USGBC's Greenbuild Legacy Project 2022: Empowering Oakland Community Resilience
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, organized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), supports an annual Legacy Project to give back to the local community and promote sustainability and community resiliency in the face of climate change. The 2022 Greenbuild Legacy Project was awarded by the Greenbuild Host Committee, which included Marc Northstar, to California Interfaith Power & Light for a neighborhood resilience hub project at Faith Baptist Church in Oakland. This project aligns with USGBC's core pillars of resilience, equity, health and wellness, and sustainability.
Host Committee with Pastor Curtis Robinson at Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, 2022. Photo credit: Greenbuild.
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held annually, is one of the largest and most important sustainability conferences in the world. Each year, the conference supports a Greenbuild Legacy Project, an initiative to give back to the local community in gratitude for hosting the event. The Legacy Project has become an integral part of Greenbuild, with past projects including sustainable community gardens, green school makeovers, and eco-friendly building renovations. As the conference approaches its 20th anniversary celebration in San Francisco, California, the Greenbuild Host Committee has proudly awarded the 2022 Greenbuild Legacy Project to California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL) for a neighborhood resilience hub project at Faith Baptist Church in the city of Oakland. This project emphasizes the importance of sustainability and community resiliency in the face of climate change. The Legacy Project award, which includes $7,500 in funding raised through Greenbuild registration, which made possible the purchase and installation of a battery to support the solar array at Faith Baptist Church. This will result in a zero-energy, self-sustaining facility that can provide clean air to community members, even on overcast or smoky days. The Greenbuild Host Committee aims to raise and contribute another estimated $10,000 in donations to extend the impact of the Legacy Project, providing CIPL and Faith Baptist Church with additional resources and support for expansion of the community resilience hub. Faith Baptist Church's focus on serving the community will particularly benefit vulnerable demographic segments, such as older citizens and children, who are more adversely affected by poor air quality and energy disruption events.
Peter Templeton, President and CEO of USGBC, and Marc Northstar at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo 2022
This is especially important in low-income communities already dealing with poor air quality, like East Oakland, which suffers disproportionately from air pollution from surrounding industry, freeways, and airports, as well as from wildfire events. CIPL's project application stood out to the Greenbuild Host Committee-Legacy Project working group for its consistency in performance across all Legacy Project criteria, advancing all four of USGBC's core pillars through resilience, equity, health and wellness, and sustainability. In addition to serving the needs of the 700-person congregation, Faith Baptist Church aims to extend its support to the broader community by serving as a state-recognized resilience hub in the event of natural disasters. The resilience hub will also become a source of education and awareness for environmental sustainability, carbon reduction, and resilience for the community. This project is a powerful example of the importance of sustainability in communities, particularly those that have been historically marginalized socially and economically. The creation of a local resiliency hub will greatly advance the community's climate resiliency, support the community during wildfires and other disasters, and provide resources to safeguard the health and well-being of the most vulnerable within the community. The Greenbuild Legacy Project demonstrates that sustainability is not just about reducing carbon emissions or conserving resources, but also about creating resilient communities that can withstand the challenges of a changing climate. By investing in projects that promote sustainability and community resiliency, we can ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for all.