While many are now familiar that buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, more are becoming aware that embodied carbon emissions in building construction accounts for 9% of global greenhouse gases, larger than all emissions from cars, motorcycles, and buses.
The Colorado Embodied Carbon Collaborative (CECC) challenges AIA Colorado to take an active role in helping to reduce the embodied carbon in the buildings you design. Having made 31% reductions in operational carbon since the introduction of the Architecture 2030 challenge in 2005, now is the time to martial your talents to reduce embodied carbon emissions. CECC has set embodied carbon intensity (kgCO2e/m2) baselines for multiple building types that we are recommending for all new projects, with a goal of reducing these targets each year resulting in a 25% reduction by the end of 2030.
The baselines can be found here. Please explore this website for resources or ask us for additional resources that would help you with this challenge. Your feedback and questions are welcome!
