This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Architectural Record logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Architectural Record logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • Commentary
    • Editorials
  • PROJECTS
    • Building Types
    • Interior Design
    • Museums & Arts Centers
    • Adaptive Reuse
    • Colleges & Universities
    • Lighting
    • Snapshot
  • HOUSES
    • Record Houses
    • House of the Month
    • Featured Houses
    • Kitchen and Bath
  • PRODUCTS
    • Material World
    • Categories
    • Award Winners
    • Case Studies
    • Partners in Design
    • Trends & Insights
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Best Architecture Schools
    • Top 300 Firms
    • Theme Issues
    • Record Houses
    • Record Products
    • Good Design Is Good Business
    • Design Vanguard
    • Historical Archive
    • Cocktail Napkin Sketch
    • Videos
  • CALL FOR ENTRIES
    • Record Houses
    • Guess the Architect Contest
    • Submit Your Work
  • CONTINUING ED
    • Architectural Technology
    • Architect Continuing Education
    • Continuing Education Center
    • Digital Academies
  • EVENTS
    • Record on the Road
    • Innovation Conference
    • Women In Architecture
    • Webinars
    • Advertising Excellence Awards
  • MORE
    • Subscribe
    • Customer Service
    • Digital Edition
    • eNewsletter
    • Interactive Spotlight
    • Store
    • Custom Content Marketing
    • Research
    • Sponsor Insights
    • eBooks
  • CONTACT
    • Advertise
Home » Greenbuild Dispatch Day One: James Cameron, HUD Secretary Tackle Climate Change
Architecture News

Greenbuild Dispatch Day One: James Cameron, HUD Secretary Tackle Climate Change

Greenbuild International Conference and Expo 2015
November 18, 2015
Braulio Agnese
KEYWORDS climate change / Greenbuild / HUD / sustainable architecture / USGBC
Reprints
No Comments

When the world’s largest conference on sustainability and green construction comes to Washington, D.C. on the cusp of a presidential race and titles its opening plenary “What Will It Take to Get Meaningful Action on Climate Change?” you might expect an “us vs. them” attitude and perhaps a little Republican-bashing. But although Greenbuild 2015’s kickoff event was politically minded, the tone was anything but rancorous.

James Cameron, photo courtesy Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro, his tie a bipartisan shade of purple, opened with a talk on how sustainability benefits everyone, from governments to businesses to the man on the street. “Green building is not a slogan,” he said, “but a solution”: for healthier homes and environments, for greater resilience to increasingly severe weather, and for economic growth. Apart from briefly mentioning the Obama administration’s green bona fides, the closest Castro came to campaign rhetoric was his observation that by creating more sustainable buildings and communities, “we are ultimately building a stronger America.”

Rick Fedrizzi, U.S Green Building Council founder and CEO, looked to raise the excitement level when he walked onstage to discuss the state of the USGBC. Instead of shaking fists at politicians and corporate leaders who view climate change as a myth, Fedrizzi exhorted Greenbuild attendees to extend their arms in a business handshake. “There is a Republican, pro-business argument for sustainability,” he said. “To catapult ourselves to the next level, we need to use the power of the profit motive.”

In the event’s final segment, Fedrizzi’s tent-revival energy gave way to a relaxed conversation between MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski and James Cameron, the award-winning filmmaker now known as much for his environmental passions as for his blockbuster movies. Cameron surprised Brzezinski, and the audience, when — after saying, to widespread cheers and applause, his “dream government” would price carbon — he noted that animal agriculture is the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gasses. Using his own conversion to a fully plant-based diet as a starting point, Cameron waxed passionate on how vitally important it is to shift away from a meat-and-dairy-heavy diet, and the environmental impact such a change would have. “Food is not on the table in the climate discussion the way it should be,” said Cameron — a result of the “nature deficit disorder” that plagues our increasingly urban society. “Ultimately,” said Cameron, “it’s all about conscience. You can’t protect what you don’t respect.”

AR Subscribe

Recent Articles by Braulio Agnese

Aesop in D.C. by David Jameson Architects

Whitman-Walker Health by Perkins+Will

The Big Breezy

Related Articles

Climate Shifts for Tackling Climate Change

Greenbuild Dispatch Day Three: Sustainability is Big Business

Related Events

Glass Selection for Unique Spaces

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

More Videos

AR Tremco Webinar


 


 

Events

December 12, 2019

Improving Building Delivery with BIM

Credits: 1 AIA LU/Elective; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 IACET CEU
May qualify for learning hours through most Canadian architectural associations

BIM brings countless advantages to the construction team, but the biggest benefit lies with the owner. For architects continuing to develop and enhance delivery methods, BIM is the solution. In this webinar with Rob Glisson, AIA, principal at ROJO Architecture, see how BIM can help you reduce risk, accelerate schedules, establish more accurate budgets, decrease costs, and better serve your clients.

December 17, 2019

Minimizing Risk in Blindside Waterproofing Applications

Credits: 1 AIA LU/Elective; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 IACET CEU

May qualify for learning hours through most Canadian architectural associations

This course will identify blindside waterproofing product technologies, their differences, the criteria for product performance, and how to design a waterproofing system accordingly. Best practices for mitigating application risks and managing critical areas prone to moisture infiltration will be reviewed, including the sequence of installation and for detailing failure points.

View All Submit An Event

Products

ENR Square Foot Costbook 2020

ENR Square Foot Costbook 2020

See More Products

Tweets by @ArchRecord

Architectural Record

AR December 2019 Cover

2019 December

In the December 2019 issue, Architectural Record reveals the winners of the annual Record Products contest.

View More Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Survey And Sample
    • Editorial Calendar
  • Call for Entries
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Renew
    • Create Account
    • Change Address
    • Pay My Bill
    • Free eNewsletters
    • Customer Care
  • Advertise
    • Architectural Record
    • Advertising Awards
  • Industry Jobs

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing