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# City’s Resiliency a Hot Topic for USGBC-L.A.
October 31 2014
Written by Dominique Smith, Executive Director, USGBC-LA.
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We at the US Green Building Council-Los Angeles (USGBC-LA) chapter like to think we can do it all, and just returning from Greenbuild 2014 in New Orleans, another incredible urban coastal city, we are inspired to continue transforming LA's built environment by supporting sustainability, resiliency, and environmental justice for all. Throughout the USGBC network, we believe that where you work, learn, live, and play matters. In 2014, we are proud that [USGBC-LA](http://usgbc-la.org/) has touched over 2,500 Angelenos through outreach activities and special programs administered by our volunteers. The Green Apple Day of Service set a record this year with 54 greening projects at local school sites. Our members are clocking thousands of hours of advocacy work and project-based volunteerism all to benefit our City of Angels—all of which we will share at our upcoming Annual Gala. But coming from “NOLA”, one idea sticks out the most right now…*RESILIENCY*.
With this in mind, we are in early development of the LA Resilience Rating System, structured similar to the LEED Rating system. The term resilience can be sited as commonly as Starbucks around Los Angeles and can have multiple meanings. We define resilience as the capacity of people, communities and institutions to bounce back to a position of strength, health and vitality after experiencing shocks or stresses.
As USGBC Ginsberg Fellow Heather Joy Rosenberg states, “It means more than surviving—it means thriving. The LA Resilience Rating System will encourage and enable building projects to become more resilient in the face of earthquakes, drought, climate change, power outages or other disasters in ways that also improve daily quality of life. By providing leaders in the design, construction and operation of buildings and neighborhoods with a step-by-step process, performance standards and recognition, our work will drive higher standards throughout the industry and create a better LA today.”
[USGBC-LA](http://usgbc-la.org/) is in conversation with the [US Resiliency Council](http://www.usrc.org/) and the [City of Los Angeles](http://www.lacity.org/index.htm) on how to integrate the LA Resilience Rating System with the upcoming Seismic Rating System Proposal due out in November from Dr. Lucy Jones. The pending 2015 hiring of a Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Los Angeles also indicates that this matter is of prime importance to the LA Region. Read more about the [LA Resilience Rating System here](http://myla2050live.maker.good.is/projects/LAResilience).
Our goal is to conduct pilot projects using the system, and have early results in time to announce the findings when we host the 2016 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the largest yearly gathering of sustainability professionals. It is our extreme pleasure to welcome to Los Angeles 20,000+ environmentalists to showcase the high level of commitment to sustainability displayed by development projects in Los Angeles.
We recognize the most innovative projects on a yearly basis at our annual celebration showcasing the Sustainable Innovation Awards. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the USGBC-LA Green Gala, to be held November 13th at the Avalon. We’re celebrating projects such as PacMutual, the Village in Santa Monica, Jefferson Park Apartments, Caltech’s Children Center and Keck Institute for Space Studies, Middle College High School, and Pauley Pavilion. Which do you think is the Project of the Year? Find out and join us in celebrating Green Building in Los Angeles. Tickets:
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