Calculating upfront embodied energy in buildings

Reducing embodied carbon emissions is one of the most urgent opportunities we have today in reducing the footprint of our built spaces as building materials manufacturing makes up 11% of total GHG emissions annually.

The Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) is a free and easy to use tool that allows building industry professionals and leaders to assess supply chain data in order to create EPD requirements, and set embodied carbon limits and reductions, at the construction material and project scale.

During this session, Stacy Smedley, Executive Director of Building Transparency, the nonprofit organization that hosts, manages and maintains EC3, will explain the urgent need to reduce the embodied carbon emissions of our building materials and products, the breakthrough represented by this open source tool, and how EC3 supports low-carbon material procurement.

Continuing Education Units (CEUS) 1 hour in

• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) NonWholeHouse
• American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW)
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP)
• AIBD
• State Architect / Builder License may be applicable

Lessons Learned:

1. Attendees will be able to define embodied carbon and the importance of reducing its emissions through the careful selection of building materials and products and how fits in with LEED BD+C MR Building life-cycle impact reduction
2. Attendees will be able to identify specific steps that they can take to reduce the embodied carbon emissions associated with their projects and achieve LEED BD+C V4 Homes Innovation: Building product disclosure and optimization – environmental product declarations
3. Attendees will understand how the EC3 tool supports carbon reduction needs.
4. Attendees will be able to measure and compare embodied carbon reductions per material category and attempt to achieve LEED BD+C MR Building life-cycle impact reduction

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Instructor: Stacy Smedley, Building Transparency

Stacy has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Washington, and over 18 years in the architecture and construction professions. Her resume includes the first LEED for Homes Platinum certified project in Washington State as well as the first project in the world to be certified under Living Building Version 2.0 standards. As Sustainability Director at Skanska, Stacy leads sustainable initiatives, and is considered a subject matter expert in LEED, Living Building Challenge and carbon emissions associated with buildings and construction.

In her role at the newly established nonprofit, Building Transparency, Stacy leads the continued management and development of the free, open-access Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool and works to educate and engage the building industry on actionably reducing embodied carbon emissions of building materials.

Stacy has served in various advisory and leadership roles, including: Co-Chair of the Washington Businesses for Climate Action; Advisory Board Member for the University of Washington Carbon Leadership Forum; Construction Taskforce Chair for the Embodied Carbon Network; Advisory Group Member for AIA Materials Working Group; Emerging Professional Regional Chair for USGBC; Membership Chair for the Cascadia Green Building Council. She is a 2020 Grist 50 Fixer, a 2019 ENR Top 25 Newsmaker, and shared a Living Building Challenge Hero award for her work on the Bertschi School Living Science Building.