GREENPEACE CO-FOUNDER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST GREEN BUILDING AGENDAS

publication date: Jun 17, 2008

Greenpeace co-founder and former leader Patrick Moore spoke out against activist environmental groups that try to politicize the green building agenda.

In an address to members of the National Association of Home Builders at their recent National Green Building Conference in New Orleans, Moore said, "Greenpeace is using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building standard as a Trojan horse to deliver an activist agenda that is not in line with science or sustainability."

Moore, who is the chair and chief scientist at consulting firm Greenspirit Strategies Ltd., purported that agendas adopted by Greenpeace and other activist organizations go against sound green building practices and that they will “likely do more harm than good."

He cited Greenpeace’s opposition to hydro power, nuclear energy, forestry standards and vinyl products, commenting, "How ironic since nuclear and hydro are among the most sustainable of energy sources while wood and vinyl are among the most sustainable of building materials."

Moore lamented that those viewpoints “have found their way into the LEED standard,” despite a lack of scientific back-up.

"There are over six billion people on this planet, all of whom need food, energy, shelter and materials," said Moore. “We need to be practical and realistic.”

"By initiating campaigns against nuclear and hydro power, wood and vinyl, the Greenpeace agenda would have us deny people basic needs, and that runs completely contrary to true sustainability," said Moore.

He suggested that political agendas and biases can be removed from LEED and other green building standards by encouraging “rigorous competition among the various standards.”
"No green building standard should have a monopoly on the market," said Moore. "Competition is important to ensuring high quality green building standards that are based on sound science and focused on sustainability."