Edwin Lim discusses integrating sustainability into business decisions. He shares his career experience in sustainability and building performance. Climate change is having real impacts like shrinking glaciers. While most people want to be environmentally responsible, sustainability is not fully integrated into daily decision making. To make sustainability truly sustainable, it must be factored into operational improvements, capital replacement projects, marketing strategies, risk planning, and overall business strategy. Some examples are provided of how sustainability initiatives can produce savings opportunities and meet other organizational goals. The presenter argues it is time for organizations to integrate sustainability into their daily decisions for the sake of future generations.

1. Integrating Sustainability
into
into
Business Decisions
Edwin Lim
Senior Vice President
Sustainability & Building Sciences
S t i bilit & B ildi S i

2. My Sustainability Journey
My Sustainability Journey
– Career
• 16+ Years in Intelligent Building Technology &
Energy Efficiency
• 5 Years as a Sustainability Executive with large
Real Estate Operator
• Sustainability & Building Performance
Sustainability & Building Performance
Consulting
– Volunteerism

3. Climate Change Science
Climate Change Science

4. Real Impacts of Climate Change
Real Impacts of Climate Change
Helm Glacier, Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia
l Gl i
1929 2002
Photos: BC Archives, J. Koch; Peter Corbyn

5. Climate Change impact on Humans
Climate Change impact on Humans

6. Human Impact on Climate Change
Human Impact on Climate Change

7. So what have I learned?
So what have I learned?
Source: NASA

8. People want to do the right thing!
People want to do the right thing!
The Majority of us agree that we should leave the planet
j y g p
in better conditions for future generations and we should
not eat, breathe or drink the stuff!

9. So why isn t it happening?
So why isn’t it happening?
Source: NASA

10. People have been programmed to
make environment a charity?
k h

11. In order to make Sustainability truly
Sustainable we must integrate it into
Sustainable we must integrate it into
our every day decision making.

12. Price Signal
thru Policy
h li
Current State:
Electricity Pricing is not differentiated
based on Generation Source and
Environmental Impacts are treated as
an externality.
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Desired State:
Environmental Impact of Generation
Source is integrated into Electricity
Pricing to drive migration to greener
source and reduce usage of dirtier
source and reduce usage of dirtier
sources.

13. Savings driven
Business Case
i C
Even without any Policy Change there
are enough opportunities to integrate
Sustainability Initiatives into enterprise
projects and initiatives:
1. Operational Improvement
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2. Capital Replacement
3. Enterprise Marketing
4. Enterprise Risk Planning
5. Enterprise Strategy

14. Example:
Integrating Sustainability into
Integrating Sustainability into
Operational Improvement
Challenge:
• Building appears to operate based
on Complaint‐o‐meter!
• Uncertain of Building Sustainability
Performance.
• Increasing Tenant demand for
Sustainability .
Solution:
• Have Building Optimized as part of a
Re/Retro‐Commissioning Initiatives
• Benchmark Building Performance
against peer buildings.

15. Example:
Integrating Sustainability
Integrating Sustainability
into Capital Replacement
Challenge:
• Building Asset near end of life.
• New Technology shows savings with
10 Year Payback.
• Critical Failure would drive like for
like replacement.
Solution:
• Treat replacement cost of end of life
Asset as a sunk cost.
• Integrating Sustainability produces
new options for driving additional
savings.
• Improve payback to 6 years net or a
single year payback incrementally.

16. Example:
Integrating Sustainability
Integrating Sustainability
into Enterprise Marketing
Problem:
• Exterior Signage based on standard
T12 Fluorescent Technology
• Business Case for Replacement was
economically viable but competition
economically viable but competition
for capital resources was
challenging.
Integrating :
• Integrate Sustainability into other
Product/Brand Launch initiative.
• Integrate new look of LED signage
into desired Brand Image.
g
• Balance carbon impact of extended
operating hours with carbon
reduction from higher efficiency
signage.

17. Example:
Integrating Sustainability into
Integrating Sustainability into
Enterprise Risk Planning
Challenge:
• Aging Information Technology
Infrastructure in high carbon
electrical jurisdiction.
• Upgrades complicated by mission
critical nature of Infrastructure
Solution:
• Integrate Sustainability into long
term planning.
• Develop new facilities in new low
carbon electrical jurisdiction.
carbon electrical jurisdiction
• Utilize high efficiency IT technology
in new facilities.
• Consider On Site Renewable
Energy Generation

18. Will you integrate Sustainability into
your organization’s Daily Decisions?
’ l
Source: NASA

19. What can you do?
What can you do?
Speak Up
S k
• Get strategic and innovative align yourself
Get strategic and innovative, align yourself
with Corporate Strategy & potential Allies.
• Win the conversation, don’t let denial or the
status quo go unchallenged!
h ll d!
• Learn from others, and celebrate and share
y
your SUCCESS!!!!

20. The Time for Action Is...
The Time for Action Is
Because, even though...
Because even though

21. It isn’t
isn t
This
Thi one
Source: NASA

22. This one is the
only Earth we
will ever have,,
Source: NASA

23. or love,
or love or touch,
or touch
or tend for our
children
children
Source: NASA

24. and their children.
and their children.