Everyone pays attention to cars, power plants, etc., but few are talking about our largest environmental impact: buildings. Buildings use 76% of our total electricity vs. transportation which uses 1%. Buildings are the largest energy consumer of any type and have the highest CO2 emissions. LEED standards are moving us in the right direction, but they are still not a Net Zero impact. What's more, we could make buildings that actually *restore* the environment. In my talk I'll share the evolution of building sustainability, our current environmental impact, and share what is possible for the future.

1. Suck or Blow?
It’s really a matter of energy
presented by:
Damin Tarlow

2. Buildings Suck
ENERGY
ELECTRICITY
76%
48%
27% 25%
23%
1%
gs gs
in in
d d
uil uil
b b

3. How do they suck?

4. What blows more?
cars cows buildings
the inland empire

5. Can we do anything about it?

6. So...what do we do?
Build assets Not liabilities
two-way infrastructure

7. Who pays for the infrastructure?
We need buildings that DON’T
SuCk from the infrastructure

8. How Do We Figure This Out?
enlightened
celebutantes
enlightened
rich old guys

9. What Does it take?
An enlightened cultural shift
Imagine urbanize
Think Interact
Worry Diversify
Make places Get Cultured
utilize technology Emerge
Educate Be Conscious
Be Progressive Influence

10. It takes the kind of people that
live in PORTLAND!

11. Portland is PROGRESSIVE!
• First modern streetcar system
• Most per capita hybrids
• Most bicycle commuters
• First car sharing program
• First bottle bill
Best Place to live
VOTED
America’s greenest city
Top recycling city
Cleanest city

12. Portland is
YOuNG, HIP & EDuCATED
Top Destination for cultural creatives
175,000 students in 26 universities w/in 110 miles
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

13. In PDX we already are...
Most, per capita LEED buildings, in the Nation...
we are 1/2 way there

14. Ok so now what?
It took a paradigm shift for Babylonians
to develop the concept of ZERO
The Greek philosophers fought this
how can nothing be something?

15. NET ZERO
=
The Living Building
nothing is something

16. We need to:
Make buildings that produce more
energy than they consume...
And consume more waste
than they produce.
YES. IT’S POSSIBLE!

17. We have developed $5 Billion worth
We have more LEED buildings than employees

18. HOW DO WE BLOW
ENERGY INTO THIS?
• Engage public partners
VOTE
• Advance Technology
INVENT
• Make Choices
LIVE • WORK • PLAY

19. So my question is this:
Do we need to:
Ignite PDX on this issue?
Or
Is PDX already on FIRE???

20. PDX Fuel the fire...
GO OUT
AND BLOW!
-Damin Tarlow
Gerding Edlen Development Co.
damin.tarlow@gerdingedlen.com