In support of the Global Building Efficiency Accelerator Platform the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in collaboration with Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2) hosted a no-cost, webinar-based training on above-code green building certification systems and the various benefits they provide to cities, owners, and occupants.
The focus of this webinar is to highlight what green building is and why local governments around the world have elect to promote green building practices throughout their own building portfolio and in private construction. Topics covered include the accountability provided by third-party certification programs, and how green building systems differ from building code, as well as benefits including decreased utility expenditures, reduced water use and impacts, local workforce training and economic development, climate impacts, resilience, and occupant benefits like increased productivity, higher retention rates, and higher rates of occupant satisfaction.
Information on successful policies, such as leadership by example and incentives, are highlighted. After hearing about how other cities have successfully launched policies, the audience will gain an understanding to consider whether such a policy may be useful for their goals.
Panellists:
Timothy Clifford Farrell is a Senior Advisor at the Technical University of Denmark
Debbie Weyl is the Manager of Building Efficiency with the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Jonathan Laski is Director, Global Projects and Partnerships at the World Green Building Council, and heads the Better Places for People campaign
Liz Beardsley serves as Senior Policy Counsel at the U.S. Green Building Council, focusing on green building policy and advocacy
Bill Updike is a leader in local government green building programs and serves as Chief, Green Building & Climate Branch, Department of Energy & Environment
Maira Macedo serves as Coordinator of Institutional & Government Relations for GBC Brasil
Timothy Farrell is no longer employed with the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre or UNEP DTU Partnership since 2017
Tim Farrell is a Senior Advisor at the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency contributing to SE4All's ambitious target of doubling energy efficiency improvement by 2030 by providing strategic and analytical support to countries, developing a knowledge management system and supporting global collaborations. Since November 2014, Tim has chaired United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE’s) Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency. Prior to joining the Copenhagen Centre, Tim was implementing energy efficiency policies and programs in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Debbie Weyl is the Manager, Building Efficiency with the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. She manages the Building Efficiency Accelerator, a global partnership to accelerate building energy efficiency in cities around the world. Prior to WRI, Debbie worked for 5 years at CLASP to improve globally the environmental and energy performance of appliances, lighting and equipment, and for 2 years at the U.S. Department of Energy on energy efficiency programs in the United States.
Elizabeth Beardsley is Senior Policy Counsel at the U.S. Green Building Council. Her portfolio includes federal, state, and local green building law and policy issues. She has supported the USGBC and World GBC on the 10YFP Sustainable Buildings and Construction programme, and represented USGBC at COP-21. Recently her work has focused on connecting building policy to climate mitigation. She came to USGBC from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where she was a Senior Attorney involved in evaluating government environment and energy programs. Prior to her legal career, she was an environmental engineer and Principal at Camp Dresser & McKee (now CDM Smith), a national engineering consulting firm, where she focused on water issues and infrastructure planning. Liz has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
William (Bill) Updike is the Chief of the Green Building and Climate Branch in the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), where he is responsible for policies and programs related to green building, climate change, and other built environment sustainability planning for the city government. Prior to joining DOEE, Bill worked as a project manager for a renewable energy company, as a green building construction manager for a design/build firm, and as a sales representative for a green building supply company. In the early part of his career, Bill worked as an environmental journalist for two national magazines. Bill received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the University of Arizona.
Maira Macedo is an Architect and Urbanist, Coordinator of Institutional and Government Relations in Green Building Council Brazil. Master in Architecture and Sustainability by the Polytechnic Foundation of Catalonia, UPC (Barcelona) completed in 2008 and MBA in Real State Business by Escola de Propaganda e Marketing, ESPM (São Paulo) completed in 2013. Experience in solar energy and sustainable architecture, real estate development, project management and approval, monitoring and implementation of process and production control, product development and management of designers.
