The Greenbuild International Conference + Expo, took place September 21-23, 2021, in beautiful San Diego, CA.
This annual conference – the largest of its kind – brings together green building architects, designers, builders, sustainability professionals, consultants and government officials to connect, learn and share best practices for achieving healthy and high-performing buildings.
In 2021, the conference was offered with an online attendee option as well as an in-person option complete with COVID-conscious protocols. Even though the conference may have felt different than in years past, the goal remained the same: provide attendees with opportunities to learn and source solutions to improve resilience, sustainability and quality of life in our buildings, cities and communities.
Greenbuild organizers pride themselves on being the premier event for the green building industry, and as a first-time attendee, my experience was in alignment with their sentiments. Attending the conference was amazing, and I was appreciative of this opportunity to learn and grow alongside other attendees. Stakeholders at the conference were engaged and challenged to make positive, critical, and actionable changes, towards net zero, together. As keynote speaker Dan Levy uttered repeatedly, “the only way to move forward is forward together. That’s the only way to counteract what has systematically gotten us to this point.”
Social and racial equity were key themes of the conference. Here are some thoughts, takeaways, and key points from my overall experience, with highlights from some of the speakers I heard from:
From “Centering Health and Social Equity in High Performing Design and Real Estate” presented by Erin Christensen Ishizaki (Mithun), Susan Powers (Urban Ventures, LLC), Kelly Worden (USGBC), and Rodolfo Rodriguez (Washington County Housing Services):
Green building work is social justice work, so we must take a person-centered approach when thinking about sustainability. Therefore, in pursuit of resilience, health must be an imperative for all, not an amenity for few.
It is imperative that we focus on and center practice-oriented tips to advance health and equity throughout the development, design, and operation of future building projects and current real estate.
From “A Model for Driving Equity and Sustainability in Affordable Housing Design” presented by Christian Agulles (PAE), Michael Schaefer (First Community Housing), Veronica Hinkley Reck (SERA Architects), and Lisa Thom (Lendlease):
Equity and equality are not synonymous, so we must meet people, communities, and building owners where they are in their green journey as opposed to making blanketed changes.
That includes taking a “resident-focused” approach to building outcomes and promoting the importance and power of an equitable and integrated building team (building owner, architect, engineer, and design-build project manager).
Community residents, government officials and sustainability professionals must work together to build “resident-focused” housing that is sustainable, affordable, and equitable. Working together can result in high-performing buildings that serve and benefit both people and communities overall.
From “What Is Anti-Racist Sustainability?” presented by Brad Grant (Howard University), Nea Maloo (Howard University), and Bill Walsh (Healthy Building Network):
Due to racist and unjust building policies and procedures, communities of color and low-income communities are constantly the most impacted by unhealthy buildings. These buildings are often described as energy-inefficient and disaster-vulnerable.
Anti-racism, according to the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, is defined as being aware of and eliminating policies that are inherently racist, that have racist outcomes and making sure that ultimately, we’re working towards a more just and equitable society.
Worldwide sustainability requires the use of anti-racist processes in the way we that we teach and practice architecture, design, and construction. This means we must become anti-racist architects, designers, builders, sustainability professionals, consultants, and government officials, who assess sustainable practices and policies through a lens of equity and inclusion.
“ Worldwide sustainability requires the use of anti-racist processes in the way we that we teach and practice architecture, design, and construction. ”
From “LEED for Cities and Communities: A Catalyst for Change in this Decade of Action” presented by Hilari Varnadore (USGBC), Walker Wells (Raimi+Associates), Chris Rhie (Buro Happold), and Kristyn Vega-Payne (City of Long Beach)
It is evident that LEED certified buildings are important for public health, but LEED certified cities and communities promote resilience, sustainability, and social equity for all.
From “Effective Cleaning or Hygiene Theater? Protecting Indoor Air Quality Amid the Pandemic” presented by Taryn Tuss (Green Seal), Doug Gatlin (Green Seal), Emily Gove (BMS Building Maintenance Service), and Brenna Walraven (Corporate Sustainability Strategies):
The pandemic triggered a very natural reaction to increase the usage of harsher chemicals like disinfectants, thereby diminishing the progress made by employing green cleaning practices.
However, disinfectants can be very harmful because constant and long-term exposures to chemicals can lead to significant health effects, especially for vulnerable populations including children, custodial and other frontline workers.
From “Celebrating Leadership: The People and Projects Advancing Health and Wellness, Sustainability, Resilience and Equity Through Green Building” presented by Micah Silvey (GBCI), Jennifer Owens (GBCI) Mary Jane Jagodzinski (Community HousingWorks), Walker Wells (Raimi+Associates), and Glen Folland (VCA Green):
Green building efforts are much more than taking care of the physical structures that we live and work in, it is about taking care of the people in the communities where these buildings are located.
Therefore, green building efforts have been expanded over the years to four main pillars: sustainability, health and wellness, resilience, and social equity. It is important to intentionally prioritize and tell stories about the intersections of those pillars and how they impact affordable housing projects, people, communities and overall green building practices.
From a panel discussion with Selina Holmes (USBGC), Beverly Scott, Ph.D (Beverly Scott Associates), and Kevin Patel (OneUpAction International)
We have a lot of work to do when it comes to making sustainability and green building more equitable and inclusive, but it starts with tearing down stories of “blame and divisiveness.”
That means we must start with building bridges of trust and opportunity so that resources and information can cross those bridges to marginalized people.
It also means demystifying the terminology and processes used in sustainability and green building so that different stakeholders can gain access to information. It then requires that we engage with community partners before we begin doing the work.
Community partners are not just policy makers and political figures but ultimately community members and youth who have the power, determination and grit to drive these green building efforts forward.
“ If we want to make changes in this world, we must seize every opportunity that we can to introduce someone to something new. ”
Green building is a long game, so it is imperative that stakeholders learn to consider the long-lasting impacts as opposed to the presumed instant benefits. Mahesh Ramanujam, outgoing President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, challenged us to “undo the dangers of binary thinking” by effectively educating the general public on how green buildings can improve public health. Additionally, Greenbuild speaker Mike Richter, former NY Ranger NHL all-star and President of Brightcore Energy, reminded us that “health is the foundation of our performance.”
Exposure and proper allocation of knowledge and resources are the keys to helping people believe that our health improves when we all live greener. This especially holds true for marginalized and underserved individuals who are often the most impacted but also the ones left out critical conversations and decisions in green building processes. The time is now for us to change the way we think about green building because when we fail to do so, we take a disjointed approach to sustainability where we focus on people living and dying and not how to make sure people live and thrive.
It is now February and as we celebrate Black History Month this month, these highlights from the Greenbuild conference still echo as a call to action for our industry to continually work to embed social and racial equity into its critical work of climate action, resilience and healthy communities.
