Click below to learn more about each and to register. Feel free to share these opportunities with your network!

2022 One Hour Code Breaker Session: Single Family All-Electric Homes 
May 12th, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Hosted online with Adobe Connect 

The 2022 Energy Code has introduced significant changes for Residential occupancies, from how these occupancies are to be classified and organized within the code to the introduction of new Mandatory and Prescriptive measures facilitating preparation for future single-family all-electric residences. Join  Southern California Edison (SCE)  and Energy Code Ace for this one-hour presentation where we review not only the all-electric preparation requirements of the Energy Code, but also PV exemptions. We will also explore preparation for future all-electric buildings in the Energy Code requirements for heat pump space heating, domestic hot water, and battery-ready electrical panel configuration. 

Electrification for Contractors Webinar by Lucas Johnson of Vali Homes
May 18th @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Hosted on Zoom

CCGBC presents a webinar with Lucas Johnson of Vali Homes, discussing the 5 Factors of Good Building tool, which is used to force holistic decision-making for all product specifications. Attendees will learn how to specify good products and get to see examples of assembly systems that work well for California's Central Coast.

On April 25th, we hosted Alelia Parenteau (Sustainability & Resilience Director - City of Santa Barbara) and Chris Reed (Sustainability Manager - City of San Luis Obispo) to discuss the implementation of electrification in their cities.
Click below to watch the hour-long panel discussion:

Written by CCGBC Board Member Trevor Ranlett, a long-time member of the Carpenters Union Local 805.

             
(Top) Contractor John Ruiz prepares to make quick work of tree well with a jackhammer, his kids go to Winfred Pifer Elementary School. (Bottom) JC is a carpenter with Souza Engineering and builds bridges during the week, and would love to be invited back to plant trees and help with other Green School projects. 

The Central Coast Green Building Council and Duke Energy have funded mini-grants for schools throughout San Luis Obispo County, and the projects are happening! 4.30.22 There was a Volunteer Day at Winifred Pifer Elementary School in Paso Robles. In the spirit of strategic partnerships, Union members from Carpenters Local 805 came out in support of One Cool Earth and the mission of school gardens as education. The work was hard, digging out the tree wells through the compacted fill, but they came prepared with jackhammers and made very quick work of the operation. This hard work clears the way for the next upcoming volunteer opportunity on Saturday, May 7th, 2022, to plant the donated fruit and nut trees and set up the irrigation. The day concluded with a strong sense of satisfaction and high fives. Carpenters Local 805 has a tradition of serving the community and made a commitment to the strategic partnership, that the CCGBC could call upon them for future efforts.

It’s going to be very exciting to see the rest of the green schools’ projects come to fruition. Stay tuned & get involved!

 Sign Up For Next Green Schools Volunteer Day: May 7th, 2022 

  Santa Barbara Botanic Garden 

We have recently brought together a cohort of professionals to offer an 'Electrification Series' over the next few months. To kick-off this initiative, we have partnered with AIA Santa Barbara and Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) to present multiple electrification webinar opportunities for you. 

• March 10^th - All-Electric Buildings: Stories from the Field hosted by 3C-REN
• March 15^th - 2022 Energy Code Preview for Multifamily Projects hosted by 3C-REN
  
• AIA Santa Barbara is providing free​ attendance for CCGBC Members on March 16^th at their webinar "The 5 Factors of Good Building: Why Changing Product Specification is Necessary to Change the World" - use the promo code "CCGBC" for a free ticket to the event. 
• March 17^th - 2022 Energy Code Preview for Nonresidential Projects hosted by 3C-REN
  
• March 30^th - 3C-REN Regional Forum Information - "What is the Big Deal about Heat Pumps and Electrification?" 

Sweet Smiling Landscapes, creates landscapes and gardens that are as aesthetically intriguing as they are ecologically sound. Specializing in drought-tolerant landscapes, edible gardens, California native plant design.
Serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties.

  Sweet Smiling Landscapes 

Dear CCGBC Community Members, Sponsors, and Affiliates,

On behalf of the Central Coast Green Building Council (CCGBC) Board of Directors and the entire green building community, we would like to give you our most heartfelt thanks for your continued support.

