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GREEN COFFEE HOUR
Thursday, April 3rd at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Easy Tiger North
6406 N I-35 Frontage, Suite1100 Austin, TX 78752
About the Event
The Central Regional Council of USGBC-Texas hosts Green Coffee Hours each month, open to the public. This FREE event offers the opportunity to meet and network with people in green careers: architecture, engineering, sustainability, environmental governance professions, and more. For updates and additional information, please be sure to RSVP.
Central: Tour - Big City Crushed Concrete
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Tour Starts Promptly at 2:30 pm2900 N, FM973Austin, TX 78725
About the Tour
Big City Crushed Concrete provides the construction industry significant economic and environmental benefits by recycling clean, concrete rubble into TXDOT Grade rock materials. By using crushed concrete products, anyone from homeowners to landscapers to general contractors can help reduce land-filled concrete waste, conserve natural resources, and gain significant economic savings on materials and disposal costs. Big City Crushed Concrete also helps projects reach the recycled material goals required by LEED.
During this event, we will tour the concrete rubble hill, the crushing equipment, and the properties as we expand to receive more concrete and asphalt rubble.
Josh Hylkema will be leading the tour. A co-owner, Josh has been with Big City 23 years and is the resident expert on material, QC, and all things “recycling” as it relates to concrete and asphalt.
Space on this tour is full. Let us know if you want to be added to the waitlist.
Join the USGBC Texas Central Region Council during its Monthly Meetings. During these meetings, members will be encouraged to engage with the Regional Council and State leadership, learn about current and upcoming (local, state, and national) events, provide input, and ask questions.
For more information on the regional council go here. To view upcoming events go here, and to learn how to get involved go here.
For any questions, email Central Region Chair Ashley Besic at abesic@buildingdecarb.org or Chapter Executive Director Jonathan Kraatz at jonathan@usgbctexas.org.
Series runs February 7, 2025 to January 9, 2026.
The USGBC First Friday series is back by popular demand, but this year – with a twist! We’ll still gather online over midday on the First Friday of each month for leading-edge education, but in 2025, we'll alternate live education sessions with highly rated, previously recorded sessions from past USGBC programming.
Take a look at our lineup below, then follow the registration link to sign up for our entire series!
As always, our First Friday education series is free for USGBC members and USGBC Texas members (code provided via email) and $10 per session for nonmembers. Not a member? Learn more about becoming a member here.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to earn education hours and keep up with the latest at USGBC and in green building. Follow the registration prompt below, and be sure to register using the email address that is linked to your usgbc.org member account.
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, April 12, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
White Rock Lake
(see map below) Dallas, TX
About the Event:
Come volunteer with USGBC Texas at White Rock Lake Park and help keep it litter-free!
The Adopt-A-Shoreline program is a Dallas Park and Recreation Department program administered by For the Love of the Lake.
USGBC Texas has been assigned shoreline #6. FTLOTL will provide materials that support our cleaning needs (trash bags, gloves, etc.) that will be replenished as necessary.
Meet in the parking area for the Winfrey Point Baseball Fields.
Earth Day ATX 2025
Saturday, April 12th, 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Huston-Tillotson University
900 Chicon Street, Austin, TX 78702
Earth Day ATX 2025 will be Saturday, April 12th, from noon to 6 pm at Huston-Tillotson University. Not only is this Earth Day's 55th Global Anniversary, but part of Huston-Tillotson University's 150th anniversary programming. Our theme this year will be "Rooted In Community" and feature a focus on history and community strength.
This will be the 7th year the festival is held at Huston-Tillotson University, a beautiful campus in East Austin between 7th and 11th Streets just off of I-35. Sustainability at HT includes academic programs, student activities, campus projects and community engagement. With its central location and interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces, HT is the perfect location for Earth Day Austin 2025.
To volunteer with the USGBC Central Texas chapter, register here, or explore earthdayaustin.com for more information on exhibiting and sponsorship.
Thanks so much for your interest and support!
USGBC South Texas Overview on the SA 2030 District
Tues., April 14, 202512 pm - 1 pm
Join the presentation virtually if you cannot make it to the event person!
About the Topic:
Speakers:
Heather Gayle Holdridge, LEED Fellow, EIT, Assoc. AIA is the Sustainability Director at Lake|Flato Architects, a firm that has gained national recognition for architecture that successfully responds to its particular place while seamlessly integrating with the natural environment.
