October 2023 Meeting of the NGO/Government Roundtable on Embodied Carbon

[andrewhimes]

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.

October 2023 - NGO Government Roundtable on Embodied Carbon

Presenters

• Andrew Himes — Intro and Welcome from CLF
• Kate Simonen and Michelle Lambert on the ECHO – Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization Project — CLF
• Katie Poss — Building Transparency
• Lauren Alger – SE2050, Infa2050, STV
• Luke Leung – MEP2040
• James Kitchin - Mass Design Group
• Cecilia Wandiga - Center for Science and Technology Innovations
• Irene Dominguez - Bellona Europa
• Alex Krowka – US Energy Association
• Maura Mooney – RMI
• David Lehrer – Center for the Built Environment (CBE), UC Berkeley
• Nickson Otieno - NicoGreen

Kate Simonen – CLF

From the newsletter:

• EPA Grant Program – due in the new year, up to 40 grants for developing new EPDs and other EPD related resources
• Advancing LCA Data Ecosystem – Can help with roadmap for applying to EPA grants, where is there room for collaboration
• ECHO – Embodied Carbon Harmonization and Optimization Project – group of organizations that issue, host, or convene challenges and commitment programs

Michelle Lambert – CLF

• ECHO Project Lead from CLF
• CLF is facilitating this group

• Sign up for news about ECHO

Katie Poss – Building Transparency

• ECHO Involvement
  • common reporting schema for WB carbon results and WBLCA results
  • Collected individual schemas that commitments and certifications are using, evaluated, combined, conducted 7 work groups to understand how data is collected
  • Developed a first draft of the schema, hope to have it published for public comment review in early 2024

Lauren Alger – SE2050, Infa2050, STV

• ECHO involvement

• Infrastructure systems baselines gaps
• Project addresses the lack of aligned data in industry
• Working groups – bridges, tunnels; looking for case studies and best practices published

Luke Leung – MEP2040

• ECHO Involvement
  • Working with national lab for PCRs for EDP development
  • LCA of the building for B4 replacement cycle, now looking at B1 reporting

James Kitchin - Mass Design Group

• Excitement about growth of commitment and groups
• Email

Cecilia Wandiga - Center for Science and Technology Innovations

• CSTI
• UNESCO Associated scientific trust
• Chemistry perspective to climate change, looking to support industry and built environment as point of engagement
• Looking at emissions – toxicity and carbon intersection
• Restor

Irene Dominguez - Bellona Europa

• Brussels - climate policy and decarbonization
• EC work:
  • raising profile of EC in EU
  • Zero emissions construction sites, EC in products
  • Procurement and low carbon materials
  • Launching comms campaign for regional report about EC in Europe
• Europe Update
  • Energy Performance for Building Directive - Whole Life Carbon Provisions
  • Whole Life Carbon Roadmap

Alex Krowka – US Energy Association

• Cooperative agreement with US DOE – Domestic and international consensus on needs or carbon management technology
• Program: Utilization Procurement Grants Program
  • Funding state and local governments, public agencies and utilities, procurement that uses carbon oxides in their manufacturing processes, building materials focus
  • Subcontractors are allowed - receive funds through working with one of those agencies
  • LCA must be submitted to NETL to show that carbon oxides is lower than incumbent materials to apply to grants
• Carbon oxides in building materials - it’ll help lower the EC within the material, similar to CarbonCure
• Email

Maura Mooney – RMI

• Advance Building Construction Collaborative
  • DOE and their Advancing Building Construction Program
  • Advancing industrialized construction methods, focus on low EC materials and decarbonization
  • Embodied Carbon Working Group for cities and states will be November 8, 9:00 am PT/ 12:00 pm ET
  • Email

David Lehrer – Center for the Built Environment (CBE), UC Berkeley

• Industry Consortium
  • 50 different companies, design professionals, manufacturers, etc…
  • Collaborate and fund work

Nickson Otieno - NicoGreen

• Working on CLF Kenya
• NicoGreen - think tank, developing guides, pushing embodied carbon agenda
  • Developing EPDs
  • LCA work
  • Exploring reduction of construction waste and created a reuse platform