Synapse: This Week's News for LA’s Best Buildings
D.O.E. Invests $61 Million for Smart Buildings that Accelerate Grid Resilience
The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $61 million for 10 pilot projects that will deploy new technology to transform thousands of homes and workplaces into state-of-the-art, energy-efficient buildings. These Connected Communities can interact with the electrical grid to optimize their energy consumption which will substantially decrease their carbon emissions and cut energy costs. This project will help achieve the Biden Administration’s goal of reaching a net-zero carbon economy by providing a model for reducing the building sector’s contribution to the climate crisis.
ESG Is at the Center of Strategic Concerns for the Real Estate Industry, Top Execs Say
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters are increasingly core concerns for the real estate industry, according to top industry executives speaking during the “ESG: The Strategic Perspective” session Wednesday at the Fall Meeting.
Investing in Healthier Low-Income Housing
In the United States, all housing is not created equal. Low-income communities continue to grapple with poor housing quality, high energy costs, and disproportionate health burdens stemming from fossil fuel pollution in their homes and communities. On average, these households spend far higher percentages of their income on energy, and 26 million low-income US households still burn costly, health-damaging, and climate-warming fossil fuels. Many of these housing issues stem from structural racism and segregation, which have extracted wealth and diminished opportunities for greater prosperity and well-being.
TCFD Releases Guidance for Companies to Disclose Net Zero Transition Plans
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) announced today the publication of its 2021 Status Report, indicating a significant jump in the number of companies reporting on climate-related risk. Spelling out the next steps in sustainability disclosure, the TCFD also published updates to its climate risk reporting recommendations, along with guidance for companies to disclose their plans and progress relating to their climate transition strategies.
Six Ways COVID Made Companies Better, More ESG-Focused
Every company across the globe has been disrupted in one way or another by COVID-19 and the economic upheaval it wrought. From supply chains to remote work, every aspect of every company has been affected, even if their business grew as a result.
Add climate change at our doorsteps via extreme weather and wildfires, and the intensified racial justice and gender/#MeToo movements, and you have the exponential rise of the ESG era, for environment, social and governance. ESG began as an investment strategy – and is soaring today, up $21 billion in Q12021, on track to nearly double from 2020 – and now has evolved into a business strategy as well.
Source: Pixabay