electric bill by using 20 to 30% less
water through waterless urinals and rainwater
catchment for irrigation of its grounds (Kaneshiro).
The Big Island’s Natural Energy Laboratory has
a building called Gateway Center, which has the
distinction of being the only building in Hawai’i
with the Platinum LEED rating – the highest rating
possible. This building serves as a site for research
and meetings on renewable energy, modeling such
advanced technologies as cold/deep seawater for
their air conditioning units, an advanced solar array,
and an overall design that works like a thermal
chimney in drawing the hot air up out of the building
(TenBruggencate). Even the moisture that condenses
on the exterior of the cold water pipes from the coast
is used to irrigate the vegetation around the building
(TenBruggencate).
This is only the beginning for Hawai’i. There
are numerous other projects in various stages of
design and construction that demonstrate sound
environmental strategies. The new law requiring