We play a role in shaping regulation. In Australia WSP Lincolne Scott contributed to Australia’s Energy Efficient Non-Residential Buildings Scheme Bill 2009, which advocates incentives for energy efficiency in commercial building.
The Bill never became law, but it was influential in helping shape an emissions scheme for property owners, which is currently going through Parliament.
Elsewhere we regularly provide input into government consultations and provide support for campaigns that seek to improve the regulation in the built environment. For example the campaign for display energy certificates to be made mandatory in the UK.
WSP Flack + Kurtz was a founding member of the USGBC Green Building Council, participated in the early development of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard, has been a design team member for 15 LEED Platinum projects and has provided commissioning services for 4 more LEED Platinum projects. WSPFK personnel actively participate in several organizations promoting sustainable building, including AIA, ASHRAE, BOMA and ULI. THE WSPFK New York office has been very active in supporting Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC and the Greener Greater New York programs, through participation in the Green Building Codes Committees and the Department of Building Sustainability Review Board. Daniel Nall, WSPFK’s Director of Sustainability was recently named to the first class of USGBC LEED Fellows.
WSPFK actively monitors it carbon footprint, and has been Carbon Neutral since 2008.
We helped launch one of the world’s leading strategic sustainability programmes. WSP board member, Stuart McLachlan, joined 13 industry leaders on the Environment Leadership Team of Business in the Community (BITC), to advise the UK business-led social and environmental organisation on the strategic direction of its environment campaign. Most recently we have supported the design and launch of Vision2050 – a programme launched in September 2011 – which works with companies to help them identify the opportunities for boards to grow through sustainability.
We support sustainability in our cities. Our Group Head of Sustainability, Dr Paul Toyne supports the development of London as a leading global sustainable city, through his role as a London Sustainable Development Commission. Paul was appointed to this role in 2010 by the Mayor of London. Elsewhere, Paul provides in kind support through his chairing of Constructing Excellence’s sustainability forum, and chairs the UK’s Strategic Forum for Construction’s Carbon working group.
We learn from our operations. We were the world’s first business to launch a personal carbon tracking and reward scheme for staff – helping them measure and reduce their carbon impact outside work. Today this is a programme that we license to others, and which is providing a practical, engaging and positive way for staff to understand and reduce their own environmental impacts.
We support like-minded organisations. WSP has been a long standing supporter of Green Building Councils. Our major businesses have been founder members of Green Building Councils, and whenever we can we participate in the Councils’ work and supporting their mission. Given our expertise we are often asked by Green Building Councils to advise their programme work. For example, the Green Building Council of South African contracted us as their technical consultant to develop their rating tool for new and refurbished commercial retail centres across South Africa to help improve the sustainability of the property sector. In the UK Green Building Council have appointed us to provide a sustainability leadership programme for senior managers in the built environment, in partnership with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership.