This Wednesday marks the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day.  And while this Earth Day is like no other, with millions of people sequestered in their homes and unable to gather in public, it is nonetheless a reminder that our collective health and wellness is inextricably linked to our social network and our built environment.

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, whole cities have gone quiet and hundreds of millions have upended their daily routines. This health crisis has caused widespread behavioral change by people around the globe, resulting in an unprecedented drop in global carbon emissions. Our collective response to the Coronavirus pandemic is proof that major changes are indeed possible on a global scale when humanity is faced with an imminent threat. We are optimistic that we will emerge from this experience with lessons learned that may be applied to the push for a more sustainable world.

It is therefore fitting that on this Earth Day, TruexCullins is releasing our first-ever Sustainability Action Plan.

About 40% of energy in the United States is consumed by buildings, contributing to our global climate crisis. In response to this threat – and to acknowledge the building industry’s responsibility to address it – The American Institute of Architects established a goal to achieve carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030.  To give firms the tools and incentives to meet that goal, they established the AIA 2030 Commitment.

The AIA 2030 Commitment is the framework by which firms measure the projected performance of future projects and report progress toward achieving a carbon-neutral portfolio. TruexCullins is joining more than 750 other architecture firms nationwide in this effort

Our 2030 Action Plan is a 24-page document that lays out a broad strategy for meeting this ambitious goal, with specific steps we will take on multiple fronts: first and foremost, by incorporating new sustainable design tools and methodologies into all phases of our workflow. We will see real and measured progress by addressing building energy use and efficiency, embodied carbon, life cycle impacts, and material chemistry.  Additional initiatives that are outlined in our Action Plan include staff training & education, and office operations & community outreach.

Click Here to download the TruexCullins Sustainability Action Plan as a PDF file.

This is our roadmap to meeting the goals of the AIA 2030 Commitment and to achieve carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030.  This is something we will achieve in concert with our clients.  Every project is based on an initial understanding of our client’s goals, and then aligning those goals with building performance. In this way, we will maximize a client’s investment to achieve the best possible return and deliver a project of lasting value, economically and environmentally.