Advocacy + Policy


Throughout USGBC California’s history, leading sustainable policy and advocacy efforts at the local, regional, state, and national levels has been a critical priority. We remain committed to impactful policymaking and effective advocacy in ways that remain engaging, generative, and responsive to shared priorities industry-wide.

Our interpretation of advocacy extends far beyond writing support letters and tracking state legislative bills. USGBC California is about people. As such, our advocacy efforts center the people we serve and are interwoven into all we do. That is to say, our mission is our advocacy. Our programming is our advocacy. Our events are our advocacy. Our projects are our advocacy. Our trainings are our advocacy. Galvanizing our member base is our advocacy. Activating our community is our advocacy.

 

We strongly believe that together we can create a more sustainable future for all and invite you to actively consider the following ways that you can join us in our advocacy: 

 

Below you can find more information related to our policy and advocacy work:

  • Current Priorities & Core Strategy 
  • Climate Policy & Advocacy Resource Hub 
  • Requesting a Letter of Support from USGBC California 
  • Advocacy Day

USGBC California has identified the following as Current Priorities in our policy and advocacy work:

 

Our Core Strategy is anchored in the following:
  • Furthering relationships with public agencies, local and state legislatures, and mission-aligned organizations in the region
  • Interweaving advocacy efforts throughout all of USGBC California’s programs, events, & culture 
  • Educating USGBC California members on our advocacy priorities and inviting their ideas and involvement in various initiatives 
  • Bringing awareness of climate policies, initiatives, and new technologies to our community
  • Working with other chapters throughout the State of California to fortify a strong volunteer network for advocacy and policy initiatives 
  • Spearheading ‘California Advocacy Day’ 
  • Reimagining our annual ‘Advocacy Day’ 
  • Fostering dialogue between our membership and local and state agencies related to code updates, code implementation efforts, and our advocacy + policy priorities 
  • Collaborating with Advocacy Team at USGBC National to coordinate and deliver resources to our membership base 

 


This living resource is intended to serve as a one-stop-shop clearinghouse to view and access tools, information, technical resources, funding opportunities, and more. It will evolve and be updated frequently, stay tuned!


USGBC California has a proven track record for advocating alongside mission-aligned organizations, community groups, and our membership base on relevant climate action initiatives and issues of the day. We believe in the power of the collective to spearhead impactful movement towards environmental justice, carbon emissions reduction, high-road jobs, equity and respect for all, and ecological innovation.  

As such, we welcome requests for letters of support for changes to local, regional, and statewide climate policy and legislation, green building code reform, grant funding for environmentally-responsive projects and initiatives, and more. 

Please complete this form at least five (5) business days prior to your deadline.

*Requests requiring a turnaround of less than five (5) days will not be considered.*

 

Our Process Flow:
Here’s what to expect after submitting your request:

 

  1. USGBC California Advocacy Team (‘The Team’) may take up to 48 hours to provide a response on whether a letter of support for your request can be granted.
  2. If the request is granted, the Team will fulfill your request within the agreed-upon timeframe and send an email with the signed, final letter of support.
  3. If the request needs further consideration, the Team will actively communicate the need for more information and when a response can be expected. 
  4. At the very end of the process, the Team will distribute a two-question survey for feedback on the experience.

 

Thank you for thinking of USGBC California to support your important initiative!


California Green Building Advocacy Day (Advocacy Day) is a day for USGBC California, its members, and other mission-aligned partner organizations to convene in Sacramento and advocate for the top legislative bills related to shared industry priorities. We aim to annually mobilize our State advocacy efforts to ensure our collective voices are heard by the Legislature and other decision-makers that can shepherd macro-level climate-related policies. 

Our main objective for Advocacy Days is to expand dialogue with State Leaders on current issues, concerns, and perspectives related to green building and sustainable development, influence State-level policymaking by bringing awareness on how bills in the Legislature have impact to the community on the ground, establish a continuous presence with California State Leaders, and be an ongoing technical resource for them and their teams.

For more information about these events and more, please check out our Events page or contact the USGBC California Advocacy + Policy Team at advocacy@usgbc-ca.org

We focus our Advocacy Days every year by tracking the momentum and changes within the State Legislature and targeting the top legislative bills centering climate action & LEED. This process anchors us to then invite USGBC California members and partners to join us in advocating for bills that could make an impact within our community.

 

We typically organize our efforts in three parts: 

  • Pre-Advocacy Day Virtual Training & Prep Session
  • In-person Advocacy Day w/State Representatives
  • Post-Advocacy Day Virtual Recap & Next Steps

Advocacy Days are a great and, more importantly, FUN opportunity to make your voice heard alongside other passionate practitioners and actively participate in sharing why climate action and high-performance buildings in our community are important to you. No previous experience with advocacy or policy is required. You are teamed with others for various meetings with State representatives and we provide talking points, training, and other materials to ensure you are well-equipped to participate in these conversations. 

For those that are interested, yet cannot participate in-person, we offer alternative calls to action such as writing support letters on the top bills identified for Advocacy Day in a given year or participating in virtual campaigns that reach State representatives prior to Advocacy Day and throughout the Legislative season. 

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