Author: Peggy Smedley
What is a sustainable home? Everyone has a different definition. The Living Lab in South Carolina has been striving to be a model for sustainable living. I also like to see what others are doing to create more sustainable and eco-friendly developments. Consider a new development on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Hunters Point luxury homes are certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum, and are net-positive, meaning they each generate more energy than they consume, and provide a “grid free” experience while annually saving 8 tons of CO2 that would otherwise be emitted. Currently under development, Hunters Point has…
The future of manufacturing could be self-healing. For several years, I have been talking about circularity, and why it is so important that we move to a more sustainable world. In the years ahead, the materials themselves will change. Let’s consider what the future might look like—but first, let’s journey back. For centuries, durable paper and ruffled lace collars were used for packaging products, but the folding cardboard boxes as we know them today were created by accident by an American printer named Robert Gair roughly 150 years ago. Most of us never knew the history, nor did we really…
The construction industry has a two-fold challenge when it comes to the workforce challenge that exists today: attracting new employees and retaining existing ones. The hurdles are mounting, but the solutions are myriad, as we move ahead into a new era of work. The Problem The ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) suggests the construction industry will need to attract nearly 650,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2022. Looking to the future, in 2023, the industry will need to bring in nearly 590,000 new workers on top of normal hiring to meet industry demand. The…
I have been talking about sustainability, climate change, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) for several years now—and now it is all coming to a point where individuals and businesses alike are also beginning to talk about it as well. In fact, many people around the world recognize climate change is a top concern in all geographies. But not surprising, these terms mean different things to different people and different companies and so is adoption levels. A research report reinforces this messaging and so much more. AXA’s ninth edition of its Future Risks Report studies the evolution of perceptions of…
Distracted Driving Awareness Month is every April, but we constantly need to be talking about how to keep our roads a little bit safer. The total number of deaths caused by road traffic accidents in 2020 was 38,824—which is far too many. I believe the solution to this problem is three-fold—and that everyone in industry, academia, and government need to work together to solve this together. My interest was especially piqued when a report crossed my desk about the most dangerous state to drive in and my new home state—South Carolina—was near the top of the list. The research conducted…
State by state, we are seeing more rollout out plans for EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure. Here in my home state of South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster recently signed an executive order, which formalizes the governor’s efforts to coordinate the future rollout of the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure. The Governor announced Executive Order 2022-31 that: Designates an EV Coordinator to serve as a “one stop” resource for the public, business community, and industry stakeholders on EV related issues.Coordinates implementation of strategic initiatives designed to prioritize/enhance ongoing economic development and recruitment efforts by identifying, encouraging, and incentivizing EV and automotive manufactures to…
Total construction starts decreased 19% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.02 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. In September, nonresidential building starts dropped 23%, residential starts fell 11%, and nonbuilding starts declined by 25%. As I always say, during a downturn, we need to improve our business processes and heighten efficiencies—and one of the best ways to do that is with technology. Dodge aims to help construction companies become more efficient with its new platform Dodge Construction Central 2.0, which offers realtime insights, builds new relationships, and accelerates decision making. “Dodge Construction Central 2.0 came to…
We have made a lot of progress with sustainability in the last few years in our businesses, but many are still in the nascent phase of sustainability. We are now discovering that while many organizations have very good intentions these days, the actions don’t always match the intent. This month there were three different studies released that address sustainability in businesses. 451 Research, a part of S&P Market Intelligence, released a paper that revealed a perception-versus-reality dilemma with enterprise organizations believing their sustainability programs are more advanced than they actually are. Here we see the main drivers of sustainability is…
We say it all the time: Today’s homeowner is more tech-savvy than those of the past. And we have the numbers to prove it. Roughly 37% of U.S. internet households own a smart-home device, with each owning an average of eight devices. Such devices include smart video doorbells, smart light bulbs, smart thermostats, smart smoke/CO detectors, smart door locks, smart plugs, smart garage door openers, and more. This is all according to a recent survey by Parks Associates, which studies home habits. One interesting part of the survey answers the question: What does move-in ready mean for a homebuyer? The…
The car of the future will be far different from the cars of the past. Certainly, the next generation of cars will be electric and smart, collecting and disseminating data to create a more comfortable and convenient ride for drivers—but also the car of the future will be manufactured in a way that is more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. And it’s pretty cool for the environment, too! Let’s go for a manufacturing ride. Perhaps one of the most recent examples of this came from an announcement last week between Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft Corp. With the new MO360 Data Platform—which is…