The U.S. Green Building Council California (USGBC California) presented the Product & Civic Leadership Awards at its 24th Annual California Green Building Conference, being held for the first time in San Francisco. These awards acknowledge the leaders who are making a difference through outstanding achievements in sustainability, green building, and innovative products.

“For the first time ever, we bring our Conference to the Bay Area, uniting green building leaders across our great state at an important moment when our leadership is needed now more than ever,” said USGBC California Executive Director Ben Stapleton. “Not only will we be celebrating the people and products creating a more sustainable path forward, but our panels, case studies, startup pitches, and speakers elevate and illustrate how we can increase resilience, while being green, today.”
 
THE AWARDS LIST
 
CIVIC LEADERSHIP AWARDS

• Policy Leadership Award:  San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The award honors a municipality or agency that is leading the way in advancing green building and sustainability for California and beyond. SFO is being recognized for its exceptional and continued leadership in creating a resilient, healthy, and sustainable transit  environment, particularly around waste, making the airport very deserving of this award.

• Elected Official Award:  Supervisor Lynda Hopkins (Sonoma County, District 5). The award honors an elected official who is leading on sustainability for California and beyond. Supervisor Hopkins is being recognized for her work for the County of Sonoma, Sonoma Clean Power, RCPA, and many other climate focused organizations, including now CARB and the BAAQMD, as well as her values-based connection to nature and more.

PRODUCT AWARDS:

• Mighty Impact Award:  Rockwool. The award honors a building product or material presenting the biggest opportunity to move the market forward by reducing embodied carbon in buildings across California and beyond. Rockwool is being recognized for its innovation and ongoing commitment to sustainable and resilient insulation materials and its role in driving carbon-smart construction, leveraging nature-based materials.
• Market Transformation Award:  CalPortland. The award recognizes a product or solution that has significantly influenced the adoption of sustainable practices and transformed how the market approaches green building and sustainability. CalPortland is being recognized for their leadership in low-carbon cement and sustainability is helping to transform construction across the West.

• Ripple Effect Award:  California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP).  This new award honors innovation serving as a catalyst for sustainable water management. CalWEP is being recognized for their role in driving impact, water conservation, and increased resilience across California.

DAVID GOTTFRIED SUPERHERO AWARD

Commissioner Nancy Skinner, California Energy Commission. This award recognizes an individual’s outstanding stewardship in advancing regeneration in the built environment. The criteria include unprecedented vision, innovation, leadership, significant regenerative impact, and unending commitment. The Superhero’s contribution inspires others to step up their game and achieve higher levels of resiliency and global health. Retiring this year, Commissioner Skinner is being recognized as a lifelong champion of climate action and sustainability, whose vision and policy work have left an enduring legacy. 

Stapleton continues, “We are especially pleased to reestablish the David Gottfried Superhero Award here today, as it was originated by our Bay Area community in 2009 and later given out globally by the World Green Building Council. David founded the U.S. and World Green Building Councils, and this award recognizes an individual’s outstanding stewardship in advancing regeneration in the built environment, a core focus of his. We are also fortunate that he has become a friend and frequent collaborator with USGBC California. We cannot think of a more deserving recipient to relaunch this award than Commissioner Skinner.”