(B11) Local Government Leadership in Decarbonization and Climate Resilience from Southern California

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Location: Room 204

Earn 1 Credit(s)

Local governments in southern California are leading the way on sustainability, climate resilience and equitable decarbonization. In this session, we’ll showcase three very different local governments – Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Los Angeles County – and talk with them about what success looks like. Through recent activities like Santa Monica’s Platinum certification in LEED for Cities, we’ll talk about setting city-wide carbon reduction and social equity goals and how to measure progress. We’ll use Los Angeles’ participation in the White House Coalition on Building Performance Standards to hone in on policy levers local governments are using to get to net zero carbon and what the regulatory environment looks like in the region. Los Angeles County’s Our County Plan set the goal of being a fossil fuel free county; we’ll use the plan to frame up a conversation on climate justice and the clean energy economy and see how the region is doing on both fronts.

Learning Objectives:

Hear how cities and counties in southern California are using LEED to advance resilience, sustainability and social equity goals.
Increase knowledge about regulatory approaches and policy levers advancing decarbonization.
Explore LEED for Cities' content areas and how cities and counties are demonstrating leadership through certification.
Understand how the work at the local government level in southern California is advancing global goals like the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

Presenter(s)

Hilari B. Varnadore, CC-P

Vice President for Cities
USGBC
KT

Kristen Torres Pawling

Sustainability Program Director
County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office
SP

Shannon Parry, MS (she/her/hers)

Chief Sustainability Officer
City of Santa Monica
Victoria Simon

Executive Officer, Office of Sustainability
City of Los Angeles