The green campaigner is to speak at next Monday's Construction Confederation conference on eco-aware building – and what he will say may come as a surprise.
Even if you are a leading environmentalist, it seems there is such a thing as killing with green kindness. In the case of Jonathon Porritt, formerly head of Friends of the Earth and now director of Forum for the Future, it would involve making him read another article on Michael Hopkins' Inland Revenue building in Nottingham, or sitting him down with a video of Carol Vorderman's Dreamhouse.

At the very thought of these pleasures, Porritt's suave charm temporarily gives way: "Oh my God! If anyone does another article on that building I'm going to die!" As for poor Carol, Porritt says the programme is "all to the good", but worries that it "puts all that stuff in the zone of science fiction, whereas it should be absolutely bog standard".

There is a serious side to Porritt's media lament. For him, these programmes and articles illustrate one of the reasons why construction has been so slow to wake up to its environmental responsibilities. After a decade of eco-lip service, he fears that the industry still sees low energy as high-tech, and green buildings as the province of high-profile architects or television producers. Instead, in Porritt's persuasive phrasing, energy efficiency "should be a minimum requirement, a service to the customer and to future generations".

That is part of the message he will be delivering on Monday to the Construction Confederation conference, Constructing a Sustainable Environment, at Birmingham's International Convention Centre. Porritt will be urging the industry to meet the challenge of reducing waste and energy on its own terms, rather than having them imposed by government. As he points out, the energy tax introduced in last week's budget – and the aggregates tax that was threatened – are confirmation that this government is ready to legislate for a greener future.

But Porritt will not be thundering the green gospel from on high; he will be arguing from a position of some sympathy with the industry. He acknowledges that pressure has been put on construction to go green without a recognition of the extra costs involved, and without much demand for green buildings from housebuyers or developers. And, as he points out: "It's not exactly a profitable industry. It has to work extremely hard to make margins, it's very competitive and it doesn't have much kudos in society."

Partnering business

Although the industry's progress has been slow, Porritt believes it is noticeable. "There's a readiness to engage. People aren't overwhelmed with enthusiasm, but they're not saying 'leave us in peace'." He also feels that government could be more imaginative in taking the green agenda to housebuyers, occupiers and mortgage lenders, so that the greening of construction becomes as much demand- as supply-led.

"We're still lagging behind where we should have been. But as well as sticks and regulations, we've got to build a much more incentive-based process. The industry, government and environmental organisations all need to make this work. The targets on CO2 can only be met with a joint approach."

The conciliatory tone is in keeping with Forum for the Future's ethos. Whereas Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace lobby and campaign, the three-year-old charity works in "partnership" with business, local authorities and institutions to help them live up to fine-sounding mission statements.

The forum was set up by Porritt, fellow environmentalist Sarah Parkin, and economist Paul Ekin. In its first three-year term, it signed up 15 organisations, including Tesco, Unilever and BT. There are no construction companies among the forum's members, although Laing is part of its looser "Business Network". Porritt hopes to sign up a major industry name this summer when the forum starts its second three-year cycle.

Building on brownfield sites is more complicated and expensive, so government is going to have to do something to make the process flow more smoothly

Construction's new targets

Porritt is reassuringly unequivocal about the need to offer housebuilders and developers financial incentives if the government's target of building 60% of new homes on brownfield land is to be met. "I'm certain we need to see incentives. The government acknowledges that building on brownfield sites is more complicated and expensive, so it's going to have to do more to make that process flow a bit more smoothly."

Surprisingly, he argues that the international environmental policy standard ISO 14001 may be set too high for the majority of construction firms, and only achievable for major concerns with management resources. Instead, he would like to see a DETR-led "corporate commitment initiative" that would help the industry meet its obligations.

Porritt is expert in painting the broad picture with vivid green brush strokes, but he seems a little hazier on the details. At the Kyoto climate control summit, the UK committed itself to cutting greenhouse gases to 12.5% of their 1990 level. Porritt agrees that construction's contribution is "about a fifth" of the total, but hesitates to commit himself to a figure. He is currently writing a book on the interaction of science and politics, but confesses that he "still struggles with the science side of it".

However, setting the scene persuasively rather than filling it with data is very much Porritt's style. Tellingly, his first career was as a teacher of English and drama at a London comprehensive, and it's easy to see how his charisma was honed in the classroom before being transferred to the conference hall. His dark good looks and actorly tones still command listeners' attention, and cast him as the Pierce Brosnan of the green movement.

He lives in Cheltenham with his wife Sarah, a picture conservation adviser for the National Trust, and his daughters Eleanor, 10, and Rebecca, seven. The family lives the green life, but not fanatically so. Their 140-year-old terraced house is thoroughly insulated, but heating the large rooms still results in hefty fuel bills. Porritt does not own a car – he has one bicycle in Cheltenham and one at Paddington Station for London meetings – but occasionally hires one if necessary.

As someone who understands the balancing act involved in minimising impact on the planet, Porritt has sympathy for those confused by the "elusive issue" of sustainable development. He has experience of how it may conflict with environmental friendliness: as an adviser to Wessex Water, he is involved with its Bennetts Associates-designed Bath headquarters, which he says will be built on "fantastic" ideas and compromise.

However, where the more straightforward issues of recycling, waste management and energy efficiency are concerned, Porritt has no sympathy for contractors and consultants that play the "nobody told us how to" card. In the age of the Internet, he says, there is no excuse for failing to access the wealth of information and case studies available from the DETR, the Building Research Establishment or the professional institutions.

Looking ahead, Porritt believes that these issues can only grow in importance as the UK and world governments step up their efforts to meet the Kyoto targets. He also expects to see a shift away from "technologically driven" design and back to indigenous architecture, natural ventilation techniques, and greater use of the country's craft skills. And hopefully – although he is too polite to say it – a bit less of Carol Vorderman's breathless enthusiasm.

Birmingham conference on how to green up

On Monday, the construction industry is set to take a step forward in facing up to the government’s environmental agenda. The Construction Confederation, with co-sponsor Building, is holding a conference and workshop in Birmingham designed to provide ideas that will help companies improve their green performance. And improve they must. Environmental impact is low on most companies’ list of priorities, but its stock is rising. Earlier this month, in what has been called the greenest budget ever, Gordon Brown announced that an energy tax would be introduced in 2001. Although details are still sketchy, big energy users will pay big taxes. So, in the next 18 months, most companies will take a long look at their energy needs and undoubtedly attempt to reduce energy use. Star speaker Jonathon Porritt thinks the construction industry is making good progress but there is a long way to go. He says new legislation, such as the energy tax and stiffer Building Regulations, will help. But confederation chairman Alan Crane, another speaker at the conference, is keen to see the industry start setting its own targets. Crane, who is also leading the Movement for Innovation working group on key performance indicators, wants to see a set of “Egan-style green targets”. And he is backing his words with action. The Christiani & Nielsen boss is considering a new target for his own firm: to cut waste on all projects by 50%. “Don’t just talk about it, do it,” says Railtrack development director Martin Reynolds, who will talk about some of the ways Railtrack has cut waste from its projects. Other speakers include Ed Gallagher, chief executive of the Environment Agency, environmental consultant Professor David Cadman and George Martin, managing director of Stanger Science and Environment.