CLF’s Embodied Carbon Roundtable has the following objectives:
- Share news, strategic plans, resources, and tools related to embodied carbon.
- Report planning and future dates for conferences, webinars, and meetings.
- Inspire and facilitate ongoing communication and conversation among key leaders related to embodied carbon.
- Encourage convergence on shared embodied carbon terminology, data standards, benchmarks, and targets for embodied carbon reduction.
Meeting date January 25, 2023, 36 attendees, 90 minute meeting
The meeting featured presentations by:
- Aaron Smith — Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA)
- Alice Yates — ASHRAE
- Alison Kinn Bennett— US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Bruce King — Ecological Building Network and author of “Build Beyond Zero”
- Catherine Kinsman-Neurauter — Canada GBC
- Debbie Weyl — WRI
- Jessica Bristow — ILFI, Living Building Challenge, Living Future
- Joe Giddings — Built by Nature
- Kara Kokernak — ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate
- Katie Fields — Washington Environmental Council
- Lionel Lemay — National Ready Mix Concrete Assn.
- Lisa Dulude — University of Washington
- Luca De Giovanetti — WBCSD
- Luke Leung — MEP2040 Commitment initiative
- Marika Anderson — Bellona
- Mic Patterson — Facade Tectonics Institute
- Mike Gryniuk — SE2050 Commitment initiative
- Natalie Douglas — City of Nelson, BC
- Pamela Conrad — Climate Positive Design
- Peter Bacas — Port Authority of NY/NJ
- Pierre Paya — Build Change
- Tracy Huynh — RMI
- Webly Bowles — New Buildings Institute
Webly Bowles — New Buildings Institute
- EC and Building codes
- OR - Concrete EC language code, still failed
- Seattle - low-EC concrete, low- EC steel – submitted language for two proposals
- Email Webly to provide support letters if you’re in the Seattle region
- Addendum Z - ASHRAE 189.1 approved
- Addendum AK - GWP limits for 125% industry wide avg.
- 137 comments and great input
Alison Kinn — US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA has launched stakeholder engagement for IRA
- Carbon labeling and EPD assistance
- GSA – hosting industry exchange and release draft standards
- Determination of substantially low standards
- EPA Webinars
Peter Bacas — Port Authority of NY/NJ
- Asphalt – created internal working group
- Identify ways to decrease EC in asphalt
- Quantification from last few pacing systems and draft EC/GWP drop
Lionel Lemay — National Ready Mix Concrete Assn.
- Benchmark decreasing
- Updating benchmarks again in 2023, publish in 2024
- Performance based specifications- encourage use of budget approach
- Publishing tool that establishes budgets and projects NRMC benchmarks
- EPD program operator – EC3 73,000 EPDs
- www.nrmca.org/sustainbility for guide spec for embodied carbon, EPD program, etc.
- Sustainability - NRMCA.
Lisa Dulude — University of Washington
- Sustainability Director
- Standards specifications in UW construction projects
- EPD policy for UW
- Updating green building standards at UW – holistic approach, including EC
- Sustainability Action Plan, addressing GHG emissions
- I knew I was forgetting something in my update - we are also conducting our first ever comprehensive GHG inventory that includes all of Scope 3 (e.g. goods and services, embodied carbon, etc).
Luke Leung — MEP2040 Commitment initiative
- 58 signatories
- 100 plus people in WG members
- 28 supportive orgs
- 1 year of MEP2040
- HVAC manufacturer focus during next quarterly forum
- TM65 and ASHRAE
Luca De Giovanetti – WBCSD
- Launching Net Zero Buildings publication – Tuesday launch webinar
- How to achieve housing EC emissions by 2030
- ARUP
- Measuring circularity of buildings – Launch webinar
- Looking for collaboration
- ASHRAE ITC new development for measuring life cycle emissions
- (Steph in Atlanta)
- WBCSD webinars:
- Net-zero buildings: halving construction emissions today, 31 January (10am & 4pm CET):
- Measuring circular buildings: key considerations 7 february (10am & 4pm CET):
Pamela Conrad — Carbon Positive Design
- LEED and SITES Landscape Carbon Credits City of Toronto Green building standard
- Build Beyond Zero – contributing author
- ASLA Climate Action PLan and Field Guide – Climate Action Plan | asla.org
- COP27 - multi disciplinary collaboration
- Climate positive design workshop
- Climate positive design challenge - 50% increase in projects and companies
- Collab with Arch2030
- Improve resources
- Launching updated palette and toolkit
- Pathfinder app – meet goals of CPD challenge
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- American Society of Landscape Architects Climate Action Plan + Field Guide
Jessica Bristow — ILFI, Living Building Challenge, Living Future
- Alignment across programs, gearing up for new versions and updating standards
- Researching and reassessing resilience and equity in EC and OC
