Welcome to CLF-LA's first webinar of 2026, presented by Luke Lombardi, P.E., Laura Karnath, A.I.A., and Rachelle Habchi, P.E. 00:00 - Introductions 02:12 - CALGreen Refresher and Emerging Requirements 05:49 - WBLCA Pathway 06:23 - Comparing to a Baseline 09:15 - Optimization Strategies and Examples 18:40 - Structural Optimization Examples 26:42 - Practical Considerations and Emerging Standards 32:04 - Q&A The 2024 CALGreen embodied carbon mandatory measures provide an opportunity for large building projects to achieve meaningful embodied carbon reductions through Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA). The WBLCA pathway in CALGreen requires a 10% embodied carbon reduction from a “baseline” building, but how is a baseline defined and what types of reduction strategies should design & construction teams pursue? Defining a good baseline is key to achieving meaningful embodied carbon reductions over business-as-usual construction practices. This webinar will focus on achieving genuine embodied carbon reduction strategies through WBLCA, demystify the process of defining WBLCA baselines through project case studies, and propose a consistent and collaborative approach to sustainability measures as the industry moves to implement embodied carbon code provisions in California. Defining a good baseline is critical to achieving real, meaningful reductions from business-as-usual construction practices through WBLCA and that will be highlighted through project case studies demonstrating best practices for WLBCA and embodied carbon reduction. Connect with our CLF-LA hub: https://www.clf-la.org/ #embodiedcarbon #carbonleadershipforumlosangeles #clfla #webinar #baselines #calgreen #wblca

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the primary methodology used to assess embodied carbon in buildings, but it seldom includes any assessment of the underlying data quality. Ignoring the variability in data quality can produce deceptively precise results, leading to ill-informed decision-making. Furthermore, existing methods of uncertainty modeling rely on poorly justified assumptions and are difficult to incorporate into existing practice. This presentation will briefly review the basics of LCA for structural engineers before describing a novel method for uncertainty modeling and demonstrating its utility through a series of examples. 00:00 Introductions 02:04 Martín Torres, Architectural Engineering PhD candidate in Dr. Wil Srubar's Living Materials Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder 35:11 Q&A #embodiedcarbon #carbonleadershipforum #carbonleadershipforumlosangeles #clfla #webinar #lca #probabilisticlca

Did you know that the process of setting up your EPD system sets up a highly curated custom database? In this webinar with Climate Earth, our speakers will teach you how to use that asset for much more than EPD generation. Learn how to effectively utilize material, transport, production, mix design and environmental impact data by leveraging advanced database tools and visualizations. Key Takeaways: - What you learn from going through the EPD process - How you can analyze your EPD data and innovate for optimal mix designs - Strategic decision making for optimal operations through EPD data; improve operations across all of your plants with EPD data all in one place - Learn about new intelligent tools to optimize logistics and transportation 00:00 Introductions 01:57 Hossein Tavakoli, Ph.D, Director of North American LCA & EPD Services at Climate Earth 11:50 Brian Davis, Director of North American Sales at Climate Earth 28:08 Q&A #embodiedcarbon #carbonleadershipforum #carbonleadershipforumlosangeles #clfla #webinar #epd #climateearth

