Green Building Law Update : Green Building & Construction LEED AP, Lawyer & Attorney Chris Cheatham : Washington DC, Virginia, New York City

Over the past week, we have been discussing AIG's AIGRMGreen Reputation Coverage.  I had speculated that this insurance might cover bad press resulting from allegations of greenwashing. 

Turns out, AIG's insurance product covers more than just bad press. 

Mark Rabkin, my green building insurance guru, located a copy (PDF) of the AIGRMGreen Reputation Coverage.  From my reading of the policy, it would actually cover a green building project that failed to achieve LEED certification.  Come along with me as we read an insurance policy.  Don't worry, I have only picked out a couple of sections:



So what is considered an "adverse green claim"? 



I have been clamoring for this type of insurance policy for awhile.  I thought it would take much longer to create.  This is an important first step to properly insuring owners, contractors and architects involved with projects seeking LEED certification. 

We will definitely be discussing this policy in more detail.  Take a look at the policy (PDF) if you get a moment.  What do you think? 

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When I read about the AIGRMGreen Reputation Coverage, which covers bad press for green building projects, I immediately thought of allegations of greenwashing. From wikipedia:

Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.

One particular type of greenwashing involves projects seeking or building to LEED standards. A recent Grist article detailed one instance of alleged greenwashing through the use of LEED:

Take, for instance, the highly controversial parking garage plopped in the middle of Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. Conceived and championed by the Piedmont Park Conservancy and the Atlanta Botanical Garden as a way to raise funds and provide parking space for folks attending the park’s special events (like the upcoming “Green Concert” starring Sir Paul McCartney), this “built to LEED standards” structure has been largely derided by neighborhood groups, including Friends of Piedmont Park (FOPP), as being a decidedly improper use of park space.

“We’re upset about the conversion of more public green space to cement and concrete,” says Jack White, a FOPP board member.

Grist is a very popular environmental website. After this story ran, other websites then picked up the story, resulting in substantial negative publicity for this construction project.

Is this the type of scenario that would be covered by the AIGRM Reputation Coverage? If the Piedmont Park had this coverage, would the Grist article represent a reasonable claim under the policy? And again, how would you measure the associated damages?

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How did we all miss this?  While AIG may have had its problems recently, it certainly has created an innovative green building insurance product: 

Did you know you can get insurance to cover you if your green building project goes awry?  Obviously, I would have to read the exclusions (I haven't), but theoretically I could envision that the AIGRMGreen Reputation Coverage would cover your project if it failed to achieve LEED certification. 

In order to offer particular coverage, an insurance company has to be able to measure the risks and potential damages.  How do you measure the damages from bad publicity resulting from a green building project?

Any AIG readers out there?  I would love to talk to you about this coverage! 

Photo:  happymichaelchung

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