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How Your Expertise Drives Health, Equity, and Climate Action in Our Region 

For Green Building United (GBU), climate action in practice is about creating real, measurable improvements in our daily lives—like lower energy bills, cleaner indoor air for our kids, and safer homes during extreme weather. 

Because we spend nearly 90% of our time inside buildings, the built environment is both the largest source of regional carbon pollution and our greatest opportunity for meaningful change. 

If you’re looking to turn your professional skills or lived experience into impact, GBU offers multiple ways to get involved. Across Greater Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, and Delaware, volunteers play a vital role in advancing our shared vision of a healthy, sustainable, and resilient built environment for all. 

Below are some of the many ways you can volunteer with GBU. Our Committees and Communities are often the best place to start—they offer opportunities to learn, connect, and contribute, and they can lead to deeper, invitation‑only roles such as program advisory groups, event selection committees, and strategic volunteer opportunities.

Shape the Conversation: Join GBU Committees and Communities 

GBU’s Committees and Communities are where ideas become action. These volunteer-led groups help shape our education, policy, and market transformation work by bringing together professionals from design, construction, energy, community development, and more. 

Policy & Advocacy Committee:

• Impact: This group advances policies that support healthy, affordable, and resilient communities in our region. You’ll advocate for stronger building codes, equitable decarbonization strategies, and increased investments in high-performance buildings. 

• Why It Matters: Better policies lead to lower energy costs, cleaner air, and safer buildings, especially for communities most vulnerable to rising utility bills and extreme weather. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Committee: 

• Impact: This Committee works to dismantle historically systemic barriers, ensuring that the benefits of green building—like healthy indoor spaces, climate resilience, and affordability—reach all communities. 

• Why It Matters: By amplifying diverse voices and centering equity, you help ensure that sustainable development contributes to affordable housing solutions and fosters true environmental justice.

Emerging Professionals Initiative: 

• Impact: This revived initiative engages the next generation of climate and building leaders—students, early‑career professionals, and individuals new to the field. Volunteers help shape programming, networking, and professional development opportunities. Contact Alicia Hamilton at ahamilton@greenbuildingunited.org to get involved.
• Result: Connecting and developing a strong, diverse talent pipeline equips our region to build healthy, high‑performance, climate‑resilient spaces for decades to come and supports incoming industry leaders. 

Lend Your Professional Expertise

Our strategic initiatives rely on professionals who generously share their skills, knowledge, and lived experience. Through several programs, you can support projects that directly improve community health and resilience. 

Climate Ready Capital Projects Program (CRCP) – Greater Philadelphia 

In support from the William Penn Foundation, the Climate Ready Capital Projects  (CRCP) program helps selected grantees embed sustainability and climate resilience into their capital improvement projects (e.g., community centers, galleries, parks). 

GBU pairs selected organizations with volunteer consultants who help identify sustainability goals and develop realistic, actionable next steps aligned with budgets and capacity. 

Successful consultation can result in reduced utility costs, improved indoor air quality, passive designed insulation, GSI management, navigating solar installation, preparing their centers for extreme weather, etc.  

• Volunteer Action: We are collecting qualifications from firms, consultants, and contractors (architects, engineers, solar experts, etc.) interested in supporting these non-profit organizations. Support can be pro bono or billed at a standard rate. If you are a qualified firm or individual interested in the CRCP, please fill out the dedicated consultant survey to submit your qualifications and areas of expertise. 

Pathways to Green Schools Program – Delaware 

This program supports K-12 schools across Delaware in becoming healthier, more sustainable, and energy-efficient. Educators, students, parents, and community members lead green projects and workshops to create better learning environments, while directly teaching the next generation the power of energy efficiency and waste reduction. 

• Volunteer Action: We welcome professionals with experience in building energy systems, sustainability planning, curriculum development, or facilities operations. To get involved, please contact Karen Igou at kigou@greenbuildingunited.org.

Philadelphia 2030 District

The Philadelphia 2030 District is a private-sector-led volunteer initiative to drastically reduce energy use, water consumption, and transportation emissions in the city’s largest buildings. This collaborative framework needs professionals to help building owners and managers identify and implement high-impact reduction strategies. 

• Volunteer Action: Get involved by sharing your expertise in building benchmarking, energy audits, retrofitting strategies, and high-efficiency mechanical systems with property owners committed to the District’s ambitious goals. Contact info@greenbuildingunited.org to learn more.

Committing volunteer time to committees or initiatives moves the needle on regional climate goals. By focusing on buildings, the single largest driver of emissions, we can continue to deliver education and solutions that are practical and people-centered. Volunteers and members like you power GBU to materialize our vision for a build a sustainable, healthy, and lasting built environment for all.