Welcome to CLF-LA's first installment of our How It's Made webinar series: facades! Learn how building materials and products are manufactured, the main sources of embodied carbon in the manufacturing process, and what is being done to reduce embodied carbon. 00:00 - Introductions 02:57 - Stone Wool Insulation - Alejandra Nieto, Sustainability Manager at ROCKWOOL, and Todd Kimmel, US Senior Manager of Sustainable Solutions for ROCKWOOL North America and Co-Founder & Chairperson of the Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA) 23:36 - Glass - Kris La-Borde, Regional Technical Advisor at Guardian Glass 40:37 - Curtainwall Systems - Andrea Zani, Former R&D Innovation Manager and Sustainability Lead at Permasteelisa Group 55:08 - Q&A Speaker Bios: Kris La-Borde is the Regional Technical Advisor at Guardian Glass. He has more than 16 years of experience in engineering across the globe with the past 12 years specific to the façade and building enclosure industry. He previously was a façade engineer for Thornton Tomasetti in Los Angeles and London, spending eight years focusing on North American façades and enclosures. Prior to that, La-Borde spent four years with Swiss façade contractor Yuanda where he engineered façade systems and specialized in curtain wall for commercial developments across mainland Europe and the UK. Alejandra Nieto is the Sustainability Manager at ROCKWOOL. Her role is defining and implementing sustainability strategy and initiatives, ensuring the development of high performance stone wool insulation products with the lowest embodied footprint. Her role includes managing the sustainability profile of ROCKWOOL products through certifications and listings, keeping to date with policy and regulatory work on the topic of life cycle assessment and decarbonization, and working with industry leaders to drive the use of low carbon sustainable products. Her background also includes building science and building materials expertise, focusing on low carbon and energy efficiency design. She is an active member in multiple ASHRAE technical committees including her role as Chair for TC 4.4 Building Materials and Building Envelope Performance, teaches part-time at George Brown College in Ontario, and currently sits on the California Building Standards Commission Green Building (GREEN) Code Advisory Committee. She is also a Certified Passive House Consultant. Todd Kimmel is the US Senior Manager of Sustainable Solutions for ROCKWOOL North America and Co-Founder & Chairperson of the Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA). Todd has over 20 years of leadership experience working on building enclosures and façade systems. This includes the construction management and oversight of large-scale commercial building enclosures, working as the product and technical manager at Trespa North America, steering strategic business development as the NYC Architectural Manager for ROCKWOOL and serving as a technical consultant for Dorken Systems. Todd was part of the working group to develop the AAMA 509 testing standard for drained and back ventilated rainscreen. He is a Construction Documents Technician (CDT), a Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD - Passive House Institute) and currently sits on the board of directors for New York Passive House (NYPH). He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from New York University with a focus on sustainability in the built environment. Andrea Zani is the former R&D Innovation Manager and Sustainability Lead at Permasteelisa Group, where he is responsible for managing and leading the development and delivery of innovative, low-carbon and high-performance façades. He is actively involved in shaping and driving Permasteelisa Group’s decarbonization strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Andrea holds a Masters degree and PhD in Building Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He is a member and co-chair of the Society of Façade Engineering North America Hub, is active in Façade Tectonics Institute (FTI) advocacy and is a member of its Embodied Carbon Working Group. He also collaborates with LBNL Window Group, CBE Berkeley, EURAC Research and other research centers on several research activities. #embodiedcarbon #carbonleadershipforum #carbonleadershipforumlosangeles #clfla #webinar #howitsmade #facades #glass #stonewoolinsulation #curtainwall

This month, we’re joined by Mel Chafart, Low Carbon Buildings Lead at Carbon Leadership Forum – HQ, a co-author of the recently published CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report and the creator of the accompanying, very nifty, public dataset dashboard. The report represents one of the most comprehensive whole building LCA datasets in North America and details guidance on implementing benchmarks into policies and programs, insights into key emissions drivers and targets, and strategies to accelerate industry-wide decarbonization. This is truly a landmark report that will provide more insight into policymakers, designers, and owners who are looking to develop building carbon budgets. It wouldn’t have been possible without the close collaboration of the additional report authors Brad Benke, Aurora Jensen, Meghan Lewis, and Kate Simonen. In this webinar, Mel dives deeper into the findings from the report, providing key insights into building benchmarks and budgets, and what he found interesting throughout the years-long collaborative process. 00:00 Intro 02:15 Mel's presentation begins 02:51 The Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report | Project Overview 23:36 The Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report | Additional Analysis 36:55 Dashboard Demo 44:36 Q&A CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Report: https://carbonleadershipforum.org/the-embodied-carbon-benchmark-report/ Dashboard: https://wblca-benchmark-v2.lifecyclelab.org/ Join our CLF-LA mailing list / find our upcoming events: https://www.clf-la.org/