In these trying times, it is easy to write off community-based work like ours, but the fact that we rely solely on your contributions to do the work we do makes it all the more meaningful and impactful to have your generosity. We could not be more grateful to our local sponsors, members, and community groups that allow our work to continue.

We are in the midst of a climate emergency and at a crossroads that will dictate how we live and interact with our environment for future generations to come. Our mission is to promote sustainability initiatives in our community that benefit every member of our community. We believe that everyone in our community should have accessibility to healthy and sustainably built communities, and we commit to making that a forefront of our mission. We actively seek to better reach the underserved populations with our programs, trainings, and outreach.

In order to achieve this, we are excited to announce a new series presented by the CCGBC. We will be hosting three thematic training sessions throughout the year on Beyond Net-Zero Energy & Electrification (Efficiency and Renewable Energy), Fire-Smart & Carbon-Conscious Construction, & Waterwise Living. Our impetus is to train the next generation of designers, builders, and homeowners in the values and importance of sustainable design and practice.

These trainings throughout the year will include tours, webinars, hands-on training, formal certification, and advocacy to our local governments and media outlets. This program is following our very successful Green Building Speaker Series, in which we hosted eight sustainability webinars last year in partnership with the Ventura College Architecture Department and AIA Santa Barbara. Our Green Building Mentorship Initiative was a huge success this year and we paired 9 mentees with mentors! It is incredibly important that we usher the next generation into climate leadership and we are striving to expand this program further this year, so please do reach out if you are interested in mentoring or being a mentee.

We have formed strategic partnerships this year that will enable our organization’s reach to go further and have more impact on our community. Specifically, we seek to not reinvent the wheel by leaning into partnerships with organizations that are doing similar work to ours, in order to amplify our shared mission and pool resources to have the most impact possible.

Again, on behalf of the CCGBC Board of Directors, thank you for your support of CCGBC’s mission. As severe weather events and droughts become ever more frequent, we are adamant about decarbonizing our built environment while at the same time making it more resilient. We could not accomplish so much without your active support and participation!

Wishing you a 2022 filled with peace, love, and sustainability.

Sincerely,

Cash Upton, 2022-2023 CCGBC Board President

Danny Ettelson is Energy Projects Manager at Community Environmental Council in Santa Barbara. There, he carries out programs and projects to accelerate the Central Coast's efforts to address climate change. These projects focus on building energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transportation electrification. Danny is a California native with a passion for bringing innovative and inclusive solutions for the climate crisis to fruition on the Central Coast. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Science and Management from the UCSB Bren School with a specialization in Energy and Climate. He and his fiance, who happens to be a local architect, love the Central Coast and it's wonderful combination of architectural excellence and environmental activism.

Dave Intner, with Southern California Edition's Building Electrification and Codes & Standards team, is a Licensed Architect, LEED AP, and Certified Energy Manager. A graduate of Cal Poly SLO, Dave provides education and outreach supporting Building Decarbonization and Energy Code Compliance Improvement. He is a board member with USGBC Los Angeles and has served on the LEED Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group (EA-TAG). He is a Past President of AIA Ventura County, and serves on the statewide AIA Committee on the Environment.  

• Left: CCGBC Board President Brandon Kaysen tallies up the lbs. of trash collected on Santa Claus Lane Beach on Coastal Cleanup Day, hosted and coordinated by Explore Ecology. We teamed up with Surf Happens and collected 77 lbs of trash along with 25 volunteers. 
• Center: CCGBC Communications Director Eva Hogue and CCGBC Board Members Samantha Huntley and Candice Wong participated at our first in-person event of the year, NatureFest hosted by the Dana Adobe & Cultural Center in Nipomo. We brought plants provided by Clearwater Color Wholesale Nursery (Los Osos) and our BuildSMART Trailer.
• Right: We teamed up with the Ventura College Architecture Department and AIA Santa Barbara to present our Green Building Speaker Series - virtual, monthly, hour-long presentations by professionals within the realm of green building. Topics were on a variety of subjects, such as electrification, solar, LEED certification & more! These presentations were worth 1 LU/HSW Credit for AIA Members, and were free to attend! If you missed a presentation, don't worry! They are available to watch on our YouTube Channel.

