Green Building Alliance

ADVANCEMENT OF ECONOMIC PROSPERITY BY FACILITATING GREEN BUILDING PRACTICES IN WESTERN PA.

KNOWLEDGE NETWORK: GENERATES PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS FOR CONSTITUENTS' EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING NEEDS; PROVIDES RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (IN-PERSON AND ONLINE) TO INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS AND GREEN BUILDING-RELATED PROJECTS/INITIATIVES; EXPLORES INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, PRODUCTS, AND TECHNIQUES CORRELATED TO ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS; AND ADVOCATES FOR LEGISLATION THAT WILL BENEFIT GREEN BUILDIINGS. PROGRAMMING INCLUDES THE POPULAR INSPIRE SPEAKERS SERIES, LECTURES THAT BRINGS FRESH, INNOVATIVE THINKING ON TOPICS OF SUSTAINABILITY TO PITTSBURGH. THE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK ALSO CONSISTS OF COMMUNICATIONS (INCLUDING PUBLICATION OF AN ANNUAL REPORT AND MAGAZINE), BRANDING, AND MULTIMEDIA.

PITTSBURGH 2030 DISTRICT: THE 2030 DISTRICT IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL 2030 CHALLENGE, WHICH WAS INITIATED IN 2002 BY ARCHITECTURE 2030 IN RESPONSE TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE CRISIS AS A WAY TO RAPIDLY TRANSFORM THE U.S. AND GLOBAL BUILDING SECTOR FROM BEING THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TO BECOMING A CENTRAL PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, AND ECONOMIC CRISES. THE CORE OF THE 2030 CHALLENGE IS SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTIONS IN ENERGY, WATER, AND TRANSPORTATION CARBON EMISSIONS BY THE YEAR 2030. THE PITTSBURGH 2030 DISTRICT EXTRAPOLATES THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE GOALS BY TAILORING THEM TO REGIONALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS (E.G., INDOOR AIR QUALITY MEASURES) AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE LINKED TO THE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS OF THE REGION IN THE COMING DECADES.

GREEN & HEALTHY SCHOOLS ACADEMY: GBA AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS ARE COMMITTED TO THE VISION THAT ALL STUDENTS AND ALL SCHOOLS ARE HEALTHY AND HIGH PERFORMING WITHIN A GENERATION. TO THAT END, GBA ASSISTS SCHOOLS WITH INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO THEIR BUILDINGS, CURRICULUM, AND CULTURE THROUGH INSPIRATIONAL, COMPREHENSIVE, AND DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION. THE GREEN & HEALTHY SCHOOLS ACADEMY PROGRAMMING ALIGNS WITH THE NATIONAL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS PROGRAM THAT PROMOTES THREE PILLARS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY SCHOOLS: REDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND OPERATIONAL COSTS; HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF STUDENTS AND STAFF; AND PROVIDING EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION TO PROMOTE CIVIC SKILLS, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AND A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR CAREER AND COLLEGE PATHWAYS. SCHOOLS CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON STUDENT AND TEACHER HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS THE HEALTH, VITALITY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: GBA IS COMMITTED TO INCREASING THE CAPACITY AND RESILIENCY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND TO PROVIDING RESOURCES TO A WIDER DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE - CREATING SUSTAINABLE, HEALTHY, AND JUST PROGRESS. GBA LEVERAGES OUR INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AND POSITION OF PRIVILEGE THROUGH SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES' PROGRAMMING TO OPEN CONVERSATIONS TO NEW VOICES AND WORK TO INTENTIONALLY INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN LEFT OUT OF DISCUSSIONS AND DECISION-MAKING. GBA WORKS TO INTENTIONALLY EMBED EQUITY AND INCLUSION THROUGHOUT ALL WE DO.