Advocating for Sustainability and Equity with COTE

The COTE Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee meets weekly to advocate for policy and legislation that advances the role of architects in addressing climate change. As a group we will promote legislation that encourages high performance, low carbon impact buildings, environmental justice, and seeks alliances with groups that share similar goals and want to advance similar policy. We strive to increase employment opportunities and community revitalization opportunities, while seeking to implement our climate change goals through codes and regulations.

The current areas of Policy Research + Advocacy include:

Embodied Carbon / Procurement - Regulations or requirements for the process of purchasing goods and/or services.

Adaptive Reuse - The process of repurposing buildings for viable new uses and modern functions, other than those originally intended to address present-day needs.

Deconstruction & Waste - The selective dismantling of building components, specifically for reuse, repurposing, recycling, and waste management.

Environmental Justice - The social and economical impact that climate change has on society.

Electrification - Electrification refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) with technologies that use electricity as a source of energy.

Reach out to learn more, volunteer, or participate in our Advocacy efforts!

This subcommittee is currently lead by Brian Smiley and Danielle Fleischmann with a wide range of members including Architects, Structural Engineers, and Sustainability Consultants! Special thanks to our active members; Jelena Matic, Denise Richards, Steve Krug, Kevin Malawski, John Cassidy, Lauren Thomsen, Jennifer Gajewski-Heon, and more.