03:18 Intro to Bio-Based Materials 17:47 Timber Bamboo 22:42 Hemp 30:31 Straw 45:09 Other Products & Materials 46:06 Product Category Rule (PCR) / Policy In collaboration with CLF-SF, this is Part 1 of a 3-part series on bio-based materials. In our exciting line-up, our speakers will cover how a new and emerging class of fast-growing, bio-based materials like straw, bamboo, and hemp are being used in building materials, highlighting their potential to sequester carbon, support bioregional ecosystems, and reduce the overall impacts of building projects. They will also provide a brief overview of various biogenic carbon accounting methods and the agricultural fiber Product Category Rule (PCR) and its role in promoting transparency through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Speakers: Massey Burke is the executive director of the California Straw Building Association, co-founder of Verdant Building Products, a biomaterials specialist for Verdant Structural Engineers, and a bio-based design/build consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kate Chilton is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Bamcore. Katie Poss is the Director of Global Policy & Procurement at Building Transparency. #biobasedmaterials #embodiedcarbon #clf #clfla

Learn about mandatory measures for embodied carbon that have been adopted into CalGreen, effective July 2024. 5:30 - Introduction and Policy Context 13:00 - CalGreen Pathways 28:50 - Whole Building LCA Pathway 46:58 - Building Reuse Pathway 49:54 - Open Q&A AIA CA Press Release: https://aiacalifornia.org/advocacy-updates/california-becomes-first-state-to-adopt-mandatory-measures-to-reduce-embodied-carbon/ Presenters: Webly Bowles is an Associate Director of Codes and Policy at New Buildings Institute. As a licensed architect, her experience is in sustainable building and includes principles of design, construction, and operation. She has developed sustainable and energy efficiency building programs for global fortune 500 companies and state-wide programs alike, proving measurable results. At NBI, she brings her systems thinking approach to her work in the research and promotion of zero energy buildings. She interprets technical requirements to provide valuable high performance building guidance to design, construction, and operation professionals through presentations, resources, and tools. Before joining NBI in 2017, Webly worked as an energy analyst for MPower Oregon, a non-profit providing full-service energy efficiency upgrades to affordable multifamily housing in Oregon. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree from University of Oregon in 2003 and holds several sustainable building certifications. Anish Tilak is a manager with RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program where he manages projects in the Pathways to Zero initiative. Anish applies a depth of industry experience and subject matter expertise to develop scalable approaches to decarbonize the built environment, with a current focus on building electrification and grid-interactive technologies.

5:37 - Marcus Hopper (Gensler, All for Reuse) 24:59 - Daniel Kietzer (Rheaply) 35:25 - Eric Law and Jorie Wisnefski (Urban Machine). Join us to hear about how the Bay Area is fostering an ecosystem of building product reuse. We’ll be joined by industry leaders, Marcus Hopper (Gensler, All for Reuse), Daniel Kietzer (Rheaply), and Eric Law and Jorie Wisnefski (Urban Machine). All for Reuse is an initiative to develop a network of building professionals committed to the reuse of commercial building materials. They aim to reduce waste, foster circular businesses, and accelerate change. Rheaply is an online platform enabling resale and reuse of built environment products. They enable organizations to innovate by creating sharing economies through technology solutions. Their platform has over 1M reusable assets posted and recently launched in the Bay Area. Urban Machine’s mission is to reclaim the millions of tons of wood waste from construction and demolition by reclaiming it into high volume, locally sourced, premium lumber products. Their robot uses AI to remove staples and nails from reclaimed wood to turn it back into usable products. All are working together to build a building industry for the circular economy and driving change in the Bay Area.