Policy & Advocacy

GBU staff built and strengthened relationships with leaders throughout City government, including new staff at Philadelphia's Office of Sustainability and new members of Philadelphia City Council.

Participated in the steering committee for a new housing program launched by the City's Department of Housing and Community Development aimed at rehabbing rental housing, including the incorporation of energy efficiency features.

Supported the formation and development of the Housing, Equity, Retrofit, and Electrification for Climate Justice (HERE4CJ) coalition.

GBU's Policy and Advocacy Committee convened to draft a policy agenda to help educate mayoral and City Council candidates on the benefits of a green building platform ahead of the 2023 city election.

Ensuring our members are educated and prepared to comply (building owners/managers) and perform tune-ups (CEMs and PEs) with the Building Energy Performance Policy. 

Engage newly-elected City Councilors and Mayor on our Building Decarbonization policy platform which includes: 

• Recommiting to the goals and policies that take meaningful and urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts like a citywide benchmarking performance standard for buildings.

• Creating economic opportunities through the design, construction, and retrofitting of Philadelphia's built environment for all Philadelphians, regardless of gender, race, age, or background.

• Building climate safety and resilience by working with stakeholders to invest in resilient homes, infrastructure, and communities.

GBU joined with environmental and other advocacy groups to support the passage of the Whole Home-Repair Program, a bipartisan initiative to fund the repair of homes throughout Pennsylvania.

In 2022, the team met with stakeholders across Pennsylvania to begin planning for how the new gubanatorial Shapiro Administration can best leverage new federal funding to achieve state and local climate goals

Promoted the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's new electrification programs, including a series on electrification and cooking.

Enable community solar  for deployment in Pennsylvania  

Plan a Pennsylvania Lobby Day for GBU members to engage elected officials on timely policy priorities such as: 

• Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

• Natual gas preemption bills 

• Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards  

• High Performance Building Incentives 

• Strengthening PHFA’s QAP for Passive House 

Completed a pilot study on the feasibility of a statewide energy benchmarking program that includes lessons learned from providing technical assistance with benchmarking services for numerous commercial buildings in the state.

Testified in support of solar-ready legislation in New Castle County so all new warehouses are equipped to use renewable energy to power their operations.

Hired a new GBU Delaware Program Manager for the first time, enabling more on-the-ground relationship building in the state.

Provide written comment and public testimony on the adoption of 2021 IECC code so all new buildings are increasingly energy efficient.

Passage of new climate-related legislation that establishes target net-zero emission reduction goals by 2050.

Provide techincal support and assistance in the expansion of Delaware's Energy Office.