SUMMARY OF 15

SUMMARY OF #15

Ranking of 12 Barriers to More Widespread Sustainable Building Practice

BARRIERS	% of respondents who consider it a "major" barrier	% of respondents who consider it a barrier (major or minor)
1. lack of expressed interest from clients (owners/developers)	84	100
2. lack of training/education in sustainable design/construction	64	100
3. recovery of long-term savings not reflected in service fee structure	52	76
4. sustainable building options too expensive	48	96
5. lack of technical understanding on the part of subcontractors	36	80
6. lack of technical understanding on the part of others on the project team	32	84
7. lack of interest from others on the project team	32	76
8. "green" products not available in my area	32	68
9. insurance/liability problems with offering warranty on non-standard materials or methods	24	60
10. lack of technical understanding on the part of the Clerk of the Works	24	44
11. difficult to obtain financing from banks for sustainable projects	16	68
12. not sure where to get information on sustainable building methods	12	44

While ten of the twelve factors were in fact considered by the majority of respondents to be barriers to the increased adoption of sustainable building practices, the group certainly felt that some factors were bigger barriers than others. According to respondents, the top four "major" barriers are: the lack of expressed interest from clients (owners/developers), the lack of training and education in sustainable design/construction, the failure of service fee structures to account for the recovery of long-term savings, and the higher cost of sustainable building options. Respondents indicated that the first two factors are particularly significant; all agreed that they are barriers, and the majority consider them to be "major" barriers. Approximately half of the respondents feel that the third and fourth are "major" barriers.