In response to the overwhelming support by members and the ratification of Resolution 19-11 for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action by the AIA Board in September, the AIA has embarked on creating a Climate Action Plan for the AIA and the profession. This document will clearly outline AIA’s commitment to prioritize and support urgent climate action, and will serve as a roadmap for AIA’s work in addressing the climate crisis. Building upon the AIA value statement, Where We Stand: Climate Crisis, this Action Plan will articulate specific goals, strategies and activities as well as timeframes for implementation in order to achieve a future built environment that is resilient, adaptive, carbon positive and sustainable.
At the end of 2019, the AIA convened a Task Force comprised of representatives from the AIA Board, Strategic Council, Board Knowledge Community, Sustainability Leadership Group, CACE, Equity and the Future of Architecture Committee (EQFA), Advocacy, Public Relations and Outreach. Betsy del Monte and I are both on the Task Force as COTE AG members. The schedule for the development of the Climate Action Plan is appropriately ambitious and urgent. The Task Force, AIA staff and a consultant team will draft the Climate Action Plan for review by the membership at Grassroots Conference in New Orleans on Feb. 18, 2020. The final Climate Action Plan is anticipated to be ready for release by the AIA Conference in Los Angeles in May 2020. We will continue to update the COTE community on the development of the Climate Action plan in the coming weeks.
Please contact us through the COTE webpage (post in Discussion) if you have questions or comments. There is great momentum and commitment by everyone at AIA working together to bring this Climate Action Plan to the 94,000 AIA members for review in the coming months and put into action by May.
The Institute recently launched a new campaign which can be seen displayed on the AIA Headquarters in Washington DC which captures the renewed purpose and mission at AIA: “We are designing a sustainable, healthy, and equitable world, together.”