Ten years ago, a dozen embodied carbon geeks got together in San Francisco and founded the Carbon Leadership Forum. For the next seven years, we committed ourselves to understand embodied carbon impacts and improve data and methods used to calculate carbon footprints at the product and building scale. Despite our numerous successes, we realized that we were not making progress at the scale and speed required to meet global decarbonization targets. As a result, we launched a collective action model to increase the quantity and quality of our partnerships with individuals and organizations. We set out to build a deep body of research and resources to propel knowledge, a robust network to foster collaboration, and an environment that supported and empowered our members to advance new ideas and meaningful initiatives.

In the past three months alone, the Embodied Carbon Network has quadrupled in participants, we launched the EC3 tool, and the American Institute of Civil Engineers responded to our SE2050 Challenge. This wouldn’t have been possible without strengthened collaboration among individuals and organizations who share an urgency for action, increased focus on embodied carbon and a commitment to help meet science-based targets.

I am optimistic and excited about what the next decade will bring. In 2020 we’re expanding our communication strategies (this new monthly newsletter is one of them) and developing resources to empower industry action that radically reduces embodied carbon through collaboration and partnerships.  We look forward to working with you in 2020 to help foster cross-sector collaboration that enables a more informed community and accelerates impact. We can go farther faster if we work together!

Foundations critical to the EC3 tool’s development

Since its beta release at Greenbuild in November, the EC3 tool has generated interest and enthusiasm across the industry, leading to multiple news articles, testimonials, and meetups of industry professionals exploring use of the tool to dramatically decrease embodied carbon emissions associated with materials and construction. By release of the tool, almost 50 companies endorsed and sponsored the tool’s development. However, two foundations were key early leaders and supporters of the project and shepherded its development for over a year before its release. We’ve asked Anne Ellis and Don Davies from the leading foundations involved to explain why they invested so heavily in the EC3 tool’s development.

Seattle 6th Graders Build a Carbon Smart City with Legos for their City Shaper Innovation Project

By Andrew Himes, Carbon Leadership Forum

What can a team of 6th-graders from Redmond, Washington tell us about climate change, embodied carbon emissions from building construction, and the potential for hard work and innovative thinking to transform an industry? A lot, it turns out! A group of friends — three girls and three boys — presented their design for a Carbon Smart Community at the First Lego League regional competition on December 15, 2019 at the Chinook Middle School in Bellevue, Washington.