1. Develop an EcoCost Budget
A basic question to be considered and answered in
detail in the early stages of brief development for a new proposal is what environmental expenditure should
be made on it? Projects are well organised where it comes to
financial considerations but in the arena of ecological and environmental impact there is little or no
consideration of the allowable 'EcoCost' of any proposal.
An EcoCost Budget, when properly set up, will allow
proponents of any particular proposal to obtain a quantitative appreciation of how much resource expenditure
the particular endeavour deserves, in terms of its social, cultural or contextual importance. Designers should be able to budget, in an ecological sense, for the use of
highly desirable but perhaps ecologically costly materials or systems in a trade off with using low EcoCost
strategies in other areas to keep within an overall ecological expenditure allowance for the
project. Within the EcoCost Budget an allowance would be made
for the longevity and robustness of the proposal. The EcoCost
should be spread over the useful life of the building, allowing a greater EcoCost to be justified by a much
increased lifespan. Conversely the EcoCost rises with
short-lived schemes.
The nature of the proposal’s significance to society as
a whole, in economic, artistic and cultural terms will effect its EcoCost budget. Who gets to determine the EcoCost Budget will be the issue of greatest
importance to the concept’s long term success, they must be part of an overt community
governance.
So … Rule of Thumb … Even if it has to done in isolation from current authority, develop and
instigate the concept of an Ecological Resource Expenditure Budget for all projects based on their perceived
worth to the community. Treat it in the same way as an economic
budgeting.
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