Support USGBC Texas today!    Join    Renew   Donate   Sponsor



New Chapter and Regional Leaders


USGBC Texas Welcomes 2023 Regional Leadership

The U.S. Green Building Council Texas Chapter (USGBC Texas) welcomes new elected leaders in each or the Chapter’s five regions across the state.  They join returning Regional Council members in leading our sustainability mission in Texas.

USGBC Texas is a community-benefit (501c3) nonprofit committed to ensuring a better built environment for current and future generations of Texans. We are uniquely focused on uniting all stakeholders involved in the development, design, construction, operation and use of the built infrastructure to achieve equitable practices and policies that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, adds Powell.

Our Mission: To transform the way buildings, homes, and communities are designed, built, maintained, and operated in Texas through outreach, education, advocacy, and partnerships, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life in Texas.

To meet this Mission USGBC Texas draws from diverse stakeholders, including building industry professionals, educators, policy makers, and community members, says Jonathan Kraatz, the Chapter’s Executive Director.  From our partnerships with industry and trade associations to our networking and educational events, we connect them in conversations about real solutions.

In each of the Chapter’s five regions, the Regional Council members – along with the statewide board of directors – set the direction for the Chapter’s day-to-day advocacy, outreach, and education programs. 

The 2021 Regional Councils for USGBC Texas:

Central Texas Region

Courtney Thier, Elevate (2023 Chair)
Shaun Auckland, SPEER
Ashley Besic, Building Decarbonization Coalition
Carol Cabbiness, Green Hawk Business Services
Andrew Clements, Austin Energy
Nancy Edwards, Clean Power Marketing Group
Laia Gimeno Orti, Gaia Development
Rick Sebenoler, U.S. Dept. Commerce – Economic Development (Ret.)
Christopher Kelland, Heart Water
Shivani Langer, Perkins & Will
Jeremy Sigmon, PowerStack


Gulf Coast Region

Tim Murray, Page (2023 Chair)
Marina Badoian Kriticos, HARC

Jeff Craig, Ascentergy Corp.
Tim Crockett, SmartWater Valve
Sondra Huddleston, Green Growers of Texas
Caroline Kostak, KBR
Lisa Lin, Harris County
James Principe, Page
Suryabala Sah, Gensler
Nelson Spitz, Enterprise Real Estate Advisors

Get Involved!

To get involved with your local region and some of the Chapter events across Texas each year, please visit the Chapter’s volunteer page: https://usgbctexas.org/VolunteerWithUs

For More information about USGBC Texas, its Regions or upcoming events visit www.usgbctexas.org or contact Executive Director Jonathan Kraatz at jonathan@usgbctexas.org.


North Texas Region

Natalie Terrill, Beck Group (2023 Chair)
Kevin Brock, Schmidt - Stacey
Sylvia Golisano, Granite Properties

Eric Johnson, US EcoLogic
Marc Migliazzo, EIS Lighting
Brandon Morton, Dallas College
Kenneth Roland, DBR Engineering
Allison Smith, HKS
John Stevenson, The Projects Group
Allison Wood, Huitt-Zollars


South Texas Region

Karen Bishop, San Antonio River Authority (2023 Chair)
Andrea Gault, JLL
Michelle E. Garza, San Antonio River Authority
Bryan Hummel, EPA Southeast Region 4
Nicolas Jones, CleaResult
Beth Keel, Credit Human
Murray Myers, City of San Antonio – Sustainability
Keri Neff, Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors
Ted Woolsey, StormTrap


West Texas Region

Fernando Berjano, City of El Paso
Sarah Dillabough, Creosote Collective
Nicole Ferrini, City of El Paso – Climate & Sustainability
Gilbert Garcia
C. Renee Jimenez, MNK Architects

Christian Lopez, City of El Paso – Community Development
Nickole Rodriguez, City of El Paso – Community Development
Yazmin Trueba, Sundt Construction


Texas Makes LEED Top 10 Lists

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the 2022 Top 10 States for LEED. With a continued commitment to action in the fight against climate change, 2022 saw a growing movement in green building and sustainability. This year’s top states had 1,225 certified projects, representing more than 353 million gross square feet of space. Buildings that are LEED-certified create healthier spaces for people, use fewer resources, reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency while providing operational cost savings. 

