For Immediate Release: February 25, 2021

Washington, D.C.— The International Code Council and the NAACP Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector (CESBS) Initiative have joined to lead a critical conversation about the role of building codes at the upcoming webinar, “Cracking the Code: Using building regulations to support a more sustainable community.”

In this webinar, codes and advocacy experts will discuss what building codes are, how they are developed and implemented across the U.S., and the current opportunities for members of the public to participate in this process. Taking an environmental and climate justice lens, the webinar will focus on assessing areas of improvement and strategies to ensure that building codes protect frontline communities and result from deep democracy.

The presenters at this webinar are:

• Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA and former President of the International Code Council Board of Directors
• Anthony Floyd, Fellow AIA, BEAP, Member ASHRAE, LEED® AP, Senior Green Building/Energy Code Consultant for the City of Scottsdale
• Kathryn Wright, Urban Sustainability Directory’s Network Programs Director, Building Energy
• Alice Sung, Founding Principal, Greenbank Associates, and Participant at the 2020 U.S. Grassroots Accelerator

“At the Code Council, we are committed to creating safe, sustainable buildings and communities,” says Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “Our collaboration with the NAACP supports our mission to create inclusive, sustainable spaces for everyone in our community to live, work and learn.”

“Communities of color and low-income communities are more likely to be in sick buildings, whether it’s mold, lead, asbestos, or radon. We are more likely to be in the least energy-efficient buildings, and that is reflected in the fact that we pay the highest proportion of our income for electricity. And we are more likely to be in the least disaster-resilient buildings, with homes in floodplains or without reinforcement,” says NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Senior Director, Jacqui Patterson. “Our aim as the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization is to be a beacon of inspiration and transformation in centering equity in the sustainable building sector. In doing so, we can catalyze the building of a bigger, broader tent for the sustainable building movement, towards the betterment of the building users, the communities, the economy, and the planet.”

 “Cracking the Code: Using building regulations to support a more sustainable community” will take place March 2, 2021 at 8:00 PM Eastern (U.S. and Canada). Register here to attend.

About the International Code Council

The International Code Council is the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions. Code Council codes, standards and solutions are used to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable communities and buildings worldwide.

About the NAACP

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low-income communities. The NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program supports community leadership in addressing this human and civil rights issue. With the launch of the Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector (CESBS) Initiative, the NAACP seeks to universalize access to safe, affordable, healthy, energy-efficient, regenerative, and resilient buildings for all people.