Event Description

The building sector is rapidly decarbonizing. This webinar will provide information you need to be an active participant.

The conversation in the building industry is rapidly evolving from the concept of net zero energy to the more comprehensive and ambitious goal of net zero carbon. This shift represents not just a focus on the energy a building uses during its operation but a holistic approach that encompasses the carbon footprint across its entire lifecycle, including everything from raw material procurement, product manufacturing, and transportation to installation, operations, and end-of-life disposal or reuse.

This transformation is being propelled by a combination of consumer demand, investor and lender expectations, ratcheting codes and regulations, and evolving municipality requirements.

Building professionals and manufacturers are now racing to implement net zero carbon strategies, seeing them as a crucial differentiator in an increasingly competitive market. Consumer demand for zero carbon homes is skyrocketing, and forward-thinking companies are rising to the challenge, eager to meet and exceed expectations.

Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman will share her visionary insights on achieving a net zero carbon built environment. She will delve into:

• Zero From Start to Finish: attaining net zero carbon begins with sustainable design and the deployment of building science and green construction best practices, as well as other emissions reduction initiatives like electrifying fleets, using renewable energy, minimizing waste, and recycling materials.
• Low Carbon Materials: achieving zero carbon requires meticulous specification of groundbreaking decarbonization technologies and low-carbon products, such as those with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
• Carbon Offsets: after designing and constructing a high-performance, low carbon projects, purchasing carbon offsets helps achieve true carbon neutrality.  
• Market Intelligence: COGNITION Smart Data reveals that homebuyers—particularly younger generations—are unyieldingly demanding zero carbon homes.

The webinar will also cover milestones in the decarbonization of the built environment, such as the release of a National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building (ZEB) by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); the Voluntary Carbon Markets Joint Policy Statement and Principles issued by the Biden administration; a code amendment in California requiring large buildings to calculate carbon emissions and use low-carbon products and materials;  and the approval of a zero-carbon emissions requirement by Boston’s Planning & Development Agency (BPDA).