Texas is a leader in green building and ranked ninth on the list in 2022. Over the past year, 174 projects were certified, representing 48,717,532 square feet of LEED-certified space. Texas also ranks third in the number of certified LEED-APs in the state.

Learn more about the 2022 Top States for LEED and join in celebrating on social using #Top10LEED.


Explore LEED Projects in Texas!


The Rankings

Top 10 States for LEED Green Building

Rank

State

2022 GSF Per Capita

2022 Certifications

2022 GSF

1

Massachusetts

3.76

96

26,442,008

2

Illinois

3.48

91

44,577,321

3

New York

3.17

142

64,042,120

4

California

2.44

386

96,457,139

5

Maryland

2.39

80

14,769,661

6

Georgia

2.25

66

24,068,422

7

Colorado

2.17

59

12,532,909

8

Virginia

1.89

95

16,289,394

9

Texas

1.67

174

48,717,532

10

Oregon

1.43

36

6,066,035


TOP 10 TOTAL


1,225

353,962,540

**

District of Columbia

46.06

115

31,759,516

   **Due to its status as a federal district, D.C. is not included in the state rankings.

Top 10 States for LEED APs

Rank

State

Population

Total credentials

1

California

39,538,223

26,710

2

New York 

20,201,249

12,381

3

Texas

29,145,505

10,564

4

Florida

21,538,187

9,882

5

Illinois 

12,812,508

8,423

6

Massachusetts

7,029,917

6,972

7

Virginia

8,631,393

6,670

8

Colorado

5,773,714

6,499

9

Washington

7,705,281

6,097

10

Pennsylvania 

13,002,700

5,826


Join us for Advocacy Day March 16th!

USGBC TEXAS 2023 STATE ADVOCACY DAY 

Show your support for green building and sustainable development practices in Texas by joining us to educate legislators on State Advocacy Day Thursday, March 16.

State Advocacy Day is USGBC Texas' biennial coordinated advocacy outreach to Texas state legislators and lawmakers. Armed with an engaged coalition, our goal is to expand Texas Green Building Advocacy dialogue with legislators and with each other to gain momentum during this legislative session. USGBC Chapter members and friends are invited to join us in educating our legislators on green building and sustainable development related issues.

The day will start with volunteer training and lunch, followed by legislative visits at the Texas State Capitol. You'll have the opportunity to meet with your representatives to express any concerns, educate them and present support for potential legislation.

Join us to Advocate for Green Building

Narrative of Priorities

Schedule

10:30 am - 12:30 pm: Mandatory Advocate Training and Lunch
Capitol Member’s Lounge, 1008 West Ave, Austin, TX 78701

Essential training in preparation for legislative visits. A light lunch will be served. 

Preparation will include information on specific bill included in this session's legislative agenda:

    • Fixing the Grid with Energy Efficiency and Demand Response
    • Raising Energy Efficiency and Demand Response for Utilities
    • Green Schools / Water Quality
    • Raising the Bar on Building & Energy Codes
    • Private Sector Market Transformation and Green Jobs

1:00 pm-5:00 pm: Legislative Meetings
Texas Capitol Offices

Prearranged (and drop-in) visits with House and Senate elected officials. You'll have the opportunity to meet with representatives’ staffs to express any concerns, educate them and present support for potential legislation.

4:30 pm-7:00pm: VIP Reception RSVP HERE
Cushing Terrell, 316 West 12th, Austin, TX 78701 

Join us for drinks and snacks, and mingle with green building and sustainability advocates from throughout the state along with legislators and their senior staff. 

We need your support. Let us know you're coming by registering above! Further details will be shared once you have registered. 


How Green Are Austin Schools?Update on the 2017 Bond Program

Q&A with Darien Clary, Sustainability Director 
Austin Independent School District

Austin Independent School District has become an incubator for green schools among K-12 school districts by advancing and formalizing green building design and sustainable operations into district-wide standards. The results of this accomplishment are an anticipated 60 LEED and/or AEGB certified green buildings, many of which are made possible through city of Austin’s 2017 and 2022 bond programs.

