Keeping “Green” Green

We’d all rather make environmentally sensitive choices about our energy use, especially given the financial incentives for energy efficiency. And with large-scale changes like Nova Scotia’s plan to increase its provincial renewable energy targets from 25 to 40 per, there’s strong evidence that these changes can be made on a considerable scale.

But there’s always room to be cautious about the steps we take forward, especially when there’s evidence that the steps we’re so certain are helping the planet might be nothing but a green shell around old ideas.

In a recent article in the Globe and Mail, for example, University of Toronto professor Dan Harvey cried foul on recent developments in Toronto’s downtown core. Noting that the focus on glass facades creates a veritable heat trap — a perfect example of how passive solar heating can work (even if unintentionally) — Harvey suggests that no matter other fancy energy features might be included, bad design will fundamentally undercut any other initiatives.

Harvey’s comments don’t just suggest an isolated example in Toronto either. With the growing trend of “green” renovations, consumers need to be clear that making a building more energy efficient doesn’t just include its most obvious features. The fundamentals of our energy use, as always, are the main factors in determining whether we’re making smart energy choices. And there will always be temptations to accept greenwashing, because, after all: it feels good to think you’re a savvy energy consumer.

The future of energy is certainly going to include a new energy mix that includes renewable as well as non-renewable sources, coupled with a heavy dose of energy efficiency. And for that future to be different than our present, we need to ask hard questions about the well-meaning steps we take along the way.