Was it the bus lectures on the way to and from Toronto? Or perhaps it was the visits to Fallingwater and Kentucky Nob by architect Frank Lloyd Wright? It was certainly a keynote concert by Maroon 5. Everything about this year’s trip made GreenBuild rock! Wilmot Inc. was excited to lead a group of 20 students to the 2011 conference. For those unfamiliar, the annual conference is the world’s largest expo dedicated to sustainable building practices.

The students traveled by bus (with carbon offsets!) with on-board lectures led by Wilmot’s Justin Southwick. During the trip, the group stopped at Oberlin College (Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center- designed by William McDonough), Niagra Falls and made side trips to homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. While in Toronto, the students joined over 25,000 professionals from all over the world for a look at the best in green building. Speakers included Thomas Friedman, Amory Lovins, Cokie Roberts, and many others. For more information on Lipscomb University’s Institute for Sustainable Practice, click here. Next year’s GreenBuild will be held in San Francisco and you can take a sneak peak at GreenBuild 2012 here!

“Global Weirding.” I’ll never forget the first time I heard the term. I was reading an article by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times and it was one of those moments that holds for a beat before the clock starts moving. Tick… pause. Friedman, in turn, gave credit for coining the term to Hunter Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, but the etymology doesn’t really matter. Reclassifying global warming as “Global Weirding” was an “aha!” moment for me.

As it turns out, I had been looking for a better way to talk about climate change. “Global Warming” sounds a little too tame to me. Plus, being in the business, I find often times the term “Global Warming” confuses people. Author John Michael Greer once quipped, “We should have called it “Radiation Entrapment!” The term would have gotten a lot more attention, plus it fits the real effects of CO2 in the atmosphere. The problem with climate change is that it isn’t just about the weather getting warmer, it’s about extremes: hotter hots, more drought, more flooding, more rain and snow, more hurricanes. It’s all part of a pattern. We’re setting climate records at a record-setting pace. New weather patterns across the world are driven by more moisture in the atmosphere from increased air temperature. The planet has warmed roughly 1 degree Celsius since preindustrial times. Warmer air holds more moisture, for every degree Celsius of atmospheric warming, extreme precipitation increases 6-7%.

I couldn’t help but think about those patterns during the last weekend of October. Sunday afternoon I came back from a quiet walk through the neighborhood, enjoying a pleasantly warm Tennessee fall day, to sit down at my computer and find news of a massive snow storm in the Northeast. Snowfall records for this time of year were smashed from Maryland to Maine and at one point more than 4 million people in the region were without power. I tried to call my in-laws in Connecticut, but all the phone lines were down. I found myself awed by the size of the storm and my heart goes out to the people affected, but a part of me can’t stop thinking about how that storm fits the idea of Global Weirding.

Global Weirding – over the weekend, 30.8 inches of snow fell in Plainfield, Mass. The previous single day record for October 30th was .1 inches. Did you know that NOAA has recorded more billion dollar weather disasters for the US this year than any other year on record? The storm in New England brings this year’s record to 14 storms. The damage estimate in Connecticut alone is $3 billion, far more than the damage Hurricane Irene did to the state. And while no one storm proves or disproves a global climate trend, no one can deny the pattern of extreme weather events.

Having been in the business of sustainability for a long time, I’ve believe that the earth is a living system and can’t help but respond to all the changes humans are making; rainforest burning, water and air pollution, exchanging trees for concrete, mountain top removal, etc. In physics, for every action there’s an opposite and equal reaction. Extreme weather is but one reaction to the global changes humans are making.

I know a lot of people aren’t convinced. Calling climate change “Global Weirding” may be part of the answer. It’s much harder to deny the evidence for “Global Weirding” when 2 feet of snow just fell in your backyard the weekend before Halloween. After finally getting in touch with my in laws, they said that they definitely think it’s global weirding and most of their neighbors had that “aha” moment too. So, if you realize that changes in the world’s weather are happening at an ever increasing rate and want to take action to do something about it, contact us here at Wilmot.

At Wilmot, we’re always looking for unique solutions for your sustainability challenges. Contact us for more information on how to put our team to work on your next project.

Justin at Freewatt Renewable Energy, UK

This summer, Justin Southwick was honored by being selected for Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program. The scholarship funded a month-long immersion program focused on cultural and vocational exchange. Hosted by northeast England’s Rotary District 1270, Justin’s itinerary included meetings and site visits with government officials, architects, builders, educators, and entreprenuers pursuing sustainable business models. In 2012, British awardees will explore their careers while hosted by Rotarians in Middle Tennessee.

“I noticed a lot more urgency around resource efficiency and climate change than we’re used to in Tennessee,” said Justin. “Solar incentives twice ours, vehicle efficiency three times ours, landfill rates ten times ours, net zero-energy housing codes by 2016. Some differences were driven by Kyoto while others come from a legacy of being a crowded island closely connected to the rest of the world. Spending time in another country was critical to show where we’re behind, and where a focus on efficiency and innovation can help us catch up and lead.”

At Wilmot, we’re always looking for ways to broaden our knowledge and bring unique solutions to your sustainability programs. Contact us for more information on how to put Justin and the rest of our team to work on your next project.

About Rotary International’s GSE program:

The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

While going green can make an immediate impact on your business’ bottom line, the long-term benefits can reach even further. From broad corporate sustainability programs to LEED®-rated building consulting, every action today pays dividends tomorrow.

Perhaps more than ever before, there is a true national awareness of the importance of sustainable practices for business owners. While there are costs associated with this new level of awareness, there are also tremendous opportunities and profits, including the following:

1. Energy savings drive operating expenses down and raise profitability.
2. Providing a healthy environment for your employees can lead to increased productivity.
3. Your environmentally friendly efforts can earn you goodwill from employees, customers and vendors.
4. Effectively publicizing your efforts can lead to positive media attention.
5. Taking action, leading and making a difference in the lives of your workers, the community and the world will result in empowerment for your business.

Going green is a series of steps that ultimately lead to a better world for everyone. Contact us for more information on how to put our team to work on your next project.