Emily Wadhams
Emily Wadhams
Vice President, Public Policy
National Trust for Historic Preservation
What is preservation's role in promoting sustainable development?
Preservation is sustainable development! Our problems with global warming are the result of over-consumption. I often think that this fact gets lost in the conversation about green building. We can’t address global warming in a meaningful way without consuming less, and preservation – by definition – is a way of consuming less.
But sustainable development isn’t just about environmental concerns; it’s important to think about the economic, social and cultural dimensions as well. Preservation creates more jobs – using fewer materials – than new construction, on top of being a valuable way of preserving our heritage as it is expressed in the built environment.
What is your personal vision for the Preservation Green Lab?
My vision is that decision-makers at the local, regional and state levels around the country will understand the value of preservation in both combating climate change and in creating green jobs.
What do you hope the Preservation Green Lab will accomplish within its first year? Its first five years?
In the first year, we expect the Preservation Green Lab to be hard at work in the cities of Seattle, San Francisco and Dubuque. We want to share the lessons we learn with other communities and states around the country. We’ll also be on our way to selecting other cities to participate as partners.
In five years, we hope to have influenced state and local policy around the country. We hope to have completed or be working on projects in selected states and cities of all sizes and in all regions – projects that facilitate reinvestment, rehabilitation and the greening of our historic buildings. This will include work on energy and building codes, zoning ordinances, energy retrofit programs, climate action plans, municipal and regional plans, job training programs, and whatever else is needed from us. And all of this will be done in a way that respects the historic character of the buildings and the places that people care about.
What lessons do you hope elected officials and local decision-makers will learn from the Preservation Green Lab and its initiatives?
We hope that decision-makers clearly understand that resource conservation must be the foundation of their local and statewide efforts to address global warming. And I hope that they understand that preservation is one of the best ways - if not the best way – to reduce our use of natural resources, and that it does so in a way that creates more jobs and preserves the character of our communities.
What about the general public?
We hope that the general public understands that making older homes and buildings more energy efficient is about as green as it gets. By dong that, you are reducing energy use and carbon emissions, and if you hire people to help with that effort, you are helping your local economy.