We recently sat down with Darien Clary, Sustainability Director at Austin ISD, to discuss the progress to date and share insights from the school communities.

How many of the schools funded in the 2017 bond have been built to date?

All but one have been completed. The final school, Dr. General Marshall Middle School, is scheduled for completion in Fall 2023. You can view the full list of new and modernized schools from the 2017 Bond Program here. You may also view targeted improvements for schools that include HVAC, security/fire alarm, technology, electrical, upgrades, etc. here

What kind of annual emissions offset would that represent?

Districtwide, Austin ISD has reduced energy consumption by 13,040 Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent since 2017 by constructing newer energy-efficient buildings, LED lighting retrofits, HVAC upgrades, and student and staff engagement campaigns. This is the equivalent of powering over 1,780 homes in Austin for one year. (sources for equivalencies: EPA and Austin Energy

We are currently conducting energy studies on each newly constructed project to understand exactly how much is attributable to the new buildings. So far, we know that Govalle and Menchaca Elementary Schools, both of which were modernized, saved $74,833 in utility costs in their first year of operation alone.

Govalle Elementary (pictured left) is in the nation’s top 5% for energy performance in K–12 schools. 

Menchaca Elementary went from one of the least energy-efficient schools in the U.S.—ranked in the lowest 6% of K-12 schools nationwide—to the top 16%. 


How many schools are or will be retrofits vs. new builds?

The 2017 bond included two new schools: Bear Creek Elementary School and Dr. General Marshall Middle School. Regarding the modernized campuses, many of the projects are complete replacements, while others like Norman-Sims Elementary (right) and Brentwood Elementary used as much of the existing building as possible and worked this into the redesign of the new school. The scale of construction was quite substantial so these are still considered “new” facilities, although much of the structure was repurposed.   There were also partial build/renovation projects, such as Austin High and Bowie High, that included a new addition or the first phase of major construction. 

Norman-Sims Elementary is a modernization project that united Norman and Sims schools.

Lastly, there were targeted projects to address needed repairs to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, electrical, plumbing, roofing, safety systems, academic reinvention projects and other needs. There were many districtwide.  A full list of projects for each campus in the 2017 bond book. The district has completed 87 targeted projects and is on track to complete an additional 23 projects in 2023. 

For the full Q&A, including reactions from students and parents, visit our blog.

Upcoming events

Celebrate Earth Day
April 22,2023

This year, Earth Day events are back in full swing, with many celebrations around the state. USGBC Texas is a sponsor of EarthX in Dallas, one of the largest and longest-running Earth Day events in the country.

EarthX includes multiple conferences over three days with many additional educational opportunities. The EarthX Built Environment Conference, curated by USGBC Texas, will be Friday, April 21. 

Come see USGBC Texas will be at an Earth Day event near you and get involved!


Earth Day Austin (Saturday, April 22)



Earth Day Houston (Saturday, April 22)

Green Mountain Energy Earth Day Logo


EarthX (Dallas) 
Thursday - Sunday
April 20-23

Logo, company name Description automatically generated

Planet People Profit Impact (PPPI) App

Explore how our USGBC Texas Best Practices Champions create greater Natural, Human, and Financial Capital value.

The Planet People Profit Impact (PPPI) App exposes the natural, human, and economic capital improvement business case opportunity that proven-sustainable-best-practices can create in our buildings and communities. 

Over the next few weeks, 20 additional best practices - including Rainwater Harvesting, Renewable Energy Credits, Individual Lighting and HVAC Controls, Low Impact Development, and Embodied Carbon - will be added to the App. 

Get the Planet People Profit Impact App:



For questions, comments, and feedback about the app, contact us: 

David MacLean
USGBC Texas Best Practices Committee Chair
David.MacLean@McMacCx.net

Jonathan Kraatz
USGBC Texas Executive Director

jonathan@usgbctexas.org

USGBC Texas Sponsors


USGBC Texas
Annual Sponsors

Our sponsors are companies and organizations that believe that greener buildings and sustainable development will contribute to a better life for current and future generations of Texans.

Our mission is to make this happen!

For information on how to become a Sponsor reach out to us via email or talk with us at an upcoming event!

Your support will help us to reach our goals. Become a sponsor today!


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

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software