Between Words and Deeds: Case Studies Exploring the Rhetoric and Reality of Environmentally Sustainable Building Projects

Abstract

Many organizations promote a positive, sustainability driven outlook in their construction projects (rhetoric). However, behind the scenes the story gets more complex (reality). This paper examines the relationship between the rhetoric and reality in environmental sustainability practices of organizations involved in construction projects through six case studies of educational, mixed-use, single-family, and multifamily residential buildings in the United States and Asia. 

We find that both internal (e.g., a company's mission, values, or sustainability budget) and external (e.g., government regulations, subsidies, and sustainability claims of competitors) factors influence the distance between rhetorical claims and actual environmental sustainability practices and achievements in building design and construction. Our preliminary case analyses suggest that the rhetoric should be set higher than the reality, but the rhetoric must remain achievable. The distance becomes a driving force, motivating the company to align its practices with their claims. Once a company’s reality matches their rhetoric, a more ambitious rhetoric should be established, creating a reinforcing positive loop towards increasing the environmental sustainability of projects. When the company does not revise their rhetoric to maintain this healthy distance, whether because the rhetoric and reality overlap or because this distance becomes too large, momentum is lost, and companies reduce or even abandon their efforts to advance their sustainability efforts. 

For leaders and managers, these case studies highlight the importance of paying attention to the distance between the rhetoric and reality of environmental sustainability to support positive loops that advance the reality of environmental sustainability in construction projects.