Bright Ideas on Sustainability with KA’s Sustainability Manager Kevin Bright
Sustainability management is at the forefront of many business initiatives across the country and even the globe. But what does it truly mean to be a sustainability manager, especially in the construction industry? Today, we sit down with KA’s green expert, Kevin Bright, to talk about his experiences, his outlook and what sustainability means to his work at KA.
Bright’s impressive resume is what excites us at KA about the possibilities he brings to the table. He’s worked with institutions such as Harvard University, the City of Rochester, and the DMC with a wide range of green projects to keep him busy.
According to the World Green Building Council, the built environment generates roughly 40% of annual global CO2 emissions. How do you reconcile your commitment to the environment, with your choice to work within the construction industry?
KEVIN BRIGHT: There is no doubt that the design and construction industries are major players in carbon emissions and contributors to the changing global climate patterns. So, what better place to work and devote time than an industry that has so much opportunity for improvement? There are also a lot of cost-saving opportunities for organizations, the ability to support local businesses, and the chance to help grow budding industries while doing environmental good.
People think about sustainability in different ways. We all have different motivations for any variety of projects, and I try to build from places of shared purpose and common goals, of which I believe there are many.
The role of Sustainability Manager is new to Kraus-Anderson, though we’ve been evolving our understanding of and involvement in the environmental and sustainability movement for decades. How does the creation of this role address and elevate KA’s services?
KEVIN BRIGHT: The idea is to build upon past successes, formalize a programmatic approach, and set some high-level goals and targets for the organization for ongoing accountability. Given the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark electrification bill that incentivizes sustainability and energy efficiency like never before, there are a lot of opportunities for unique design approaches.
Increasingly, clients are seeking more environmentally friendly approaches, whether that be by reducing a project’s carbon impact in the design phase through the selection of cleaner materials, identifying opportunities to reduce emissions throughout construction, or energy-efficient improvements within operations of the facility. There are a lot of great examples of this work being done on KA projects, and the creation of this role looks to build upon these practices further!
What are some things you think may surprise readers that fall under the sustainability umbrella?
KEVIN BRIGHT:
While working with the DMC and City of Rochester a lot of my focus was on quality of life needs in the community, looking at energy and EV options for public transit, as well as increasing the housing options and affordability levels and encouraging new and existing developer interest to develop those products.
One project am particularly proud of is the development of a community co-design process that encourages an equitable approach to community engagement by prioritizing the input of historically excluded populations from public decision-making processes. The World Economic Forum just completed an article on the approach to encourage this approach to other communities.
Sustainability isn’t just about making things energy efficient, reducing carbon footprint, etc. Personally, a question I ask myself as I work through a project is, “What are we sustaining?” To me, part of these changes is finding what is fair for all people and changing the way we do things so that they are fair and maintainable, as well as environmentally friendly and good for the planet. Part of creating or maintaining fair green efforts means including all the people that are part of that community in building the solutions and enjoying their benefits. Each time we completed a co-design effort, our solution or project was better for it as some perspective or thinking came up that the Project Team hadn’t considered.
KA works with a variety of market sectors. Will sustainability services or resources differ based on the sector? For example, consider a K12 project versus a healthcare project.
KEVIN BRIGHT: In both circumstances, really, all buildings are built for people. This opens the door for further opportunities for improving the indoor environment and looking closely at materials and operations that impact human health. Simply put, building a facility that has good indoor air, produces natural light, etc., is directly tied to health, happiness, and productivity. Healthcare projects would all likely appreciate these outcomes, too, as a happy and healthy workforce helps patients work through their recovery.
All of these outcomes – health, happiness, and productivity – are tied to sustainable design and building practices.
In all cases, energy efficiency will always be important when building or remodeling existing space. Beyond that, schools may be more interested in solar panels or biodigesters because these technologies can be tied back into the school’s curriculum and be turned into a hands-on activity for students, like what Columbia Heights Schools did.
How do you plan on measuring your success at KA?
KEVIN BRIGHT: On the organizational level, the path is to develop a carbon reduction plan and elements of the ESG plan that include short-, mid-, and long-term goals, as well as build programs that put us on a pathway to meet those targets. On the project side, I will work with our teams to highlight the sustainability approaches currently in place, listen to Owners’ goals for various projects, and lay out a strategy that highlights what we have and what we can offer, and, hopefully, win some projects as a result.
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