AGC LEADS THE WAY TOWARD BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE
BY AUTUMN CAFIERO GIUSTI
Understanding the industry’s role with climate change has become a top priority in construction.
With the federal government im- posing new climate change policies and exploring limitations on high-carbon building materials, commercial contractors are looking at their carbon footprint while contributing to building improvements into the nation’s infrastructure.
Industry leaders are banding together to develop strategies that construction companies can implement — from exploring electric vehicles and equipment to sustainable building practices. Meanwhile, discussions are taking place on the national level to identify steps the industry can take to shape climate change policies that affect construction.
CHANGE AT THE ASSOCIATION LEVEL
As individual companies develop their own sustainability practices, industry leaders are meeting in small groups to address climate policies and green building strategies on the national scale.
Les Snyder, senior vice president of AGC of America and executive vice president of infrastructure construction for Brightline West, serves as liaison for climate initiatives within AGC’s leadership.
“The construction industry is the delivery vehicle for building a greener, more climate- friendly future,” Snyder said in a recent AGC Earth Day presentation. “Of course, what we build has a far bigger impact on the environment than how we build it. But our industry is uniquely qualified to help public and private owners meet their climate objectives. AGC of America has a clear role to play in helping the industry build a greener future. We can’t just wish for it. We must build it.”
In 2021, AGC launched an initiative to address climate change by working to help the industry play a lead role in reducing the climate impacts of the built environment.
The initiative consists of a cross-section of members who have been meeting in small groups over the past year to understand the implications of climate change policies in the areas of technology and programs, supply chains and safe and healthy communities.
“One of our goals was to identify what our members think about climate change, what are the broad implications for our industry, and what conversations do we need to have as an association,” says Ty Edmondson, chair- man of the AGC’s Climate Change Task Force on Technology and Programs and AGC’s Utility Infrastructure Division.
Construction is a low-carbon-intensity industry, meaning that instead of having one centralized source of emissions, like a power plant, it has several smaller sources, including vehicles and equipment. The task force is exploring strategies like battery power and anti-idling policies to help the industry better control emissions from these sources.
Also part of AGC’s climate initiative is a Task Force on Building Safe and Healthy Com- munities. The purpose of this task force is to help contractors, owners and government agencies identify the needs of underserved communities and determine how best to serve them.
“The contractors need to be proactive. It’s very important because we are really the face of what is going on in these construction projects,” says Amy Hall, who chairs the task force and is president of Ebony Construction Co. in Sylvania, Ohio.
The task force identified a need for engaging the community and to build a relationship of trust within the community. Bringing in third-party experts was also important, as was having contractors anticipate concerns, Hall says. “If we can identify potential issues early on, then we can create a solution to solve the problem before it becomes a problem,” she says.
The task forces helped create a new climate change toolkit with resources — available on- line at www.agc.org/climate-change.
KEEPING PACE WITH POLICY
Although sustainable building practices and helping the nation improve the efficiency of its infrastructure are the industry’s ultimate goals, there are challenges that come with making sure construction practices can keep up with ever-changing federal regulations.
As AGC’s director of environmental ser- vices, Melinda Tomaino plays a key role in educating government regulators and law- makers on the business of construction and in increasing contractor involvement in national policies.
Before breaking ground, infrastructure projects are subject to numerous environmental approvals administered by various regulatory agencies. Failing to properly manage these requirements can delay, if not threaten, construction projects and increase business costs, says Tomaino.
Several new regulations have come into play under the Biden administration, and permitting issues have been a primary focus for AGC.
“Infrastructure is vital to President Biden’s goals to increase resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve disadvantaged communities. All of that can be derailed and delayed by the permitting process,” she says.
There are several environmental regulations that affect permitting in four key areas AGC has identified: Waters of the United States, species-related issues, climate change policy developments and environmental reviews and approvals.
“We want to make sure environmental rules are economically feasible, based on sound science and workable on a construction jobsite,” she says.
Industry members have an important role to play in providing input that can help AGC representatives influence public policies, Tomaino says. “Feedback really does ensure that our recommendations to federal agencies are backed by an understanding of how the requirements will play out in the field.”
ONE FIRM’S SUSTAINABILITY EVOLUTION
One company that has taken a leadership role in green building construction management is Columbia in North Reading, Massachusetts. The firm has adopted a holistic approach to energy efficiency that started over a decade ago in an effort to meet clients’ sustainability goals. Since then, those efforts have evolved into a reflection on how Columbia would implement its own sustainable building practices, even when clients weren’t specifically asking for them.
Columbia has been working with other contractors to collectively make improvements in the industry, says Conor McGuire, the firm’s in-house director of sustainability. In 2021, the company joined BuildingGreen Inc.’s Con- tractors Commitment to Sustainable Building Practices, pledging to implement these practices on 30% or more of its projects.
“Our size allows us to be more nimble than others, so we can make improvements across our company relatively quickly,” McGuire says of the midsize firm.
One of Columbia’s early initiatives was to require 100% LED lighting for temporary construction lighting to save energy and reduce carbon emissions associated with traditional forms of energy.
In an effort to cut down on carbon emissions from gasoline and diesel, Columbia years ago installed electric vehicle charging stations at its office, as well as on jobsites when requested.
Columbia requires the implementation of its LEED-compliant Indoor Air Quality Management Plan on all projects, not just those pursuing LEED designations. Since jobsite trailers are not within the plan’s scope, Columbia launched an initiative to place HEPA air purifiers in all trailers and field offices. “A clean site is a safe site, and that includes the air,” McGuire says.
This year, Columbia added new requirements for construction and demolition waste processing across all projects.
“Having a few ‘flagship’ projects that do well is nice. But in reality, all projects need to be performing at a higher level,” McGuire says.
As part of those efforts, Columbia has taken responsibility for verifying that waste is being processed transparently. “If your current processor is elusive and won’t let you see ‘how the sausage is made,’ that may be a red flag,” McGuire says.
Whether it’s recycling, using greener materials or reducing a company’s fleet activity, every contribution to improving sustainability practices is significant, and AGC of America is leading the way.