Conference Aims to Reduce Buildings Emissions

Santa Fe, NM, January 30, 2007--With so much attention given to transportation emissions, many people are surprised to learn that buildings are the single largest contributor to global warming. Architecture 2030 has been responsible for reshaping the debate surrounding climate change and GHG emissions to define and include a Building Sector. "In the U.S., buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually; globally the percentage is even greater," said Edward Mazria, Founder of Architecture 2030. To address the Building Sector's role in climate change, Architecture 2030 is conducting an interactive Global Emergency Teach-in. The Teach-in, entitled The 2010 Imperative, will be web-cast live from the New York Academy of Sciences on February 20, 2007 from noon to 3:30 p.m. EST. Thousands of practicing professionals, government offices and students, faculty, and deans in the architecture, planning, engineering and design communities around the world will be logging on. They will discover how design inadvertently fuels global warming, and what the design community can do to change this. In addition to addressing climate change, participants will also learn about 'The 2030 Challenge' and 'The 2010 Imperative.' In response to global warming, Architecture 2030 issued The 2030 Challenge in January of 2006, and that month the AIA adopted its targets. Since then, numerous organizations, firms, cities and counties have done so as well, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors (Resolution #50). The Challenge calls for all new buildings and major renovations to immediately reduce their energy consumption by 50%, and all new buildings to be 'carbon neutral' by 2030. Many key leaders in the Building Sector are rallying around the Challenge, working together to implement its targets. According to Rick Fedrizzi, President of the U.S. Green Building Council, "USGBC has always been committed to responsible building, so adopting the Challenge and sponsoring the Teach-in are obvious choices for us. As part of our action plan to mitigate climate change, all new LEED buildings will be required to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% when compared to current emissions levels." As The 2030 Challenge spreads across the country and around the globe, it will be the professionals and young designers who will be asked to implement it. Yet today, climate-change science, mitigation and adaptation strategies are virtually absent in many professional offices, as well as in U.S. and international professional design schools. To address this situation, "a rapid transformation of the entire architecture, planning, engineering and design education community must begin immediately," said Mazria. The 2010 Imperative, a challenge and strategy for transforming design and design education, will be issued to all professionals and schools during the Teach-in, and participants will be asked to adopt, support and implement its targets. During the Teach-in, participants will be able to interact with leaders at the forefront of design and climate change. Panelists include Dr. James Hansen, Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Edward Mazria, AIA, Founder of Architecture 2030; Dr. Chris Luebkeman, Director of Arup's Global Foresight and Innovation Initiative; and Susan Szenasy, Editor in Chief of Metropolis magazine. The event will feature presentations by the panelists and an extensive question and answer session, where participants from around the world can query the expert panelists in real time. There will also be an action-oriented discussion on implementing The 2030 Challenge and The 2010 Imperative. The Teach-in is open to all.

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