If you're reading this, you may have an interest in sustainability in the built environment or in how buildings' energy use impacts climate change. However, applying for an open seat on the Bureau of Codes Division (BCD) Advisory Boards may not have crossed your mind. You may have never thought about how building codes are developed or how often they are updated. But if you care about climate change and future generations, you should know that buildings account for approximately 40% of Oregon's energy use and emit around 28% of the greenhouse gas pollutants that are harmful to our health and contribute to more and worse climate destruction. Volunteering for a seat on a BCD Advisory Board is an excellent way to help reduce the climate impact of the built environment.
In response to calls for Gov. Kotek’s Housing Production Advisory Council to expedite residential construction by relaxing energy efficiency and climate mitigation building requirements, the ZERO Coalition has submitted a series of policy papers urging the Council to ensure that climate impact remains a key consideration for equitably increasing housing stock. The papers outline recommendations that can be adopted to ensure the state meets both its housing supply and building decarbonization goals.
In an era defined by unprecedented environmental challenges, the call for climate justice has grown stronger than ever. As the global community grapples with the consequences of climate change, there is hope to be found in the many passionate organizations committed to effecting positive change. In this blog post, we turn our spotlight to 350 Eugene and Fossil Free Eugene, two of ZERO Coalition’s Community Partners, to learn how these organizations have risen to the forefront of the battle for a sustainable and equitable future.
Due to the sheer number of existing buildings, it’s not enough to focus solely on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through new construction. And wider implementation of energy-efficient systems through retrofitting will have a massive impact. Moreover, retrofitting presents opportunities to address longtime inequities in the housing sector, providing broader access to energy-saving measures. The most common barriers are capital costs, and owners’ lack of knowledge that today’s reliable technologies pay dividends far into the future.
While Oregon’s constitution only allows the short legislative session to last 35 days, this year legislators needed just 32 days to wrap the state’s business. It was a fast and furious pace, with the Climate Solutions team and our allies trying to ensure Oregon does not lose a year on desperately-needed climate progress. This session, the legislature provided historic levels of investments in clean energy solutions and electric vehicles, as well as significant progress for environmental and social justice in our state. As you will read below, the table is now set for 2023 to be a banner year for state legislative progress.
For the last year and a half, I have served as the Chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team at the ZERO Coalition. This has been an exploration into how a group of traditionally white-led green building organizations could help be a part of a just transition to a zero-carbon built environment.
When Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed Executive Order 17-20 in the fall of 2017, she set Oregon on the path to addressing climate change by ramping up efficiency in Oregon’s buildings. Addressing building efficiency is a critical climate action strategy as commercial and residential structures account for 40% of carbon globally. Her order calls for a number of specific actions including that Oregon should “establish an aggressive timeline to achieve net zero energy ready buildings as a standard practice in buildings across the state.” Zero energy (ZE) buildings are highly efficient and only consume as much energy as is produced through onsite renewables (usually solar panels) over the course of a year. Zero energy ready buildings have efficiencies on par with ZE projects, but don’t yet have sufficient onsite renewables.
