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Greener Buildings/Bluer Skies is an exciting, timely and beautifully crafted program that explores one of the world’s “greenest” buildings—the Southern California office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Featuring an interview with Robert Redford and narration by Ted Danson, Greener Buildings/Bluer Skies is the most up-to-date public television documentary on the green building revolution that is transforming cities and communities across the country. Each year in the United States, about seven million acres of forest are cut down for wood to construct and furnish buildings. In the United States, building construction and operations consume nearly 45 percent of the country's energy and more than 80 percent of its drinkable water. As Redford warns at the outset of Greener Buildings/Bluer Skies: The fact is that there’s a tremendous relationship between economics and environmental sustainability, there just is, it can’t be denied. But if somebody doesn’t do something now, we’re going to wake up one day and be in a situation that’s almost irreversible. Opened in the fall of 2003, NRDC’s Robert Redford Building is a landmark accomplishment in sustainable development. As you tour the building, you’ll learn how the wise use of land, water, energy and materials makes The Redford Building a showcase for 21st century green design. Greener Buildings/Bluer Skies illustrates how the 15,000-square foot building uses 60 percent less energy and 60 percent less water than a conventional office of the same size. You will also see how the high-performance structure demonstrates how others can apply the concepts and techniques that went into creating this remarkable office building. |
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Jim Jackson--the program’s writer, producer and director--is an Ojai, California-based filmmaker. In addition to Greener Buildings/Bluer Skies, Mr. Jackson has produced Better, Brighter Schools, an informative look at how environmentally efficient schools reduce energy costs and enhance student attendance and productivity. From 2001 through 2004, Mr. Jackson was the volunteer President of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, the largest land trust in Ventura County, California. Natural Resources Defense Council is one the nation's most effective environmental action organizations. NRDC uses law, science and the support of more than one million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. Worth Magazine has named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities. To learn more about green buildings and smart growth, visit www.nrdc.org/cities. Southern California Edison, which administered the program’s funding under a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission, is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States. SCE serves more than 13 million customers in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California. Over the past five years, SCE’s energy efficiency programs have provided the highest energy savings of any such program in the nation. In fact, SCE has one of the nation’s largest portfolios of energy-efficiency programs, and is committed to energy efficiency and conservation. For more information visit www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings.
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Photography: Tim Street-Porter
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