• Left: CCGBC joined 1% for the Planet as a non-profit partner. This is an incredible opportunity, where we aim to network with businesses that have committed to giving 1% of their annual gross sales to environmental non-profits. 1% for the Planet has helped give to six core areas: climate, land, water, food, wildlife, and pollution. The built environment encompasses all of these areas. Our goal is to support and advocate for a healthier and more sustainable environment through the education and advocacy of green building design, construction, and operational excellence. 
• Center: We have published two newsletters a month, sharing 150+ events, 50 local jobs, and a large range of green building resources with the CCGBC Community. 
• Right: In November, CCGBC Board Member Natasha Elliott sold plants on behalf of the CCGBC at a mulch and compost giveaway hosted by the City of Ventura at Cornucopia Community Gardens. Natasha, a landscape designer, license landscape contractor, and EPA-certified Water Wise Designer, creates a healthier built environment through working with plants - "designing the built world with natural processes in mind creates more resilient and sustainable communities, thriving watersheds, and the opportunity to live in harmony with nature."

CCGBC Community,

I hope you have had a heartwarming holiday and have found time for introspection and reflection. This year has been trying for many of us and it is more important than ever that we all take a moment to experience the beauty and abundance that is within us and surrounds us here on the Central Coast. 

As we wrap up 2021, I am preparing to pass the baton off to our new President, Cash Upton. We will be working side by side as the CCGBC continues to grow and evolve into a powerful and influential organization. It has been such a joy and a privilege to lead the CCGBC over the past three years as we all navigated turbulent waters. We are stronger than ever and collectively focused on providing value and leadership for years to come. 

We’ve doubled the size of our board, created new programs, expanded our mentorship network, offered guest presentations, and have been working diligently to prepare for an expansive 2022. We are excited to be offering new educational programming, expanding community networking opportunities, and taking a more active role in advocacy next year. The CCGBC has been growing relationships with key partners such as the American Institute of Architects, Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens, Ventura College, and more. With the diversity of backgrounds and expertise on our board, I am more excited than ever for what is to come. 

Cheers to you all and a special thank you to all of our members, sponsors, partners, and participants. We couldn’t do this amazing work without you and it certainly makes all of our successes (large and small) more exciting when we get to celebrate together. May we all find the motivation and enthusiasm to make 2022 a year for mindful progress and resiliency in our communities. 

Best Wishes,

Brandon Kaysen, 2019 - 2021 CCGBC Board President

Molly, Mentee (pictured on left): 

• What were you looking for in the mentorship? I initially signed up for the mentorship program hoping to learn more about the architecture field and specifically green/sustainable design. I am studying architecture history and environmental studies at UCSB and was hoping to see how those areas crossover and experience what it is like to actually work in an architecture office. My main goal was to see first-hand what a career in this field would look like and if this is a career path that I might be interested in, which it has successfully done and I am very interested in pursuing architecture after I graduate.  
• What have you been discussing that excites you? I have mainly been working in the library as a volunteer at Appleton Architects and I have gotten the opportunity to look through many different architecture publications, which have exposed me to types of design and architects that I have previously not been familiar with. This is very exciting to me because I am able to see a whole new side of architecture that I didn't know existed and be introduced to new styles and architects, which just furthers my interest in the subject.  
• What is your favorite part about being a mentee? My favorite part of being a mentee is being able to spend time in a real architectural office and gain hands-on experience by talking with people who have made a career out of architecture and have years of experience, which is something I was unable to do just attending architecture lectures in school. So I really value being able to spend time in an environment surrounded by architectural work and people who have the same interests as I do and are eager to help me learn more about the field.  

Ken, Mentor (pictured on right): "It's been a delight mentoring Molly Cunningham, who is finishing up her last year at UCSB. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her and exciting to hear her interest in green design – Building Sustainably. My goal is to give her the ability to take what she acquired from school and get a sense of what the physical aspects are like working in a firm that has been around since 1975. Our PR Administrator, Nicholis handles our archive and library here at Appleton Partners and he’s been so generous to share some of the tasks that I hope will help Molly along her expanding educational path. Whether it’s in architecture or not, I’m very happy to help in some way.”