# May 2023 Meeting of the NGO/Government Roundtable on Embodied Carbon

**URL:** <https://community.carbonleadershipforum.org/t/may-2023-meeting-of-the-ngo-government-roundtable-on-embodied-carbon/6707>\
**Category:** Roundtable: NGO/Government Alignment\
**Created:** [May 4, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://community.carbonleadershipforum.org/t/may-2023-meeting-of-the-ngo-government-roundtable-on-embodied-carbon/6707 "2023-05-04T22:00:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![andrewhimesclf](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/community.carbonleadershipforum.org/andrewhimesclf/32/3266_2.png) [@andrewhimesclf](https://community.carbonleadershipforum.org/u/andrewhimesclf)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://community.carbonleadershipforum.org/t/may-2023-meeting-of-the-ngo-government-roundtable-on-embodied-carbon/6707/1 "2023-05-04T22:00:42Z")

</div>

CLF’s **[Embodied Carbon Roundtable](https://carbonleadershipforum.org/ngo-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.

**[\>\> Register for the Upcoming July Meeting!](https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpd-qprj0oGdw5QDVSnJFWwN1YRh0YyW0r#/registration)**

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/carbonleadershipforum/original/2X/1/108792fb80f5e2d6926e8856e6d44863c17e2022.jpeg "2023 May NGO/Government Roundtable") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKyGZXKT9E0)

## Presenters

- Megan Kalsman — CLF Pacific Coast Collaborative Embodied Carbon Policy Case Studies
- Brad Benke — CLF WBLCA Benchmark Study
- Amanda Smith — Project Drawdown
- Caroline Butchart — Zero Emissions Building Exchange, Vancouver BC
- Stephan Sylvan — US Environmental Protection Agency
- Webly Bowles — New Buildings Institute
- Tracy Huynh — RMI
- Irene Dominguez — Bellona Europa
- Lionel Lemay — National Ready-Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA)
- Kara Kokernak — ULI
- Peter Bacas — Port Authority of NY/NJ
- Ankita Gangotra — WRI
- Lauren Kubiak - NRDC
- Katie Riddle - American Society of Landscape Architects
- Luke Leung - MEP 2040
- Fiona Greer - Center for the Built Environment, UC Berkeley

**Megan Kalsman** —[CLF Pacific Coast Collaborative Embodied Carbon Policy Case Studies](https://carbonleadershipforum.org/pacific-coast-collaborative-embodied-carbon-policy-case-studies/)

- CLF Technical resource, slow carbon construction working group
- Strategizing to EC policy in the region

**Brad Benke** — [CLF WBLCA Benchmark Study](https://carbonleadershipforum.org/clf-wblca-v2/)

- Kicking off data collection for the study
- Develop robust WBLCA benchmarks for buildings
- Interested organizations can fill out participant questionnaire on project webpage

**Amanda Smith** — Project Drawdown

- [Drawdown](https://drawdown.org/solutions/) – stop adding emissions to the atmosphere
- Research and data visualizations, what climate solutions are out there and will work
- Real zero – zero for the planet, quick cuts now for long term plans
- How do we scale them – drawdown roadmap
- How to use science – multiple stakeholders
- [@amandadsmith | Linktree](https://linktr.ee/amandadsmith)

**Ankita Gangotra** — WRI

- Co-convened Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) with the Great Plains Institute
- Industry leaders and other stakeholders for industrial decarbonization
- [International green procurement initiatives](https://www.wri.org/insights/green-procurement-initiatives)
  - Landscape assessment of international and national procurement policies
  - Link US to international green procurement policies
  - Benchmarks, technological readiness

- Drafted article – understand differences to guide conversations about harmonizing efforts

**Caroline Butchart** – ZEBx and CLF British Columbia Regional Hub

- [Zero Emissions Building Exchange](https://www.zebx.org/) – decarbonization across whole built environment
- [CLF British Columbia](https://www.clfbritishcolumbia.com/)– emissions in the built environment
  - Bringing people together in Vancouver – upcoming changes and guidelines
  - Capacity building

- [Embodied carbon awards in March](https://www.clfbritishcolumbia.com/bceca)– 6 winners and sold out event
- Research network to connect academic institutions to bring together and resource share

**Irene Dominguez** — Bellona Europa

- [Bellona Europa](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bellona-europa/) – non profit, focusing on EU policy, area of focus IN carbon accounting, energy systems, stable economy, local impact
  - Embodied carbon work is within local impact
  - Research and advocacy, science based
  - Demand side – decarbonization construction products, assisting industry, pull into market
  - Supply side – green procurement
  - Zero emissions construction sites

- Create embodied carbon report in the EU, visibility is low in EU, cement and steel emissions, definition on what low EC products are
- [Policy in EU](https://bellona.org/news/cities-and-transport/2023-03-european-parliament-passes-epbd-recast-with-historic-embodied-carbon-text) – open policy files, beginning stages so still can change a lot

