News

Link to The Hollywood Reporter (May 9, 2025) | The Environmental Media Association kicked off its ninth annual Impact Summit on Thursday, rolling out a two-day lineup of stars and activists for wide-ranging conversations about the environment. A large focus of the summit’s first day was discussing the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires that devastated the […]

Link to Go Green Radio w. Jill Buck (May 2, 2025) | In January 2025, the LA Wildfires were among the worst climate disasters of our time. The US Green Building Council-California, with support from Arup, has assembled the California Wildfire Rebuilding Guide as a resource for homeowners looking to make critical decisions on their rebuilding journey, and […]

Link to VXNews (April 8, 2025) | VX News recently sat down with Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of [USGBC California] to discuss the organization’s priorities since expanding statewide last year, including collaborative efforts to align policies on building performance, championing resilience in reconstruction efforts, and navigating key challenges in the building and construction industry exacerbated by […]

Link to Marketplace (March 28, 2025) | [Jake] Olson applied to be part of a pilot project after seeing an ad in a utility newsletter. His is one of 30 homes in Los Angeles chosen for the project. Half stay the same. The other half get free, brand new water-efficient appliances, faucets, showerheads and toilets, […]

Link to Forbes.com (March 25, 2025) | LA area residents who lost their homes, or had heavy damage, during the January fires have a long and difficult road to recovery ahead… What are the takeaways from this tragedy for others involved in developing, building, buying, owning and, yes, regulating home construction in high risk fire […]

Link to APR’s “Marketplace” (Feb. 27, 2025) | …So rebuild faster, you have to build the same house, but you might not be able to afford it, and it might burn just like the old one did. That is why some building professionals are thinking bigger picture about how to design neighborhoods that are cheap and […]

Link to Spectrum News 1 (Feb. 20, 2025) | More than 16,000 homes and structures were destroyed by the Los Angeles-area fires, leaving many homeowners looking for a wildfire defense approach as they rebuild. It’s a position California residents have been increasingly facing, as wildfires become more common in the state. In response, the California Office of Emergency […]

Link to Sustainability Magazine (Feb. 20, 2025) | On average, Los Angeles (LA) produces 30 million tonnes of waste each year, with the majority heading to landfill. To tackle this issue, The Port of LA (PLA) is committed to achieving zero waste within its facilities and property boundaries. …”Driving forward the clean energy transition in […]

Link to CSM (Feb. 10, 2025) | Weeks after fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures in Greater Los Angeles, thousands of people are living where they can: in hotel rooms, in long-term rentals, with family or friends. …But rebuilding quickly and with objectives like resilience and efficiency doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive, says Amy […]

Link to LAist (Feb. 7, 2025) | Lithium–ion batteries have been making headlines since the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires broke out a month ago. From concerns about evacuating in an electric vehicle, to the challenges of cleaning up these batteries, we spoke with experts about how society grapples with worsening disasters largely fueled by the […]

Link to Los Angeles Times (Jan. 30, 2025) | If we want to build a safer future for Los Angeles, we can’t keep repeating the mistakes of the past. …Climate advocates are alarmed by the apparent rush to rethink clean energy rules. Ben Stapleton serves as executive director of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council California, […]

Link to Bloomberg (Jan. 17, 2025) | California politicians are rushing to make it easier for residents to rebuild their homes incinerated in the Los Angeles firestorms. That means waiving green construction mandates designed to combat climate change — which is driving such conflagrations by making conditions hotter and drier — as well as suspending environmental […]