Photo credit: Brandon Kaysen

On June 16^th, the City of Ventura Community Development Department and Environmental Sustainability Division hosted a Ventura Strong Re-builds Green Expo at the City Hall in Ventura. Hundreds of residents affected by the Thomas fire and flood gathered to learn about green building approaches, design technologies and utility rebates and incentives that they can implement.  

Workshops were provided which educated residents about renewable energy options, green building materials, outdoor water usage, landscape, and defensible space. The workshops included (Citizens Journal 2018): 

• Rebuild Together, Rebuild Well: Energy Efficient Homes 

• Defensible Space Requirements for new Homes, Sustainable and Fire-Resistant Landscaping, and Ocean Friendly Gardens in a Fire Zone 

• Solarize Your Home 

• Making Green Building Affordable: Financing & Incentives 

    

Photo credit: Kori Nielsen 

CCGBC was just one of the organizations among the handful that came out to support and provide assistance to homeowners. We partnered with Global Green and USGBC LA to share information on the Thomas Fire Green Rebuilding Resilience Initiative, which will provide free, one-on-one green re-building/repair education and technical assistance to the residents of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The goal is to implement baseline green building strategies focused on energy efficiency, water savings, indoor air quality, and resilience and to increase the number of certified green homes in the area using the LEED for Homes (or comparable) standard. The program is just launching, and we were excited by the positive responses we received from residents during the event (Charlotte Will 2018).  

Interested homeowners filled out a short survey, so we could learn more information about their unique interests and needs. Our volunteer, green building experts—from the USGBC network—will use this information to help homeowners navigate the green building and resilience strategies and green building certifications available to them (i.e. Passive House, LEED, Living Building Challenge, etc.) as well as the rebates and incentives. If you're interested in participating in the program, please take the survey, click here! 

We also brought out our BuildSMART trailer for those interested in learning about sustainable materials that they can use within their house. To learn more about our trailer and for a list of materials, click here!  

Keep a look out on the CCGBC calendar for upcoming Re-build workshops this Summer and Fall! 

Written by: City of Ventura, Kori Nielsen, and Charlotte Will 

Edited by: Brianna Ruland