Green Building Alliance

Join Clara and Adam Phillips, along with Green Building Alliance, for a happy hour featuring a presentation on bioconstruction, screening of clips from the documentary on the design and construction of their home, Casa Urucum, and a hands-on bioconstruction demonstration. 🗓️ Thursday, April 24 🕰️ 4 to 6:30 p.m. 📍 GBA Office 💲 $25 for GBA members, $35 for non-members 🎓 Eligible for 1.5 self-reported CEUs 🔗 https://buff.ly/Y5VPQtn Bioconstruction, bio-based, or ecological construction, is a building technique that makes use of existing natural materials and processes and has several environmental, health, and economic benefits. Earthbags (SuperAdobe) are just one example of bioconstruction. This technique uses sandbags and on-site earth to combine contemporary and traditional earth architecture methods to fashion safe, durable, lower-carbon, and lower-cost structures. SuperAdobe is versatile, with many potential applications. Clara and Adam Phillips have used this approach, along with other bioconstruction methods, as a living experiment to design Casa Urucum, a home in Brazil that tells a story of innovation and resilience. Learn more and register for the event on the GBA website: https://buff.ly/NYK2SIk

The 2025 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit is happening April 30 - May 2 in Washington, D.C. This annual event for Better Buildings, Better Plants partners and other key stakeholders provides the opportunity for professionals to explore emerging technologies and share innovative strategies in energy efficiency, water, and waste reduction. Attendees take part in interactive sessions with industry experts and market leaders as well as multiple opportunities to network with peers. Nearly 10,000 professionals from public, private, and industrial sector organizations have previously attended the Summit. Attendees typically include C-Suite executives, building owners, managers, and operators, facility and energy managers, leaders, policy advisors, decision makers, sustainability directors, engineers, and city managers and officials. Learn more and register for the summit on the U.S. Department of Energy website: https://buff.ly/WUiBQwA

Get a sneak peek at the details of this year's Emerald Evening! With memorable food and drink options, entertainment from local artists, and networking opportunities against the stunning backdrop of the Pittsburgh skyline, this is one event you won't want to miss. It all takes place on May 8th from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the David Lawrence Convention Center rooftop. Tickets start at $125--purchase yours on our website: https://buff.ly/bruJixf

Join Green Building Alliance, Councilwoman Megan Tunon Tuñón, and ECO Board Secretary Veni Mittal, EcoDistricts AP, LEED GA Mittal, to learn about the Etna Center for Community, why it is so important to the Borough’s future, and plans to deploy sustainability and design to serve the Etna Community. This event is eligible for 1.5 self-reporting CEUs. 🗓️ April 9 ⏲️ 9 to 10:30 a.m. 📍 Virtual 💲 $20 members, $30 non-members 🔗 https://buff.ly/rH3wDiV The Etna Center for Community is a mixed-use redevelopment of a historic building in the heart of Etna’s business district. When complete, it will provide the community’s only indoor public space, enabling community members to come together to learn, grow, and thrive. The project will include accessible design, a solar installation, and community courtyard with stormwater management features, fulfilling a number of Etna’s EcoDistrict commitments. In 2017, former Borough of Etna Councilwoman Megan Tuñón and her husband held the historic Ochse Building on the 341-343 block of Butler Street under conservatorship until the Etna Community Organization (ECO) could purchase the property and make the community’s vision for the Etna Center for Community a reality. With the receipt of a $500,000 Multipurpose Community Facilities Program grant, construction of the project is well underway and the building is poised to open in December 2025. Learn more and register for the webinar on the GBA website: https://buff.ly/rH3wDiV

We encourage businesses and organizations to sign this letter urging the EPA and congressional leaders to continue supporting the ENERGY STAR program to ensure its continued success and impact. ENERGY STAR and ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, which enables commercial buildings (all buildings other than single-family) to benchmark, measure and compare their building’s energy use to similar buildings for the purposes of designing efficiency improvements, are critical tools in furthering energy efficiency efforts. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager equips building owners and managers with data and insights needed to identify inefficiencies and reduce utility costs, saving money for schools, businesses, local governments, and more. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is also a valuable a tool that professionals across sectors use in planning their annual capital budgets, to keep their buildings in good working order, and make decisions about whether and when to make investments in their properties as a whole.  https://lnkd.in/eQjiuYZJ

