Event Description

NESSBE (Northeast Summit for a Sustainable Built Environment) is a biennial northeast regional summit meant to include a larger community of building professionals, owners, academics, policymakers and advocates in a conversation about sustainability in the built environment. The theme of the second NESSBE is Equity of Place: Social Justice in the Built Environment. The focus areas are material health and social justice, climate justice and conservation, resilience, community engagement, and affordable housing.

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This event is building upon the first NESSBE held in April 2017 with the theme Health of Place: Health and Wellbeing in the Built Environment, which was a great success. The organizers are The Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC) and Living Building Challenge: Connecticut Collaborative (LBC CT) with the help of the Yale Office of Sustainability, and the Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development. 

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SUMMIT SCHEDULE:

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Friday, March 8th - Keynote and Educational Sessions ( 1 day pass)

Saturday, March 9th - Workshops, Tours, and Shoulder events (a la carte registration)

​SUBTOPIC DESCRIPTIONS:

Material Health and Social Justice
Healthy building materials are a valuable component of today's sustainable design practice. Who currently benefits the most from healthier, more sustainable materials? How can we ensure that the benefits of healthier materials are disbursed equitably? And how do we balance positive impact on all people and the environment? 

Climate Justice and Conservation
Climate change is a worldwide issue, but its negative effects are borne disproportionately by resource-scarce and marginalized populations. How do issues of access, privilege, and social justice manifest themselves in resource distribution and conservation? Topics may include climate refugee-ism, or equity in energy and water access and conservation. 

Resilience
Resilient design and planning equips communities to better withstand increased weather extremes associated with climate change. How can resilient design benefit the most vulnerable populations, regardless of their means or level of influence? 

Community Engagement
Community engagement is where the rubber meets the road- where those who design and create meet with the people that use their buildings and systems. How can we get communities meaningfully engaged in the design process, and use that engagement as a tool for authentic placemaking and true community ownership of the end product? How do these interactions create positive outcomes for all people, as well as the environment?​

Affordable Housing
Sustainability is sometimes seen as a privilege of the rich; high-performance affordable housing brings the benefits of sustainable design to people of all means. Topics may include housing project case studies, housing policy, or the economic case for green affordable housing.