Greenwashing, Gaslighting, and Greed

Amidst  record-breaking climate change-driven floods in North Carolina, The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has faced criticism for its efforts to advertise environmentally conscious infrastructure, which have resulted in imminent danger, false advertising and exploitation of government funding. This scandal has, in recent months, been criticized by its employees, especially within the current timeline of the Inflation Reduction Act (which includes the most significant national climate goals to date) in 2022 and the climate-related issues on the United States election ballot this November.

Azalia Dorner, Safety Manager at the SFPUC, commented on microturbines that were added to her office building in 2012 to harvest clean energy. “I watched [the wind turbines] spin frighteningly fast and cause almost a seismic event in our building. It was because they were causing so much vibration.” That following winter, enormous cranes dismantled these precariously installed microturbines. Along with the now-empty network of metal turbine cages, the Platinum LEED rating for environmentally friendly infrastructure remains.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system is a “globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement,” according to their website. Others in the construction industry have their own opinions on its purpose. “It’s kind of a marketing to say, hey, look, we really care about the environment, when, in reality, all that concrete you just put in, … not to mention slave labor that pulls out most of that lithium [isn’t accounted for],” Dorner said. LEED ranks commercial buildings by quantifying the “potential” environmental efforts, checking boxes for every architectural design that could in theory be correlated to increased energy efficiency or cleaner production of resources. They give points leniently for many experimental designs, pushing architects to tinker and think outside the box.

However, Dorner claims the inventive microturbines resulted in disaster and a waste of resources, which is counteractive to the mission of LEED, which is to “provide a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings,” according to their website. When LEED officials evaluate a building and give it a rank—Certified, Gold, Silver and Platinum, in ascending order of points—they deduct up to $1.80 per square foot in tax credits. Additionally, according to the LEED website, LEED-certified apartment buildings make an 11% higher profit in rent than their non-certified counterparts, creating a marketing incentive.

According to Melissa Brewster, Vice President of Operations at Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions, the origins of these financial incentives were to broaden access to green practices that were only accessible to the wealthy in the early 2000s. “It was almost like a delicacy for a home to be able to get [solar panels] and somewhat out of reach for the average person,” Brewster said.

While the San Francisco government reaps significant financial benefits from the LEED certification program, they do not practice what they preach. While gaining money for their environmental endeavors, in 2022 the SFPUC revoked 75% of the previously offered tax credits that homeowners gained for contributing surplus clean energy to the communal grid according to CalMatters. After less than a decade of operation, most components of the SFPUC’s GoSolar program that once offered a large budget toward income-based loans for solar panel installations on homes has been obliterated, as stated on their website. This cancellation has taken a financial toll on local solar panel companies and their clients. A CalMatters statistic also claimed demand for solar panel installment has decreased by 82%.

Both Dorner and Goranka Poljak-Hoy, the architecture teacher at Lick-Wilmerding High School, mentioned the California Academy of Sciences—which upholds their net zero carbon emissions promise—as a model green project in our backyard. Projects like the Academy of Sciences green roof by Renzo Piano employ features that are both “decorative”—the rolling hills of a green roof—and efficient— it remains 40 degrees cooler than a typical roof and minimizes the expansion of concrete, according to Greenroofs.com.

In designing the LWHS cafeteria, Dwight Long was able to replace an estimated $1,000,0000 dollars worth of materials with more environmentally friendly substitutes, Poljak-Hoy noted. Skyscraper designers around the world are beginning to use more timber and less glass, both for more efficient heating and because of lowered carbon emissions in manufacturing.

“My personal concern is the architects who are actually ignoring the alarming signs of environmental disasters, self absorbed, arrogant and disrespectful,” she said. Many current projects around the world do not place climate consciousness as a priority. The Neom city project in Saudi Arabia has commissioned the top 100 architects in the world to design their surreal brand-new city. Its mass-destruction of the local area and flashy glass skyscrapers, fitted with intense cooling systems, are projected to wreak havoc on the global environment, emitting 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Greenly. However, with more strict and airtight laws, these projects may be halted in the future.

Changes to legislation are made through electing representatives who care about citizens’ environmental concerns, locally and beyond. The propositions citizens are voting for in November directly affect the quality and efficacy of the nation’s laws. Dorner, Poljak-Hoy, and Brewster unanimously agreed that their climate change views will impact their vote in the election. Of course, changes in how we evaluate or incentivize climate efforts cannot dissipate overnight, but neither can climate change.

Poljak-Hoy gazes optimistically into the future of environmental solutions. “I’m super positive about my kids [students] going into architecture and making change.”

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Celia Clark

Celia Clark is a senior and a writer for the Paper Tiger. In her free time, she loves swimming at China Beach, painting, camping, writing, and listening to music. Her favorite artists include TV Girl, Mac Miller, FKA Twigs, SZA, and Kendrick Lamar.

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