Synapse: This Week's News for LA’s Best Buildings
Distributed Energy Helped Fight California’s Grid Outages, But It Could Do Much More
Battery and demand response providers say policy and market reforms could turn emergency help into stable, consistent grid relief.
California Adopts Bill to Clean Air Inside and Out of School
The California legislature just passed a bill that will make the air safer to breathe and the water safer to drink in public schools, while reducing energy bills. It also accelerates the installation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles needed to combat the largest source of air pollution that makes lungs more vulnerable to COVID-19.
For Commercial Real Estate Owners, Reliable ESG Data is Critical to Long-Term Success
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) has seen a wave of growth, and companies’ performance in these areas are becoming a predominant factor in determining where investors decide to place capital. The 2020 Insurance Report from Goldman Sachs Asset Management found 70% of insurers used ESG as an investment selection consideration—up from 28% in 2017. Those who said ESG was not a consideration fell from 68% in 2017 to 21% in 2020.
Listen: How to Decarbonize America — And Create 25 Million Jobs
Saul Griffith joined Ezra Klein on The Ezra Klein Show last year for the Vox climate series to lay out what it would look like for America to decarbonize. Last month, Griffith formed an organization called Rewiring America and released an ebook of the same name that details the path to effectively decarbonize the US economy by 2035 without forcing Americans to sacrifice their current lifestyles and without having to invent any new technology.
Griffith worked with economists to come up with an estimate of how many new jobs this kind of mobilization could create: 25 million over the next five years, they found. More than that, they looked at what kinds of jobs these would be and where they’d be created.
Webinar: Healthy Building Strategies to Support in the Fight Against COVID-19
Join USGBC-LA and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) for a deep dive into evidence-based strategies and solutions that can help your organization respond to COVID-19 and prepare for a safer, healthier, and more resilient future. In this discussion, we will explore strategies spanning building and workplace design, maintenance, and operations, as well as HR policies that can help build the confidence you need to thrive in this new normal.
When: September 10, 11am PDT
Webinar: Innovative Energy Efficiency Financing in Public Housing by Better Buildings
Energy and water efficiency upgrades in public housing can free up operating funds while reducing tenant utility bills and improving resident health and comfort. However, Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) face persistent financial barriers that often prevent them from accessing capital for retrofits. This webinar will present innovative solutions from three PHAs that successfully financed efficiency projects. Panelists will spotlight the proven, replicable approaches that made their projects possible.
When: September 22, 12pm PDT
