USGBC California

🎯 Dunk Ben, Play Hard, Do Good! Get ready for a fun and meaningful evening! This year, you have the unique opportunity to take a shot at our Executive Director, Ben Stapleton, in a dunk tank—for just $20 a throw. Every ticket supports our Environmental Justice Project, helping drive real impact in the communities we serve. Picture this: you land your throw, Ben takes the plunge, and the crowd cheers. Then, enjoy delicious plant-forward tacos, refreshing drinks, and great company—all while supporting a cause that matters. What’s happening: 🌽 Cornhole battles 🪵 Giant Jenga 🔵 Fast-paced Connect4 🏓 Lawn pong 🌮 Plant-forward tacos & 🍹 drinks WHEN: Thursday, September 18 | 4PM - 7PM WHERE: 1 Cal Plaza, 300 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA Special offers: The Foursome: Buy 4 tickets and get $10 off each Impact Bundle: Event registration + USGBC-CA Membership for $100 (value $175!) Student Special: $30 off with a valid student email 🎟️ Grab your ticket: https://lnkd.in/ehmgR74F 💚 Members: Use your special code via the Community Hub https://lnkd.in/gaU5eXrR Learn more about our Environmental Justice Project: https://lnkd.in/gYhtEQqC

🌿 Honoring the Present, Inspiring the Future 🌿 We're proud to share our 2025–2028 Strategic Plan: a vision to advance sustainability, equity, and resilience across the Golden State. This plan reflects where we are today and where we aspire to go, with a clear roadmap for collaboration, innovation, and community impact. Together, we can shape a built environment that not only serves the present but also inspires the future. 📖 Read the full plan here: https://lnkd.in/gGPiEaxj 💚 Join us as we turn vision into action. Become a member today and find many other ways to be part of our community: https://lnkd.in/ddfmHXXx #Sustainability #GreenBuilding #StrategicPlan #USGBCCalifornia

Thank you for sharing!

Last month, we gathered the SoCal building community at Carbon Forward: SoCal Sustainable Building Forum to take on one of the most pressing challenges in our industry: reducing embodied carbon in the built environment 🌎. Throughout the half-day event, panels, breakout sessions, and networking showcased both the challenges and opportunities ahead for California’s sustainable building movement. From policy insights to innovative materials and case studies, the event was filled with actionable ideas and inspiring collaboration. We closed with a tour of Epson America Inc.’s sustainable campus—a real-world showcase of what’s possible when vision meets practice. 👏 A huge thank-you to our sponsors and community partners who made this gathering possible. Your support drives the momentum for change. 📸 Relive the highlights: https://lnkd.in/gn-iVF5v ✨ Keep the momentum going and join us at future programs: usgbc-ca.org/events #CarbonForward #USGBCCA #Sustainability #EmbodiedCarbon #GreenBuilding

🥁 Drumroll, please… The wait is over! 🥁 USGBC California is proud to announce the 2025 Environmental Justice Project award winners — four powerful, community-led initiatives tackling climate resilience and environmental justice across California: 🍀 Bay Area – Food Sovereignty & Community Gardening at Alameda Point Collaborative 🌳 Central California – The Healing SPoT: Pláticas Center & Shade Structure 🔋 Orange County – OC Energy Audits for Mobile Home Communities 🌱 San Diego – Southeastern San Diego Euclid Corridor Community Stewards (ECS) Urban Collaborative Project CDC ✨ These winners embody the mission of the Environmental Justice Project — creating healthier, more resilient communities for all Californians. Want to support their impact? 🎯 Join us next Thursday at 1 Cal Plaza for Game Night — a fun evening of networking and games where every ticket benefits these projects. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eVHGRCjU 📩 Reach out to eva@usgbc-ca.org if you’d like to join our monthly Zoom meetings to support your regional EJP Grantee! #GreenJustice #EJP2025 #EnvironmentalJustice #Sustainability #CommunityImpact #USGBCCA #ClimateResilience #Community

🪴 From carbon removal to electrification, VERGE brings together the leaders working to decarbonize organizations and supply chains. This year, VERGE is part of Trellis Impact 25 hosted by Trellis Group, offering attendees access to all content across VERGE, GreenFin, and Bloom — three leading events powering systemic change. 🤝 We’re excited to be a partner this year — and hope to see you there! There are affordable pass options — including networking and one-day passes — plus 50% off for startups & NGOs. Or use our partner code TI25USGBC for 20% off: https://buff.ly/pJuy9RP #VERGE #TrellisImpact

