2012 Initiatives

Our Current Campaigns

There are many ways to get involved that will help change your block, your neighborhood, your company, and the entire region, and we hope you'll join your colleagues and neighbors in their efforts.

Our work right now is focused on four main areas, some of which you can get involved directly in today by becoming a member:

Green Schools Campaign
Green schools save on average over $100,000 per year in operating costs and studies show that students learn better in green schools. Regionally, only about 10% of the 1,171 schools in DVGBC’s region regularly measure their energy use and costs, yet energy is the highest school expenditure after personnel. DVGBC’s green schools campaign will work to help schools lower operating costs and create healthy learning environments in our region’s schools. We will engage stakeholders to measure energy use, calculate life cycle costs of energy efficiency measures, and advocate for policies and funding mechanisms that will help schools overcome barriers to greening their buildings. Green Schools Campaign 

Public Policy & Advocacy
DVGBC has an opportunity to be a resource for the growing wave of public policy initiatives in support of green building practices at the local, state and federal levels. DVGBC has an advocacy committee, task teams focused around specific initiatives, and a team of policy experts in all aspects of green building. The immediate opportunities are in energy disclosure, higher rates of construction and demolition waste recycling, increased rates of conservation and graywater recycling, new green building standards for state-owned buildings, and supporting adoption of the new ICC and IGCC codes. DVGBC staff and volunteers will build relationships with decision-makers and provide new tools to engage our members and the public around these important issues. Public Policy & Advocacy

Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia
The annual international green building conference will bring more than 30,000 green building leaders to Philadelphia in the fall of 2013. As the host chapter, DVGBC will be responsible for volunteers, offsite education and tours, a legacy project and engagement with regional industry leaders and decision-makers. The conference is a major opportunity to bring national attention to projects and expertise and industry leaders in our region, while raising awareness about green building practices here at home. We’ll leverage the event to bring focus to issues of regional importance, such as social equity and historic preservation, and build and strengthen relationships with partners and sponsors.  Greenbuild 2013

Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC)
GPIC is a new national hub funded by the US Department of Energy. GPIC seeks to advance the research, policy, practices and products that will spur the commercial marketplace to retrofit their buildings, demonstrating 50% energy efficiency reductions by 2015. Through new policies, a better understanding of markets and behavior, and commercialization and deployment of new energy efficiency technologies, and training a highly skilled workforce to build, install, and service them, GPIC also hopes spur economic growth throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. As a partner of GPIC, DVGBC will communicate GPIC’s work to our community; help integrate practitioners and building owners and operators into the GPIC effort; and support the policy, markets and behavior team. The success of the GPIC project will solidify our region’s position as a green building innovation center.