San Diego Green Building Council Rebrands, Expands Partnerships to Lead Region’s Sustainable Buildi

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Green Building Council (SDGBC), a 501c3 community benefit nonprofit organization, has launched a rebranding and strategic partnership realignment for the organization in a move to strengthen and expand its local impact. Now, in addition to its role with the national U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) community, SDGBC is an official partner of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and host to the San Diego Living Future Collaborative. It will continue to operate under the well-established San Diego Green Building Council name.

The rebranding process is the culmination of more than three years of input-gathering from the organization’s board of directors, staff, members and supporters. SDGBC’s mission and vision will remain the same, and its affiliation with the national USGBC community will continue. The rebranding process reflects the organization’s commitment to fostering additional national partnerships, such as with IFLI, to strengthen the regenerative impact of San Diego’s built environment, social well-being and ecosystems in the years ahead.

“We are very excited about this new phase in the evolution of the organization,” said Executive Director Josh Dean. “We look forward to working with the local community to address California’s leading climate, energy and sustainability targets. By combining the resources, knowledge and relationships of these newly expanded national collaborations, we are better positioned than ever to address the unique challenges and opportunities of our region and to help deliver innovative, sustainable projects that will drive the future of San Diego.”

The roots of SDGBC date back to 2002, when a group of local leaders recognized the need for better, more environmentally responsible practices in the built environment in San Diego. The organization established itself as a chapter of USGBC, which provided a connection to a nationwide network of groups with similar interests and goals.

The mission of USGBC is to inspire, educate and collaborate within communities to transform the built environment toward true sustainability. The organization is perhaps best known for its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green certification program. SDGBC will continue to serve as the local resource for LEED, while expanding access for its members to additional rating systems and sustainability programs.

Based in Seattle, IFLI is an environmental NGO offering global strategies for lasting sustainability by partnering with local communities on green building and infrastructure solutions. ILFI administers the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous and ambitious environmental performance standard for buildings, as well as the Living Product Challenge, Living Community Challenge and Zero Energy and Zero Carbon certifications.

The San Diego Living Future Collaborative is a group of volunteers supporting the mission of IFLI in the San Diego region, by advocating for local policy changes to remove existing barriers to sustainable technologies and strategies, as well as consulting on projects pursuing the Living Building Challenge or its related certifications. The group is currently working on local municipality and California state code roadmaps to facilitate water reuse policy in San Diego.

“For over a decade, the San Diego Living Building Challenge Collaborative has been at the forefront championing green building policies and solutions with the design and construction community and local leaders,” said John Ambert, ILFI Ambassador and Living Future Collaborative leader. “We are thrilled to re-launch as the San Diego Living Future Collaborative (SDLFC) and strengthen our partnerships with SDGBC and ILFI to educate, collaborate and promote the development of Living Buildings and restorative design and construction practices in Southern California.”

In keeping with their shared educational missions, SDGBC and the Living Future Collaborative are hosting a series of roundtable events on various sustainability focus areas. A Zero Energy and Carbon roundtable was held on July 25. The next roundtable event will focus on water issues on September 10, with future panels to discuss materials, health and social equity topics. For the latest SDLFC news and events, visit their webpage.

SDGBC members will now automatically receive free reciprocal membership to ILFI (basic level). To learn more about SDGBC membership, visit the newly designed website.

The San Diego Green Building Council is a community of building industry professional and sustainability advocates with expertise in such areas as architecture, construction, design, urban planning, policy and more. The 501c3 community benefit nonprofit organization works to promote sustainable building and community practices to bring the San Diego region closer to achieving its climate, water, waste and energy goals. More information is available at www.sd-gbc.org.