- ILFI Conference
Tracy Huynh — RMI
- City Resource Guide Publication – soon to be published
- EC cities policy toolkit
- Federal Roadmap to Zero
- Fed agencies can adopt strategies to lower EC in federal buildings
- RESNET Standard
- National standard to measure cradle to gate EC in new low rise residential homes
- Pipeline
- States of EC for low-rise homes in the US
- Low EC investment guide
- Homebuilders commitment program and demonstration projects
- Carbon storing building
- Policy (codes, cohorts, buy clean, fed engagement)
Katie Fields — Washington Environmental Council
- Rebranded – Washington Conservation Action
- Climate Smart Wood Group
- Procurement guidance
- Recipient of USDA grant
- BCBF – welcome any involvement
- Carbon Friendly Forestry Conference playlist including launch of Climate Smart Wood Group:
- Climate Smart Wood Group website
- Procurement Guidance for Climate Smart Wood
- Buy Clean, Buy Fair Washington 2-pager
- Buy Clean, Buy Fair Washington bill page:
- If you are interested in engaging on the Washington Buy Clean Buy Fair effort, feel free to email me at katie@waconservationaction.org
Bruce King — Ecological Building Network and author of “Build Beyond Zero”
- Aiming to go beyond zero using the built environment as a carbon sponge
- Creating new ppt decks
- Stanford teaching decks – climate positive design
- Making some videos and movies, too
- Looking for participation – insight, support letters, and financial support
- Bruce King, Director, Ecological Building Network (EBNet)
- bruce@ecobuildnetwork.org
- A pitch to support climate-healing architecture
- What we’ll do with the money we receive
Mic Patterson — Facade Tectonics Institute
- New papers on their website
- Awards program – various awards from best facade to preservation/conservation
- Theme of sustainability
- Active committee
- Hubs in NYC, LA, Chicago
- Forums – college campuses
- Virtual events – education committee, forums on different topics, committees, advocacy, EC WG
Catherine Kinsman-Neurauter — Canada GBC
- Burying Carbon in Buildings
- Paper with academic institution
- Low carbon approaches and technology
- Low carbon skills in the workforce
- Develop workforce strategy to align stakeholders and educators to progress low carbon standards
- Zero carbon building workshops
- Revamping education throughout the year to make it more engagement
- Manufacturing Kick starter series
- Zero carbon building standards
- New Director of Zero Carbon Buildings
- Fed. budget recommendations
- Grant program for LCA and EPD for small and medium CA companies
- Industry engagement
- Knowledge sharing and advancement
- Accelerating zero
- National conference in vancouver in june
- Burying Carbon Research with University of Toronto
- Zero Carbon Building Standard - Design v3
- Federal Budget Recommendations from CAGBC
Aaron Smith — Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA)
- EEBA Academy
- 6 hour continuing education program
- Net zero carbon building professional designation
Call for presentations - In person training
- Education on EC basics
- 2023 EEBA High Performance Home Builder Summit - SLC, UT, 10/10 - 12
Kara Kokernak — ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate
- EC subcommittee
- EC executive convening
- Development and construction industry
- Open conversation about the state of their EC knowledge
-
Global Green
- Dashboard that shows benchmarking/guidelines for GHG
- Specific on EC, current or upcoming ordinances
-
New materials report
- Healthy and low carbon materials
- Micro session in toronto
- Spring meeting
Pierre Paya — Build Change
- Study for EC of retrofit vs new construction
- Online launch event
Joe Giddings — Built by Nature
- Timber and biobased construction
- Arch Firm – whole life carbon and quality of life in mass timber buildings
- Org – policies and standards for timber buildings
- Biogenic carbon
Debbie Weyl — WRI
- Industrial decarbonization initiatives
- Domestic and global initiatives
- Policies, procurement, trade methods
- Avoid where possible duplication – harmonization across different
- Technology readiness across different initiatives
- CA bills and codes – looking for insights
Michael Gryniuk – SE 2050
- SE 2050 update
- ECAP – on website and new info coming out soon
- Also forgot to mention our resources available for free on our site include a super simple structural material embodied carbon estimator - ECOM. ECOM – Embodied Carbon Estimator – SE2050
Marika Andersen – Bellona
- Expanding team
- EU level – energy performance, construction regulation, ecodesign regulations
- Concerned about EC provisions being watered down
- Ask for anyone – contacts/connections to progressive industrial actors in europe
Natalie Douglas – City of Nelson
- SE BC
- Worked with Chris Magwood
- Resilience with EC and OC