Global Green USA
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Email: mgilchrist@globalgreen.org
Website: www.globalgreenorg
SESSION DESCRIPTION
The Inventive Spirit
There are plenty of arguments about the merit or futility of various ‘green’ actions. Is corn-based plastic better than glass? Is it better to buy a new hybrid or keep your old gas-guzzler until it croaks? The one thing that everyone agrees on, however, is that reducing energy use is critical if we are to halt climate change and prevent planetary meltdown.
Buildings alone account for almost half of the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the US. By directing research and resources towards energy innovation in the building industry alone, we stand to make real progress toward slowing the overall rate of global warming. As architect Edward Mazria states in the Architecture 2030 Challenge, ‘Slowing the growth rate of GHG emissions and then reversing it over the next ten years is the key to keeping global warming under one degree centigrade (°C) above today’s level.’
In this session we will hear from innovators in energy innovation in the building sector, about the challenges of creating unprecedented solutions and leading by example.
SPEAKER BIO
Monica has been involved with Global Green USA’s Green Building Resource Center since its inception in April 2004. She helped create and continues to administer the displays, library, programming, databases, outreach and consultations at the center. She assisted in the creation and opening of Global Green’s second resource center in New Orleans, as part of Global Green’s response to hurricane Katrina.
Monica has done extensive work developing municipal green building programs, working with cities such as Irvine, Pasadena, West Hollywood, and Cupertino. She helped author the Global Green publication ‘Developing Green Building Programs: A Step-By-Step Guide for Local Governments,’ a guidebook outlining a process for local agencies to develop green building programs.
Monica sits on the Advisory Boards for Greenopia and the Green Home Guide and has been featured in numerous media outlets as an expert in green building. Monica holds an MA, Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.