**Fiona Greer** - UC Berkeley

- Center for the Built Environment
- Collaborating with CLF for total carbon in building in CA benchmark
- Research proposals around WBLCA and EC – California Climate Initiative
- CBE – completed industry advisory meeting where EC was large part of the research

**Katie Riddle** - American Society of Landscape Architects

- Membership association, ~15k members
- Dipping toes into this work, working with National Climate Action Committee to educate on EPDs and what is coming for the profession
- Informal coalition for EC and the built environment
- Whole project LCA, project site and infrastructure are part of the conversation

**Lauren Kubiak** – NRDC

- Power sector and industrial decarbonization
- Embodied carbon work at material level - cement and concrete, steel, aluminum
- Public procurement policies
- Scoping how to address embodied carbon from a more comprehensive level with building team
- Roadmap to take a step back – ARUP did broad synthesis on whole building approach to scale up embodied carbon work – not published yet

**Peter Bacas** — Port Authority of NY/NJ

- Responsible for transportation infrastructure/ built environment systems
- Materials and technical specifications for low embodied carbon sourcing
- Updating Portland cement specifications
- Requirement for EPDs submitted with mixes
- Provided response to EPA RFI
- Recap of embodied carbon data and projects
- 170 product specific EPDs over the last 3 years
- Creating dashboard for showing impacts to leadership – epds include KPIs other than just GWP
- Product specific EPDs – 120 different ones in the past year

**Stephan Sylvan** — US Environmental Protection Agency

- Completed 3rd stakeholder engagement webinar
- Processing and reviewing RFI comments
- Hiring and staffing – 4 new people on over the next few weeks, 3 more, much more hiring to do
- 25 open positions in EC space
- [sylvan.stephan@epa.gov](mailto:sylvan.stephan@epa.gov)

**Tracy Huynh** — RMI

- Victor Olgyay – RMI

- [EC 101 article](https://rmi.org/embodied-carbon-101/) – synthesis of where we are with current understanding of EC, lit review, strategies, policy landscape, key stakeholders, etc…

- [The Hidden Climate Impact of Residential Construction Report](https://rmi.org/insight/hidden-climate-impact-of-residential-construction/) – report cradle to gate EC emission sin new home construction and building industry’s ability to mitigate

- RESNET Standard – measure EC in new low rise residential homes, in progress

- Homebuilders Climate Commitment Program – underpinned by RESNET standard, reporting template to support sectors to report and reduce carbon emissions and consistently on ec and emissions

- Ready Mix Concrete Industry Resource Development – educational resources for ready mix concrete industry workforce

**Webly Bowles** — New Buildings Institute

- New Embodied Carbon and Codes [factsheet](https://newbuildings.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NBI_Embodied-Carbon-Codes_Factsheet_v2.pdf)
- EC building code language to be adopted in June
- Next week [Getting to Zero Forum](https://gettingtozeroforum.org/2023-program/) i
- [MnRoad Tour](http://www.dot.state.mn.us/mnroad/)
- EC Workshop and sessions next week
- [Net Zero Buildings Week](https://netzerobuildingsweek.org/) – June 12 - 16,#DecarbonizationForGood
- Seattle working group to discuss embodied carbon code proposals that were submitted at the beginning of the year
- CallGeen embodied carbon proposals – heavy oppositions, hearing in August 1-3, sign up to speak and connect for more info
- Working on two webinars this fall – collect info about other efforts, content and date at next roundtable, connect to collaborate

**Karen Kokernak** - ULI

- 45k members, publishing, meetings, etc…
- Will be participating in Net Zero Building Week
- Decarbonization work, embodied carbon campaign
- Embodied carbon convening in January – publish Urban Land Article
- Webinar in April – lessons learned and next steps
- [Sustainable Materials Report](https://urbanland.uli.org/public/uli-convenes-executives-from-construction-and-developer-industries-to-build-stronger-partnerships-to-reduce-embodied-carbon/) – published in next few weeks
- ULI Spring meeting – May 16th
- Late summer - industry meeting

**Lionel Lemay** — National Ready-Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA)

- IRA and GSA specs, other fed agencies, comments on low carbon program
- Modify specifications to allow for low carbon concrete – educating agencies, guide specs
- Education – top 10 way to reduce carbon footprint
- Concrete innovations – offering solutions and innovations to reduce carbon footprint
- ASHRAE – codes to reduce EC in building materials
- State legislative activities:
  - NJ passed low carbon legislation andOpen air collaborative
  - Maryland new legislation, likely will be passed – incentives for EPDs
  - Minnesota looking at something similar

- CLF report on benchmarks will be used in legislative activities
- Establish benchmark for industry – starting process now, many request for more granularity, application son concrete and regionality and local applications
- for EPDs, IW EPD and Benchmarks, Guide Spec for Low Embodied Carbon, Top 10 Ways to Reduce Concrete’s Carbon Footprint.
- [www.concreteinnovations.com](http://www.concreteinnovations.com) for monthly webinars on low carbon concrete.