USGBC Equity Summit Report 2020
The second generation of USGBC is grounded in our 25+ year mission to better the lives of all people within a generation through sustainable buildings, communities and cities. Through the tireless dedication of our members, advocates and partners, USGBC drives market transformation every day.
Centering people at the heart of the work we do is intentional and with this in mind, USGBC President and CEO, Mahesh Ramanujam, called for a listening and learning tour to understand the work that has been done to demonstrate equity and establish a global call for ideas from our green building community. To ensure a complete vision, we reached out to a key list of social and environmental justice leaders to review our work and challenge us based upon gaps and missing indicators.
In May 2020, USGBC convened its inaugural Equity Summit. This first step in the yearlong listening and learning tour focused on the voices of our members and stakeholders and is built around the pillars of demonstrating social equity in:
- Governance (systems and structures internally and externally)
- Affordability/economic empowerment
- Equitable access
The information gathered throughout this process will lay the foundation, highlighting the priorities for USGBC’s social equity road map.
During this first event, attendees who covered a full spectrum representing both the private and public sector, engaged in dialog that posed tough questions, exposed harsh realities and dug beyond surface fixes to consider actions that will have the greatest impact. We discussed the levels of change when it comes to our work and how the different ideas presented meet the needs of different change strategies: change that is incremental, change that is evolutionary and change that is disruptive. Each is necessary, each has meaning and each has value.