Leveraging her background in mechanical engineering, Heather directs all Lake|Flato project teams in establishing achievable sustainability goals. She devises strategies and establishes methods and systems to realize those goals under programs such as LEED, the 2030 Challenge, and the Living Building Challenge. Heather works closely with design teams to evaluate appropriate passive systems and performs energy modeling throughout the design process. Heather’s projects have included the Engineered BioSystems Building at Georgia Tech University; the Austin Central Library; Vanderbilt University’s Engineering and Medicine Building, and the LIVESTRONG Foundation facility. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Anna Morton Rivera, P.E. BEMP, is a seasoned sustainable engineering professional known for advancing green building initiatives and enhancing operational efficiency across diverse environments. As the Executive Director of Energy Management at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), she leads efforts to elevate campus sustainability and innovate green building practices. Previously, Anna excelled as a Building Performance Specialist at dbHMS and founded Morton Gestalt, where she pioneered projects in net-zero building design, electrification retrofits, and energy analytics applications. Bridging engineering, data analytics, and policy, she drives interdisciplinary collaboration to deliver cost-effective, sustainable solutions.
Jonathan Kraatz is the Executive Director for the U.S. Green Building Council Texas Chapter. In 2015, Kraatz was named Interim Executive Director over the formation of USGBC Texas, bringing together green building resources and knowledge from across the state. He facilitated the merger of the four Legacy U.S. Green Building Council Chapters in Texas and accepted the permanent role in January 2016.
Previously he served as Executive Director for the USGBC North Texas Chapter since 2010, he was hired as the Chapter’s media and communications strategist and was quickly promoted to more responsible positions within the organization.
He earned a LEED Green Associate credential and speaks regularly about the Chapter’s mission, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, and building sustainability. He was also named part of Who’s Who in Energy by the Dallas Business Journal in 2012, 2013, and again in 2014.
He was also elected to the Board of Directors for the Dallas Fort Worth Association Executives in 2013, 2015, 2017 and became President in 2019.
Kraatz was also part of the initial Dallas 2030 District Leadership Council and the Advisory Council for the City of Fort Worth Better Buildings Challenge - serving as its Co-Chair from 2017 to 2019 and the Steering Committee for the City of Dallas’ Comprehensive Climate Action Plan Working Group. He is currently on the Leadership Council for the San Antonio 2030 District relaunch.
In 2015 he was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award, a premier volunteer awards program encouraging citizens to lead a life of service from the President of the United States, for his efforts with the USGBC Chapter Network Evolution Working Groups.
He holds a degree in Journalism from Texas A&M University and credits being challenged early in his career by great mentors for the flexibility and adaptability that has shaped him as a leader.
USGBC South Texas Lunch & Learn on the SA 2030 District
Tues., April 14, 2025 12 pm - 1 pm
Overland Partners
203 E Jones Ave UNIT 104 San Antonio, TX 78215
If you cannot attend in person, please reach out to us.
Rethinking Building Green at Earthx2025 Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX
Tuesday, April 22 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Limited Discount Registration Using Code: RETHINK
For more than 30 years developers, designers, and builders have been refining and reimagining our built environments with regard to efficiency, materials, technology, and performance. Some strategies are born out of code changes, while others are conceived as a means to lower operating costs, lower risk, and increase an asset’s long-term real value.
Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer for GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) will keynote the conference and explore where the real estate industry is today – how performance and value are assessed – as well as explore where it is going – diving into current trends, technologies, and strategies.
Conference Agenda
8:00 am Networking Coffee 9:00 am Keynote: Rethinking Building Green 10:00 am EarthX All-Conference Break 10:20 am Project Showcase: iREALeyes 10:35 am Panel: Seeing Value Over Cost 12:00 pm EarthX All Conference Lunch & Keynote 1:30 pm Innovation Showcase including Harnyss, Powerstack, and more 2:30 pm Project Spotlight: 3:00 pm EarthX All-Conference Break 3:15 pm Rethinking Building Green Workshop 4:20 pm Sustainable Mindset for the Future (and Past) of Green Building - a conversation with Chris Pyke 5:00- 6:00 pm Conference Reception
Thursday, May 1st at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, May10, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, June 5th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, June 14, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, July 3rd at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, July 12, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, August 7th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, August 9, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, September 4th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, Sept. 13, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, October 2nd at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, Oct. 11, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, November 6th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, Nov. 8, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
Thursday, December 4th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Adopt a Shoreline Saturday, Dec. 13, 20259:00 AM-11:00 AM
USGBC Texas Chapter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. 1801 Royal Lane, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75229
Contact us at chapter@usgbctexas.org or at 214-571-9244