It's been a minute since we shared some of the great places our popular Board Members and Advisors are speaking at, not just in CA, but across the U.S. Great way to keep track of other events out there, as well! Here's a snap: In L.A. this Sat. 9/13, join Kathleen Hetrick at tour/panel of a true classic: "Adapting L.A.’s General Hospital: A New Vision for Housing - Los Angeles Conservancy" – amazing project! https://lnkd.in/gij-f87X Also in L.A. on Tues. 9/16, join Kathleen and many others in Santa Monica at a AIA Los Angeles half-day conference "Circular SoCal: A Catalyst for a Regenerative Future" And ONLINE Sept. 16-17, join Heather Joy Rosenberg as she addresses energy resilience (2pm on 9/16) at the Energy Transition Coordination Council virtual summit - https://lnkd.in/gKfgU8WU So many great things to attend and see our community leaders there!

🌞 Solar panels, straw bales, and even a few monarch butterflies 🦋 — this past Saturday’s Solar Energy system installation at RootDown LA felt like a sustainability storybook come to life. Led by Pete Marsh, our 2024 Volunteer of the Year and Co-Chair of the Building Decarbonization Committee, volunteers installed a 4 kW solar PV system with 17 kWh of battery storage to power RootDown LA’s KitchenPOD — a repurposed shipping-container kitchen where neighbors and youth cook meals with veggies grown right on site. RootDown LA has been rooted in South LA for nearly two decades, creating space for the community to grow food, share meals, and strengthen nutrition education. The KitchenPOD is wrapped in straw bales (a time-tested, ancestral form of insulation) and topped with a corrugated metal roof. Now, that roof carries solar panels feeding a portable power station and batteries — making the KitchenPOD a zero-emissions, self-reliant kitchen. What made the day remarkable wasn’t just the technology — it was the people: 🌱 RootDown LA’s Executive Director Karen Ramirez and advisor Corinna Gebert 🌱 Community members and USGBC-CA volunteers, many handling solar “in the wild” for the first time 🌱 Support from LA City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District), who helped secure $12K in funding As our 2024 Environmental Justice Project awardee, RootDown LA has spent the past year turning vision into reality — and this solar-powered KitchenPOD is the latest proof of how healthy food, clean energy, and community power can come together. 💚 And the work doesn’t stop here. To keep supporting projects like this and connect with the community driving change, join us next Thursday at 1Cal Plaza for the USGBC-CA Game Night, in support of the Environmental Justice Project https://lnkd.in/ehmgR74F 👀 And tomorrow… a big announcement: the reveal of our 2025 Environmental Justice Project award winner. Stay tuned! #EnvironmentalJustice #CommunityPower #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #USGBC #RootDownLA #KitchenPOD

🌎 Join the USGBC Community – Nationally As an individual U.S. Green Building Council member, you’re not just joining a global movement for sustainable building—you’re also gaining access to a powerful local community network. Get connected with leaders and changemakers in your core region 👉 Dive deeper into local initiatives that matter most to you 👉 Discover companies & organizations advancing green building in your area 👉 Help shape impact with your Market Leadership Advisory Board (MLAB) Please note: This is not USGBC California (USGBC-CA) membership. This is U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) National Individual Membership 🧠 Ready to lead the way in your region? Explore your community and start making an impact today. https://lnkd.in/gXJrjma #USGBC #GreenBuilding #SustainabilityLeadership #MLAB #LEED #USGBCMembership

It’s time to celebrate California’s changemakers! The 21st Annual California Green Building Awards Ceremony & Green Gala is coming December 10, 2025 — and the Call for Submissions is OPEN! 💡 Do you know a project, person, or organization leading the way in sustainability, equity, or resilience? Nominate them today! 🏢 Green Building Awards → Projects excelling in Energy, Water, Carbon, Health, Equity & more. 🙌 Community Awards → Individuals & organizations making lasting impact in corporate sustainability, EJ, leadership & beyond. 📅 Deadline: Oct 6 (midnight) Submit projects: https://lnkd.in/gQhFknAa Nominate people/organizations: https://lnkd.in/ghs7_e2c Check out past awardees and imagine your work in the spotlight next! https://lnkd.in/g_HYrbpC 💚 Tag a colleague, partner, or leader below 👇 who deserves recognition — let’s celebrate them together! ✨ And don’t forget — on Dec 10 we’ll gather with 500+ sustainability professionals at the Gala to celebrate, connect, and elevate California’s brightest ideas and leaders. https://lnkd.in/gyUxBmxP