Jan. 27, 2026 - CLF-LA Webinar: Establishing Effective Baselines for EC Reduction: Insights for CALGreen's WBLCA Pathway

Join CLF-LA for our January webinar, presented by Luke Lombardi, P.E., Laura Karnath, A.I.A., and Rachelle Habchi, P.E. See webinar description and speaker bios below.

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.

REGISTER here!

When:

Jan. 27, 2026

12:00pm - 1:00pm (PT)

Location:

Online via Zoom

There will be Q&A at the end. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Speaker Bios:

Luke Lombardi, P.E. is a bridge-person for sustainability in the built environment. Luke’s background and education as a structural engineer is central to his understanding of materials and construction practices. Luke has become an emerging leader in embodied carbon through actively participating in the SE 2050 program and co-leading the local Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Hub in Los Angeles since its inception in 2020. As a member of the Buro Happold sustainability team, he conducts life cycle assessment studies and consults to mitigate embodied carbon emissions. He hopes to maximize the potential of both new and existing buildings through innovative design strategies and principles of circularity to specification review and mindful material procurement.

Laura Karnath, A.I.A. is a licensed architect and Principal with Walter P Moore with a background in data-driven design. She co-chairs Walter P Moore’s Sustainable Design Community of Practice, supports firm-wide embodied carbon reduction initiatives and performs whole building life cycle assessments for a wide range of project types and scales. As a senior enclosure consultant at Walter P Moore’s Los Angeles office, she consults on projects with complex facades to assist design teams in achieving their design, performance, and sustainability goals. Laura co-leads the Los Angeles hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum where she works to connect professionals across the AEC industry to share best practices and innovative approaches aimed at radically reducing embodied carbon in building materials and construction.

Rachelle Habchi, P.E. is a licensed engineer with 7 years of experience as a structural engineer and previous director of sustainability at Glotman Simpson. She’s had the opportunity to work on a variety of structures, including K-12, higher education, multi-family residential, mixed-use development, and high-rise construction. She is the Chair of the SEAOC Sustainability Design Committee and Co-Lead for CLF-LA. She works as a Low-Carbon Product Lead with the Carbon Leadership Forum HQ, focusing on a product-level approach to strategies leading to real and rapid decarbonization of the built environment.