SD Lags on Green Buildings

The Madville Times reported in May on the potential educational and budget benefits of green buildings. The main Sioux Falls newspaper (which still advertises smut, so be careful when you click) reports today that a few developers are taking up the green challenge in Sioux Falls. No schools yet, but we can hope that these new downtown projects -- Cherapa Place, Courthouse Square, the Museum of Visual Materials, Larson Square, and The Arches -- will help spread the gospel on sustainable building techniques.

Support for green building in South Dakota comes not a moment too soon. According to the Ben Shouse article, "South Dakota was the last state to have a project registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is one of four states that still does not have a certified project." Alas, South Dakota is playing catch-up on this progressive issue.

One shouldn't expect high moral principles to carry green building principles to prominence. It will likely be a matter of dollars: show developers they can build a better building for less, and they'll do it. The Madville Times notes with pleasure that today's article gives numbers that square with the building costs and savings we cited back in May. According to Shouse, Howalt-McDowell Insurance, the Cherapa Place developer, paid 1-2% more for its heating and cooling system, but it will recoup that cost in five to eight years thanks to cheaper energy bills. Add in the productivity benefits from more windows, flooring with lower chemical emissions, and other green qualities, and you've got a building that will attract tenants and workers and make money.

Shouse notes that it may take a while to convince our very conservative developers and owners to go green. He suggests that Midwesterners might view green building as one of those fancy concepts from the coasts. But in a global economy where we have to do business (and compete) with folks from the coasts and beyond, South Dakota needs to stay on top of the newest and the best building practices. Developers like Anne Scherschligt will help South Dakota have a fighting chance of competing with our progressive neighbors for businesses and residents.