BNIM Celebrates Earth Day 2020
It is Earth Day in 2020.
Now, more than ever, things are shifting. Our priorities remain the same, but over the last month, they have intensified. On this 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we are celebrating 50 years of practice here at BNIM, while reporting on what lies ahead.
“The attitude toward the common good and the public realm is really important at this time. It is important that we look well beyond the work we do as a firm, and as individuals, and have a wholistic approach towards problem-solving and making the world a better place.” – Steve McDowell, President and CEO.
One thing we are keeping top of mind: relationships.
Healing the Earth relies on relationships. How humans and buildings interact to nature is either loving or destructive. How we, as designers, achieve impactful design outcomes is by approaching each project with right questions from the very beginning. This is what drives us – making the world a better place to live by healing the land, water and air. We believe that we fail as designers when we hurt these relationships. So we are doing something about it.
Our 2019 Sustainability Action Plan Annual Report, Subject To Change, represents BNIM’s commitment to our planet. We are committing to reducing the embodied carbon dioxide emissions across all of our projects by:
65% by 2030
100% by 2040
20% net positive by 2050
Our Action Plan requires that all projects, big and small, start off by setting clear performance goals with the project team and client, and then report metrics through the life of the project across six categories: Energy, Water, Ecology, Wellness, Equity, and Resources. BNIM’s sustainability team dedicated the last year to training staff, building a new suite of tools and strategies, and working with project teams to establish project metrics and baseline, office-wide goals in our united quest to shape a regenerative future.
Today and everyday, we celebrate the Earth with our clients, colleagues, and peers. May your work also aim to touch the quality of the water, the air, and the Earth.
