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