greenbuilding

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 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 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 […]

As the construction industry transitions toward a more sustainable future, contractors and builders are uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in reducing embodied carbon and operational impacts. While much attention is given to the roles of architects and engineers in decarbonization at the design stage, contractors bring unmatched expertise in material procurement, logistics, and […]

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, […]

LOS ANGELES (January 16, 2025)  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded USGBC California (USGBC-CA) and its team of partners $3.8 million to accelerate building decarbonization in collaboration with municipalities throughout California including the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and local trade organizations. The funds come from the Resilient and […]

Link to LA CityView35 (Dec. 6, 2024) | Mayor Karen Bass was joined by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and LA’s Department of Water & Power [and USGBC-CA] to announce more green jobs, historic electric vehicle infrastructure expansion, and improved alternative water access. (Watch full segment; USGBC-CA Exec. Dir. Ben Stapleton at 11:00 min. mark)

Awards to be Presented at the 20th Annual USGBC California’s Green Gala on Dec. 11th in Hollywood OC Sanitation, L’Oréal, SBCCD, EJ Center at Puente Hills Landfill Park, Contra Costa County Admin Building, Rising Sun and Green Sports Alliance to be Awarded, Among Others LOS ANGELES (December 2, 2024) – On December 11th at the […]

California can fast-track a guideline that reliably reduces heating and cooling energy demand up to 70% below the current Title-24 baseline: Passive House. Together, we can put this climate resilience standard onto builders’ and owners’ radar, simply by adding a voluntary Passive House alternate pathway into California’s Title-24. Without this extension, few will know that Passive […]

Link to Architectural Products (Sept./Oct. 2024, pgs 14-16) | What was once a novelty has become the norm. Green Building, sustainability, and efficient use of resources is a given in nearly every new architectural design, as well as for major renovation projects. But what about net zero? When it comes to carbon, waste, water, and […]

In 1990 my family took a road trip from our hometown in rural Washington down the west coast to Disneyland. The road trip was fantastic, stopping along the way to see beautiful redwoods and rugged coastlines – that is until we drove into Los Angeles. There we were, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the largest […]