President's Message: Be the voice that drives climate action

by Jane Frederick, FAIA

Those are the words of historian and activist Rebecca Solnit.She was writing about another activist: Greta Thunberg of Sweden. Greta’s not even in college yet, but she was named Time Magazine’s person of the year for her success in focusing the world’s eyes on climate change.

Of course, she’s not the first activist to speak out about the climate crisis. People like Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio have leveraged their high profiles and devoted millions of dollars to raise awareness.

So how did a 16-year-old break through in a way so many others haven’t?

It wasn’t just her sailboat. I’d argue it’s her perspective. Her ability not just to focus the world’s eyes on climate change, but to direct our eyes through a fresh, future-oriented perspective that she is distinctly capable of claiming. Greta’s story is relevant to us for two reasons:

One, the climate crisis is the single most urgent and consequential challenge the architecture profession must tackle.

And two, as the newest generation of architects, you are essential to achieving progress on this and other vital issues.
Just as new voices like Greta’s have spurred action among the public, you can be the new voices driving achievement in our profession.
I’m proud that the American Institute of Architects is leading on climate action. Since our members overwhelmingly approved a resolution last year making sustainability our top priority, we’ve been working to turn policy into action.

The first big action for 2020 was focusing the operating plan and budget on our climate initiatives. Staff and volunteers are working together in our advocacy, outreach, and knowledge portfolios to create The Climate Action Plan, which was introduced at Grassroots in February.

We are funding research on the return on investment on carbon reduction in buildings. This will help us tell the story of why our clients should construct net-zero buildings. And speaking of telling the story — we will be running TV and social media ads from March through the November election educating the public about the fact that buildings contribute 40 percent of carbon emissions. Our research shows that a very small slice of the public knows this.

We are developing a 2020 Architect’s Platform that will feature climate action. We will share it with all the national candidates and highlight it at both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. Because “all politics are local,” we are working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to spread our climate action message.

There’s no question we can make an impact, but we need your help.
In 2018, only 252 firms reported data to the 2030 Commitment’s Design Data Exchange (DDx). That is 1 percent of the architecture firms in the United States. Many might believe it is too complicated or only for large firms. Not true! Ten percent of the firms reporting have fewer than 10 people and are leading the charge with an average predicted energy use (pEUI) reduction of 60 percent. Some 36 percent of the firms reporting employ over 100 people, with an average pEUI reduction of 46 percent.

I challenge all YAF members, as the newest cohort of architects, to get their firms to participate and report their data in the 2030 Commitment. You can sign up here. The 2030 Commitment is not for the 1 percent, it is for everyone.

Just imagine the more beautiful, resilient, and sustainable future, that we — the biggest design organization in the world — will create when we tackle the biggest design problem in the world. By working together, we can do our part to create a world that is worthy of our children’s and grandchildren’s dreams.

Author bio:

Jane Frederick, AIA
Frederick is principal of Beaufort, S.C. based Frederick + Frederick Architects, an award-winning firm specializing in custom residences. Frederick is the 2020 AIA President.