Big Green: Finding a green firm

[Amy Bauman]

On the "studio" approach, I've got a contrasting thought.  While I realize
that the original question was about gauging the sincerity / credibility of
green claims, I'm working with some firms that would never make the list
today, but I think WILL make the list in a year or so.  

The larger a firm is, the less chance a fundamental change will take place.
I honestly see a "studio" approach working as a way for a historically
"tannish-green" firm to test market an approach, see how it flies with
certain clients, and begin to build a skill set.

We experienced this with one architectural firm that was looking for a way
to donate building materials.  We were called in for a presentation by a
very junior associate, and I presented some ideas on residential salvage.
The presentation quickly took root, and the senior partner asked for a one
page brochure they might use to present our services to clients.

Out of that one presentation, that one junior associate, we have built a
program that the firm routinely presents to its clients and has diverted 25
tons of usable materials back into use.  Buoyed up by that success, we kept
marketing a residential program that I personally never thought would amount
to much ... 80 tons program-wide.  

I think that bottom-up change is valid.  Not usually the norm, and I very
much agree that it's hard to decipher the difference between claims that a
vendor makes and the reality of performance.  


Amy Bauman, LEED AP
greenGoat
(registered 501c3, SOWMBA-certified)
www.greengoat.org
617-666-5253
abauman at greengoat.org

(Boston)