Regenerative, Carbon Neutral and Just Communities with Actionable Outcomes

LEED for Cities and Communities helps local leaders create responsible, sustainable and specific plans for natural systems, energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors that contribute to quality of life.The certification programs revolutionize the way cities and communities are planned, developed and operated in order to improve their overall sustainability and quality of life. The LEED framework encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, data-driven means of benchmarking and communicating progress.

LEED for Cities and Communities

Learn how communities master-plan, develop, manage and continuously improve Sustainability and Quality of Life.

Thornton Tomasetti (Floor 15)

Communities starting their ‘Race To Zero’ with social equity will need innovative solutions for achieving the triple-bottom-line. This event will showcase global community-scale projects with ambitious, impactful and actionable roadmaps, implementation, and management strategies. They are catalyzing energy, emissions, water, waste, transportation, social equity, and quality of life innovation and continuous improvement with credible frameworks for effective decisions. U.S. Green Building Council for the past 30 years has transformed how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous economy. From green building technology and innovation to knowledge-sharing and success stories, USGBC has catalyzed the green building movement and empowered the ecosystem with the tools and resources to adopt and accelerate sustainable and equitable urban practices.USGBC’s LEED for Communities program works with more than 160 projects globally, revolutionizing the way communities are planned, developed and operated to improve their overall sustainability and quality of life. This LEED framework encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, data-driven means of benchmarking and communicating progress.USGBC proposes to organize three panels on September 20 showcasing global projects for 9am-12:30pm at Thornton Tomasetti offices and coordinate a site visit to one of the projects in Brooklyn for 2:30-4pm. Climate Week Side Event: Regenerative, Carbon Neutral and Just Communities Showcasing Actionable Outcomes
September 20, 2023 - 9am to 4pm (Panel Discussions: 9am-12:30pm and Site Visit: 2:30-4pm)
Event hosts: U.S. Green Building Council, Thornton Tomasetti, The Alloy Block
Event locations: Morning Panels (9am-12:30pm) at Thornton Tomasetti, 120 Broadway, Floor 15, New York, NY 10271 
Site Visit (2:30-4pm) at The Alloy Block, 100 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn NY

9:00-9:10am Welcome and an Introduction to the Day’s activities 
Vatsal Bhatt, US Green Building Council
Gunnar Hubbard, Thornton Tomasetti
Jeffrey Sullivan, The Alloy Block

9:10am-10:30am Panel 1: Regenerative Communities
Projects will showcase regenerative strategies for natural resource and ecosystem conservation and restoration, blue and green infrastructure for water positive, sponge city, circular economy, urban farming and food systems and nature-based solutions towards resilience. 
Speakers:
•	Edner Bellanger, Arcos, Guatemala
•	Gautami Palanki, Howard Hughes, USA
•	Ricardo Corrales Baruque, Madrid Castellana Norte District, Spain
•	Giovanna Piesco, CTE Smart Cities, Brazil
Moderator: Julie Pietrzak, Thornton Tomasetti 
 
10:30am-11:30am Panel 2: Carbon Neutral Communities
Projects will highlight planning, implementation and management for ambitious net zero targets; with operational and embodied net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and absolute zero scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2040. It will include smart mobility, nearness to all uses, extensive public transit, smart last-mile delivery logistics, electric transport, smart energy production, management and savings, smart two-way grids, positive-energy buildings and renewable energy including solar, wind, bioenergy, storage and geothermal. 
Speakers:
•	Nadia Boschi, Lendlease, Italy
•	Lisa Bolle, Thornton Tomasetti and Jeffrey Sullivan, The Alloy Block, USA
•	Erin Cooke and Anthony Bernheim, San Francisco International Airport
Moderator: Gunnar Hubbard, Thornton Tomasetti

11:30am-12:10pm Panel 3: Just Communities
Projects will highlight multiple dimensions of strategies and policies deployed for integrating community health, safety, wellbeing and intergenerational equity. This will include (1) Equity for people in Project Teams, (2) Equity for people in the Community who work, live, learn, or play, (3) Equity for people in the material Supply Chain, and (4) Equity for people in fenceline communities.
Speakers:
•	Esteban Martínez, Green Loop, Colombia
•	Monte Hilleman, Sustainable Investment Group, USA
Moderator: Vatsal Bhatt, US Green Building Council

12:10-12:25pm Details of the Site Visit: Jeffrey Sullivan, The Alloy Block

12:25-12:30 Concluding Remarks - Vatsal Bhatt, US Green Building Council

2:30-4pm Site Visit – The Alloy Block, 100 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn NY
https://alloyllc.com/work/the-alloy-block