Just Transition: Upstream and Downstream Impacts of Decarbonization
Join us May 17-19 to explore the equity and social justice impacts of a transition to clean energy sources, materials, and processes.
AEC professionals are working on design and policy changes to rapidly eliminate carbon emissions from our built environment. What are the upstream and downstream impacts of these changes on jobs, housing affordability, health and communities? What additional considerations and voices should be brought into our decision-making processes? How can we push aggressively towards our climate goals while simultaneously supporting the call for justice and human rights that 2020 has reminded us to answer? Considering the transitions toward 1) the electrification of everything, 2) sustainable material sourcing and 3) building more resilient frontline communities, this year’s thought leadership summit will help us identify and address the impacts and opportunities those transitions have on our most vulnerable communities.
Join us online, May 17-19, 2021 for AIA Seattle’s 2021 (Virtual) Climate Leadership Summit! Purchase a Summit pass for discounted access to all three days of programming (8 AIA LU HSW). Single session registration is available for the keynote presentation on May 19, 4pm PT (2 AIA LU HSW).
Click the schedule button for a PDF of the program schedule and speaker bios. All sessions and speakers subject to change.
COST
Includes continuing education credit (8 AIA LU HSW). All sessions and speakers subject to change.
$60 AIA Member
$60 Government + Partners
$30 Associate Member
$90 Non-Member
FREE Student
Registration Deadline: Thursday, May 13, 5:00pm PT. All sessions and speakers subject to change.
This is a 3-day program consisting of four two-hour sessions. Participants must attend the full program in order to receive continuing education credit or a certificate of completion. All registration and credit questions can be directed to Zoe Guckenheimer.
Reduced rate options are available (priority given to AIA members). Please submit the Continuing Education Scholarship / Reduced Rate Request Form via email by Friday, May 7, 5:00pm PT.
MONDAY MAY 17
THE WATER WE SWIM IN | UPSTREAM IMPACTS OF DECARBONIZATION
9:00 – 11:00am PT | Panel Discussion
- Moderator: Kristen Dotson, Assoc. AIA | Sustainability Services Director, The Miller Hull Partnership
- Brent Davies | Vice President, Forests and Ecosystem Services, Ecotrust
- Jessica Koski | Washington State Policy Coordinator, BlueGreen Alliance
- Ernie Rasmussen | Tribal Liaison, Washington State Department of Commerce
Before your project was even a twinkle in the client’s eye, a massive mobilization of labor and resources were already locked into systems and processes that either prioritize equitable advancement or sustain the current systemic oppressions and privileges that have been in place for generations. This session will try to illuminate and investigate some of the upstream impacts of the built environment, covering energy production opportunities from a tribal perspective, the labor impacts of our push toward minimizing embodied carbon, and the complexities of timber sourcing that tries to balance ecosystem health with strong local economies.
TUESDAY MAY 18
BUILDING AS A PUBLIC BENEFIT? | DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS OF DECARBONIZATION
9:00 – 11:00am PT | Panel Discussion
- Moderator: Amarpreet Sethi, Assoc. AIA | EnviroPassiv
- Clyde Abrahamson | Development Manager, Spokane Indian Housing Authority
- Miguel Maestas | Housing and Economic Development Director, El Centro De La Raza
- Jamie Stroble | Co-chair, Seattle Planning Commission; Founder & EJ Educator, Noio Pathways Capacity Building
After your project opens, it takes on a life of its own for the community with both intentional and unintentional affects. How do you ensure that your creation becomes a public benefit, rather than perpetuating the inequities that pervade our current structures? This session will explore the downstream impacts of a just transition, focusing on how the shift to reducing emissions influences equity, community health, and community wellbeing. We will investigate opportunities within housing, community policy & planning, and values-driven real estate.
WEDNESDAY MAY 19
JUST TRANSITION | RESPONDING TO UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS OF DECARBONIZATION
9:00 – 11:00am PT | Panel Discussion + Case Studies
- Moderator: Daniel Glenn | Principal, 7 Directions Architects/Planners
- Eileen V. Quigley | Founder & Executive Director, Clean Energy Transition Institute
- Jonathan Heller | President, Ecotope Inc.
- Anyeley Hallova | Founder, Adre
AEC professionals play a critical role in shaping the future of communities. As such, it is essential that we center an equitable and just transition as we grapple with designing for climate change adaptation and mitigation. But how can architects incorporate and respond to the upstream and downstream impacts of the social and economic organizations for which we are responsible? This session will share examples and case studies that identify ways to do just that, providing a starter kit of tools and examples to take back into your own work as we continue to learn and grow.
WEDNESDAY MAY 19
DRIVING EQUITY NOW | CARLTON ELEY
4:00 – 6:00pm PT | Closing Keynote
Carlton Eley, Regional Equity Initiative Manager, Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission | Carlton Eley is Regional Equity Initiative Manager for the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. He is responsible for leading development and implementation of equity initiatives throughout the region in collaboration with regional planning commission members and strategic partners. He encourages planning and development solutions that are responsive to the needs of underserved communities and vulnerable populations. Prior to joining MVRPC, Carlton led multiple projects that re-energized the American Planning Association’s focus on social equity. Also, he was the first urban planner hired by the Office of Environmental Justice at U.S. EPA, and he managed a portfolio on equitable development. Recently, Carlton was named the 2021 Sojourner Truth Fellow for Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.
This keynote will explore the groundswell of activity that is compelling communities to ‘find their true North’ by ensuring everyone has a safe and healthy environment in which to live, work, and play. In an era of rapid change, there is unparalleled demand and urgency from the public, planners, and local governments for policies, programs, and practices that will advance social equity by design.
Not a pass-holder? Keynote ONLY registration is available, price varies $0-30. CLICK HERE for more information or simply register below.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Evaluate high-impact policy interventions that make actionable differences in atmospheric carbon produced by the built environment.
- Experience new pathways to equitable development and collaborative environmental problem solving.
- Describe the measurable co-benefits of decarbonization, which include health, safety, and racial equity in communities.
- Discover the architect’s role in improving environmental justice.
- Review lessons learned from several projects that reflect how architects can partner with the community to ensure equitable deployment of resources, further elevating the economic, social and environmental outcomes for communities.
- Through design case studies, analyze three categories of decarbonization intervention: embodied carbon, electrification of buildings, and retrofitting existing buildings.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUMMIT SPONSORS
Woodworks Wood Products Council | Greenhome Solutions | Holmes Structures
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) | Notkin P2S Inc. Company | Puget Sound Energy
tk1sc | ARUP | BRC Acoustics & Audiovisual Design | PAE | O’Brien360 | Osborn Consulting, Inc.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PLANNING TASK FORCE
Rico Quirindongo, AIA | Office of Planning and Community Development
Kristen Dotson, Assoc. AIA | The Miller Hull Partnership
Daniel Glenn | 7 Directions Architects/Planners
Stephanie Carlisle | Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington
Meghan Lewis | Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington
Vincent Martinez, Hon. AIA | Architecture 2030
Erin McDade, Assoc. AIA | Architecture 2030
Amarpreet Sethi, Assoc. AIA | EnviroPassiv
Registration or Credit Questions?
Contact Zoe Guckenheimer, Programs Manager at AIA Seattle
Program Questions?
Contact Annalee Shum, Senior Programs Manager at AIA Seattle
Sponsorship Questions?
Contact Kristen Lound, Associate Director of Growth & Operations at AIA Seattle
