Green Horizons: Northeast Florida's Journey to Climate Action and Equity
Information
Registration Information:
Registering for the session holds your seat in the class until 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. At that time your seat in the session can no longer be guaranteed.
If a session is full, you will not be able to add it to your agenda; however, if you have the appropriate pass you will be able to enter the session on a first-come first-served basis 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the event so long as capacity has not been reached
Greenbuild staff at the entrance of the session have the ability to stop permitting entrance to the session when the room hits the set capacity.
Description:
The escalating impacts of climate change pose unprecedented challenges to Northeast Florida. In 2023, the region experienced 97 days with extreme heat advisories. Heavy rainfall, storm surge, and rising sea levels all contribute to compound flooding to the St. Johns River and coastal areas. Northeast Florida's underserved communities face the brunt of environmental inequalities, such as increased exposure to urban heat islands and reduced air quality due to historic underinvestment and redlining. This area, and Jacksonville in particular, is at a crossroads, experiencing these challenges acutely with its 91 Low Income and Disadvantaged Communities as recognized by the EPA EJScreen Tool. Led by Ashantae Green, the pioneering Sustainability Manager for the City of Jacksonville, the Clean Air Northeast Florida team will delve into the unique needs of these communities. Through the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, they utilized climate action plan funding to unite the Northeast Florida counties and, in the absence of a statewide climate action plan, collaborated with other Florida municipalities to develop their priority climate action plans. They will explore the complexities of implementing climate action plans in regions with varying degrees of adverse policy environments, from closing the gaps in data gathering for the region's GHG inventory to ensuring that the regional GHG reduction measures have buy in among Northeast Florida municipal partners while also empowering vulnerable populations and effectively driving down emissions. This session will additionally provide the perspective of two cities- Jacksonville and Atlantic Beach- and their experiences with LEED. Whereas Jacksonville is currently undergoing the certification process of LEED v4.1 Existing Cities and Communities, the City of Atlantic Beach has led successful integration of sustainability into local governance and community development, achieving LEED v4.1 Gold for Existing Cities and Communities and being the first city in the world to recertify under the rating.