Archbishop Desmond Tutu
And so says Desmond Tutu in his latest book. I just returned from GreenBuild 08 in Boston, which is the yearly get together for the 15 year old organization called United States Green Building Council or USGBC http://communicate.usgbc.org/2008/. Mr. Tutu was the opening keynote speaker, where approximately 30,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds converged November 18-21, to learn more about and contribute to the greatest movement of our time. What (in the h*e*double L) does a retired Archbishop of an African church have to do with buildings, and what is this movement anyway?!? I’ll try to explain.
The Gist
The Archbishop opened and spent considerable time commending his audience for investing themselves and being part of a long, large outlook, one that is reaching out to the global environment rather than a myopic form of entrepreneurship within the building industry. He diplomatically hinted at such a small population (United States) using a huge proportion of the world’s resources and at the potential we hold to make a difference. Green building is an emerging industry, but it is also addressing a real problem of resource abuse on a resource-limited planet. Buildings are the biggest resource users in front of transportation and industry, and each one of us lives and works in a building which in turn can’t help but effect our outlook and awareness. Desmond Tutu, from his own long large perspective encouraged us in the concept of ubuntu, “I am human because I belong. I participate. I share.” And that social harmony is the greatest good. He spoke honestly about our connectedness and from the perspective of leading South Africa’s healing from apartheid - the man has heard and seen real horror we see only at theaters.
Well, so?
So we have a challenge and opportunity in front of us, to look beyond our feather pillow and kitchen counter and 4-door sedan, and beyond our home’s property line or our office desk. It is a chance to take notice of a long and large outlook and then pull back to our everyday, because everything starts small and builds. Recycle, turn the switch off, close the door, fix the leak, think globally and act locally, right? When making decisions about your building, consider the outlook, consider your legacy and the connectedness we have to others in our community, nation, and world. Be energy and water efficient, build timeless long-lasting buildings that are kind to their occupants as well as their surroundings. It’s important, and it does matter in the bigger picture of our built environment, and ultimately in our own interactions with each other.
