Sherif Goubran, PhD candidate in the Individualized Program and public scholar, published an opinion piece in The Montreal Gazette.
In the op-ed, Goubran discusses the impacts of buildings on our environment. He addresses an often-observed confusion between the terms green and sustainable. He clarifies that building sustainably requires dedicating equal attention to a structure's environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts. He believes that the narrow focus on energy efficiency and emission reduction misses a key point.
"Our kitchen appliances come with an environmental rating sticker proclaiming their virtues. But a building is more complex than a refrigerator. The buildings we construct serve many complex social, cultural and economic purposes. We live, work and learn in them. They shape our identity and culture. They sustain human progress," Goubran writes.
"We must be more critical, and consider not only how much energy a building consumes, but what this energy is used for. We have to move beyond the narrow focus on efficiency to consider the broader effects and benefits buildings present us."