Trust the Private Sector

Now that we've got a foothold, tenuous though it may be, in recovery, it seems the talk is once again turning to sustainability. (We were all too busy trying to keep our heads above water during the downturn to worry about green things, unless a tenant asked, and no one was leasing anyway, so…)

But this column isn't really about energy efficiency. It's more a rant against the apparent need of government to insinuate itself into the workings of the private sector. In preparation for this month's cover story (as well as for the Shape of Things to Come panel I'll be moderating at BOMA's Every Building Show in Seattle this June), I've spent a lot of time with the good folks of that group. And the effort to educate/cajole/stop-dead-in-their-tracks legislators before they wreak havoc on this industry is ongoing.