The BCC Research Blog

In a 2008 speech, United States President Barack Obama said:

Collectively the world has noticed how demand for resources has affected our environment and every day more and more people are adapting their lives by adopting sustainable practices – including recycling, biking to work, and supporting companies with green initiatives. But as President Obama stated, the world must come together for the planet, and the adoption of zero net energy (ZNE) clusters do just that.

Sleek, shiny, contemporary buildings like San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission are growing increasingly common. But it isn’t just the outside design that is changing; inside, energy-efficient technologies are transforming the very nature of “green” buildings. This building boasts a myriad of modern technology: a solar and wind turbine array, a state-of-the-art raised flooring system, automatic lighting and work station shutoffs, rainwater harvesting, and an onsite water treatment plant.

 Public Utilities Commission,

San Francisco, California.

Photo courtesy of:

http://www.sfwater.org

However, in 2013 there were only 1,547 commercial ZNE buildings worldwide. So what has been holding ZNEs back? The cost of being green.

Plastic Grocery Bags Are 6th Most Prominent Trash Found On Coasts. Data collected by hundreds of thousands of International Coastal Cleanup volunteers for the Ocean Conservancy indicates that plastic grocery bags are a major source of trash polluting beaches and oceans. ("Turning the Tide on Trash," from the Ocean Conservancy.)