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.”

Are you interested in helping the Central Coast Green Building Council (CCGBC) continue the transformation of the Central Coast into a sustainable community, economy, and environment? We are recruiting two professionals to join the CCGBC and grow our programs while improving our ability to teach about and advocate for sustainable development in the California Central Coast.

We are the go-to resource on the Tri-County that: supports sustainable building efforts, advocates for green building codes and policies, curates trainings and events for the green workforce, supports the next generation of sustainability leaders, celebrates top-notch projects and individuals pushing the limits of sustainability, cultivates an expansive, vibrant, and active green building community, and prepares students and those in a career transition with the skills necessary to transition into a career path in building sustainability. 

As a collective, the CCGBC board supports each other in creating healthier, environmentally-conscious buildings and communities.  We enthusiastically welcome people of any race, gender, orientation, religion, ethnicity, physical ability, economic status, and political preference to apply. CCGBC Board Members should be based in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, or Ventura counties, as these are the three regions that our local USGBC Chapter covers. Click here for more information + fill out the application by December 31st, 2021 to be considered as a new board member for a two-year term, starting in February of 2022.

We will be reviewing applications in the new year and electing two new board members at our January 2022 board meeting. Please complete the following information in the form below, and email our Communications Director at admin@ccgreenbuilding.org if you have any questions!

Applications are due on December 31st, 2021.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION & APPLICATION

CCGBC Board Member, AIA Member, & architect Paul Poirier has contributed to the following article opposing the leaked dorm design for the UCSB campus. Click the link below to learn more. 

“This is a critique of the unacceptable, inhumane living conditions that will no doubt, have psychological impact on its inhabitants and the community at large. This project shows complete disregard to the building’s scale and proportion in relationship to its immediate surroundings and the negative impact it will have to the community in which it’s located...”

Click here to read the full story.

CCGBC is happy to announce our newest resource, a Green Building Jobs Board! Anyone can access the jobs board, while CCGBC members have free or reduced price to post jobs depending on job listing duration. Check it out! 

https://ccgreenbuilding.mcjobboard.net/jobs 

Jayden, Mentee (pictured on left): 

• What were you looking for in the mentorship? I had always heard that mentors should be someone you genuinely enjoy talking with. I wanted to be paired with someone who was friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the same subjects as I am, and I have definitely found that through the CCGBC Mentorship program.
• What have you been discussing that excites you? We spend a lot of our time talking about Brian's life experiences - the projects he's worked on, jobs he's held, and skills he's developed. These stories have provided me with so much insight into the plans I have for my career.
• What is your favorite part about being a mentee? Brian's support over the past few months has been tremendously helpful. Being able to get advice from a person who has studied similar topics as me and has worked in careers I am interested in, especially a first-generation college student preparing for graduate school has been an amazing experience.

Brian, Mentor (pictured on right): 

• What were you looking for in the mentorship?  So many things... Primarily, I want to support future leaders in the sustainability movement by sharing the many ups, downs, and lessons of my years in the field. 
• What have you been discussing that excites you?  I'm most excited about Jayden's graduate school and future professional prospects.  She is a remarkable individual with tremendous potential to create positive change. I hope to help her channel that energy.
• What is your favorite part about being a mentor? It's pretty selfish, but it's very satisfying for me to have a role in her academic and professional growth, and frankly, to engage with someone of her caliber. She rocks.

Thank you to all of our 2021 Green Building Speaker Series participants!
Alongside the Ventura College Architecture Department and AIA Santa Barbara, we successfully held 8 virtual, hour-long events this year highlighting different realms of the vast world of green building. These events were free and open to students, AIA members, and anyone else interested in green building. The topics included the following: Home Energy Efficiency & Indoor Environmental Quality, Solar + Battery Storage, Electrification & the 2030 Commitment, Natural Building & a Changing Climate, Sustainable Materials, Landscape Design That Works With Nature, Green Cleaning, Design & Approval Process of the Islamic Center in Goleta. 

You can watch any of these at our Speaker Series archive on the CCGBC YouTube page. Stay tuned for our 2022 Speaker Series!  

This week we had an enthusiastic kiddo, Dakota, reach out to us about a resource he was hoping to share with the Green Building Community. Dakota has been really interested in science (as of late, mostly learning more about the planet and ways to be more sustainable/green). He has been enjoying looking at new articles or pages after school. His mom did some research to find some new sites or articles for him to look through and happened to come across the Central Coast Green Building Council Green Schools page, something Dakota thoroughly enjoyed looking through!

Dakota did some of his own research and found Bob's Solar Power Hobby Site, specifically the page 'All About Renewable Energy For Kids', and wanted to share it with us. You can now find this page linked to the resources section of the Green Schools page. Dakota, thank you for sharing! We love hearing about enthusiastic kids, and are so happy that you reached out to us! Keep up the good work!

Coastal Cleanup Day - September 18th, 2021

We teamed up with Surf Happens this weekend for Coastal Cleanup Day and collected 77 lbs. of trash at Santa Claus Lane Beach! Thank you to the 25 folks who came out to join us, and to Explore Ecology for Santa Barbara's Coastal Cleanup coordination! 

Green Building Mentorship Initiative Highlight - Oliver + Rudy

Oliver, Mentee: "I joined the mentorship program looking to make professional connections and be able to learn more about the green building industry. My mentor Rudy and I have been discussing the development process and at what stages green building and LEED is incorporated into the process. I was even able to sit in on a call for the Owner's Project Requirement for a new development aiming to achieve LEED silver. My favorite aspect of the mentorship program is just having the avenue to learn so much about green building from someone who has so much experience."

Rudy, Mentor: "Mentorship is a practiced tradition of conveying and sustaining knowledge gained from individual experience, and sharing it for another's growth. As a UCSB alumnus, I value being able to share my insights with Oliver, a fellow Gaucho, as he explores the dynamic potential that a career in sustainability has to offer. Intergenerational relationships strengthen our common goal of contributing to a more sustainable future."