The 19th Annual Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo: JOIN VIRTUALLY, Aug. 21-22
Registration Open for Equity-Themed Event featuring Keynote Speakers from Beneficial Bank, Emerald Cities Collaborative, IIDA
1st Day: Municipal Green – for Industry
2nd Day (new): Community Green – for General Public, Industry
LOS ANGELES (July 30, 2020) In what feels like ancient times, the U.S. Green Building-Los Angeles Chapter (USGBC-LA) back in early fall of 2019 decided on the following for the 19th Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo (MGBCE): 1) a second day targeted to the the community/general public would be added for the first time, augmenting the 1-day industry event; 2) the location would move to downtown LA for accessibility; and 3) the theme would be Equity. When MGBCE takes place virtually on August 21-22, two of those three ideas will be enacted (we all hope to see everyone in person next year downtown).
The longest-running and largest gathering of leading sustainability and green building advocates within both the public and private sectors in Southern California, MGBCE expects to attract over 1,000 online attendees from across the 88 Southern California-area municipalities, but also many professionals elsewhere who are curious about SoCal’s thought leadership and planning. At a time when most everyone in the region and world are figuring out how to re-enter & re-engage with all kinds of spaces in a COVID and post-COVID world, MGBCE’s 2020 programming is created for those striving to integrate sustainability into municipal action, as well as office and home. To see the Agenda, Speakers & Exhibitors, and to register, please visit www.mgbce.online. Friday is free to USGBC-LA members, $75 for non-members; Saturday’s Community Green day is free for everyone to attend.
The theme of Equity will be weaved throughout all presentations, which include climate action plans, net zero buildings, reach codes, resilience, affordable housing, COVID, firewise design, empathy’s role in design, decarbonization and more. But the notable, cross-industries keynote speakers and lunch panel, in particular, will tackle the theme head-on.
“Last year when we discussed what MGBCE should be focused on in 2020, it was very clear for us that the priority had to be equity, and that in line with that, we’d also reaffirm our commitment to community. Little did we know at the time the increased significance that would take on with the events of this year so far, or how much more we would really need to deliver on that theme as we look at how to maintain momentum in transforming Southern California into a more sustainable region for all,” states USGBC-LA Executive Director Ben Stapleton. “We hope everyone feels we’ve answered that call at this MGBCE by bringing together some our most important voices to address equity for our industry while also bringing together our leaders to discuss how do we continue to innovate and accelerate sustainability in the face of economic, public health, and budget challenges that we will all be faced with in the months to come.”
Keynotes Speakers, Day 1 / Municipal Green (Aug. 21):
Kat Taylor, Chair of the Board at Beneficial State Bank, will kick off the Municipal Green day. She works in service of restoring social justice and environmental well-being, and supports the bank’s mission is to bring beneficial banking to low-income communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, with any distributed profit to be invested in said communities.
Dr. Denise Fairchild, the inaugural president and CEO of Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) will follow, addressing “The Color of Change in the Post COVID-19 Era: Advancing Economic Inclusion in the Clean & Green Economy.” With a well-established background in regional community and economic development, she is charged with advancing the ECC’s “high road” mission to green our cities, build resilient local economies, and ensure inclusion in both the process and outcomes of a new green and healthy economy.
Leading into the lunchtime panel will be Cheryl Durst, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), which supports the work of 15,000 members working in 58 countries. Ms. Durst will bring her expert insight on design, combined with culture, as a social and economic force to her talk, “Equity, Justice, and Environmental Integrity: A Global Imperative.”
The annual lunchtime Power Panel, titled “Sustainability Leaders of Our Region,” will be moderated by KCRW’s Frances Anderton, and feature Gary Gero, Chief Sustainability Officer, County of Los Angeles; Lauren Faber O’Connor, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles; Dr. Cris B. Liban, P.E., Chief Sustainability Officer, LA Metro; and Nancy Sutley, Senior Assistant General Manager of External and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, LADWP. They will dive into how, in this post-COVID reality, and with social and racial equity at the forefront, how do we see the path of sustainability forward? Bottom line: if we don’t address climate change, we don’t address equity.
Closing out the day, award-winning architect, author, and global speaker Eric Corey Freed will address “Using an Innovation Strategy to Achieve Deep Sustainability Amid the Chaos.” Freed serves as Senior Vice President of Sustainability at CannonDesign, and led the XPRIZE for Healthy Buildings.
Keynotes Speaker, Day 2 / Community Green (Aug. 22):
As Community Green day is more interactive, there are fewer speakers and sessions. To set the stage for just such a day will be morning keynote speaker Kimberly Lewis, Senior Vice President for Market Transformation and Development in North America, U.S. Green Building Council. Kimberly is laser focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and advancing transparency and excellence within the green building market.
The event’s final keynote speaker (lunchtime) will be Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, who oversees Perkins&Will’s Diversity, Inclusion, Engagement program. Her unique role as an award-winning principal and the firm’s Director of Global Diversity enables her to combine her passion for architecture and social justice to effect positive change at a micro and macro level.
USGBC-LA Board Member and MGBCE Event Chair Steve Baule states, “We are excited to host the first MGBCE Community Day which will focus on how we can all promote sustainability in our own homes, our daily lives and in our communities.” Baule, who is Director of Sustainable Projects at LADWP, and Stapleton will welcome attendees and provide an overview of the event.
MGBCE’s programming addresses solutions at the building, city and regional scale for city administrators as they seek innovative, tangible ways to create an inclusive path forward, especially at the local level, and across topics that include Health, Technology & Data, Diversity & Inclusion, Energy & Environment, Housing, Education, Infrastructure, Budgets, Public Safety and Economic Development.
The conference attracts a wide variety of building industry disciplines, including municipalities, utilities, public agencies, architects, engineers, building owners, contractors, non-profits, and manufacturers. All of these groups are working together to create connected cities that succeed in the three E’s: Economic, Environmental, and Equity solutions.
USGBC-LA thanks MGBCE Gold sponsors Southern California Edison and SoCalGas, Silver sponsor LADWP, and Bronze sponsor Metropolitan Water District.
For MGBCE schedule and general information, please visit mgbce.online or contact Fernanda Zuin at fernanda@usgbc-la.org. For Sponsorship & Exhibitor information, please contact Ben Stapleton at ben@usgbc-la.org.
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About U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles
USGBC-LA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to creating a prosperous and sustainable future within one generation. Our mission promotes sustainability in LA County’s built environment by delivering access to knowledge, resources, recognition and networking. (www.usgbc-la.org)
About Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo (MGBCE)
Since its inception in 2001, MGBCE has become the longest-running and largest gathering of leading sustainability and green building advocates within both the public and private sectors in Southern California. This annual conference and trade show provides cutting-edge thought leadership, education, and networking opportunities to inform local government agencies, building industry professionals, and the general public about the principles, practices, and products associated with green building. (https://usgbc-la.org/