  National Healthy Schools Day and the Healthy Schools Network are collaborating to present four virtual webinars on keeping our school environments healthy and safe, including in the event of natural disasters. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register and learn more, visit https://lnkd.in/efrJ3vnx and scroll to registration links for each webinar. Children, Schools, and Wildfires Thursday, April 3, 12 PM EDT Moderated by John Reeder, MA, Healthy Schools Network Speakers: Rita Burke, PhD, Keck School of Medicine/USC on pediatric preparedness and injury prevention; and Kristen Hengtgen, PhD, ED Trust on Los Angeles Wildfires   School Indoor Air Enhancements Monday, April 7, 3 PM EDT Moderated by Tracy Enger, MPH, EPA IAQ TFS Coordinator (Ret’d) Speakers: Joellen Lawson, Connecticut Foundation for Environmentally Safe Schools; Kenneth Foscue, MPH, Conn. Dept of Public Health (Ret’d); Joseph Da Silva, PhD, NCARB, Rhode Island School Building Authority   Melting Earth: Toxics and Moving Communities and Schools Tuesday, April 8, 3 PM EDT Moderated by David Carpenter, MD, MPH, Institute for Environmental Health, Albany University Speakers: Pamela Miller, PhD, Executive Director, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT); Brittani Robbins, Civic Engagement Coordinator, ACAT   State Curricula on Air Quality and Chemical Cleanouts (Colorado, New York) Thursday, April 10, 3 PM EDT Moderated by Mansel Nelson, MS, Senior Program Coordinator, Northern Arizona University/ITEP Speakers: Madelyn Percy, PhD, Education Unit, Air Pollution Control Division, Dept. of Public Health & Environment, Colorado; Kathy Reiner, MPH, BSN, RN, AE C, FNASN, School Nurse Specialist, Health Services, Colorado; Sara Briggs, Senior Research Specialist, Green Chemistry and Emerging Contaminants, NY State Pollution Prevention Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology   For information on the Green Building Alliance-led programs for schools and facilities managers, visit https://lnkd.in/eEQ8hDSN  

GBA is grateful to our generous Emerald Evening sponsors who are contributing to the success of our annual fundraiser! EPIC Metals BranchPattern Covestro Franklin Energy PJ Dick - Trumbull - Lindy Jendoco Construction Corporation Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel Filtech Inc Cordia Workscape UPMC Duquesne Light Company McKim & Creed, Inc. Sargent Electric Company Buro Happold Have you gotten your tickets to the Emerald Evening gala on May 8th on the David L Lawrence Convention Center rooftop yet? Tickets start at $125--visit our website to learn more and purchase today: https://buff.ly/lotkb2y

GBA is bringing our Resilient Communities programming to the City of Reading, PA, and we are hiring a Resilient Community Cohort Manager to support and facilitate a network of business owners, nonprofit and community leaders, funders, sponsors, and building contractors in Reading. Learn more and apply on the GBA website: https://buff.ly/60hKICk Reach out to info@gba.org with any questions! KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 🔊 Serve as GBA’s key ambassador and spokesperson to the Reading community ⚒️ Educate, celebrate, and inspire local actors to make their buildings more resilient ♻️ Build a “pipeline of projects” and integrate sustainability and resiliency planning into economic and community revitalization initiatives 📈 Curate success stories and share wins with the broader public, locally, regionally, and statewide PLEASE NOTE 📍 Candidate must be based in or near Reading, PA with ability to accommodate occasional travel to GBA's offices on Pittsburgh's South Side 💻 Candidate must be comfortable working independently and communicating regularly with their team in a remote work arrangement 🗓️ Both part-time and full-time schedules will be considered for this role 🚗 Local travel and driver's license required

Looking to earn your LEED Green Associate (GA) credential this year? GBA has several LEED GA exam prep courses on the calendar, including one on April 4th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in-person at the GBA office: https://buff.ly/5qpIdpe Flip through the images below to learn more about what this prep course entails and how earning the LEED GA credential can benefit your career trajectory.

Spaces are still available for this week's virtual GPRO Operations and Maintenance Training. Learn effective strategies for measuring energy use and improving energy efficiency, all while gaining a valuable industry credential.