Most people are so busy trying to save energy with their cars what they don’t realize is that buildings account for 40% of the energy use in this country. The American Institute of Architect’s [AIA] plan to lobby for a ‘Rebuild and Renew’ effort doesn’t place as great an emphasis on sustainable design as it should. But pressuring the financial sector to release funds for new development, cutting back government regulation of small business and infrastructure funding will help. We all know this, and knew this 2 years ago. Yet we have seen little movement to jump start the real economy – the world economy is still working thru the recession. We are no longer the big fish in a small pond. We are one of many markets trying to work out thru innovation and design a new post-recession world.

http://www.aia.org/advocacy/federal/index.htm