2030, Inc.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that buildings are responsible for 48 percent of all annual greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, 76 percent of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supplying the building sector. As both the largest producer of greenhouse gases and largest energy consumer in the world, the building sector must play a crucial role in the fight against climate change.

In 2002, internationally recognized architect Edward Mazria established 2030 Inc., also known as Architecture 2030, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to rapidly transforming the U.S. and global building sector from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central part of the solution to the global warming crisis. "In order to really address climate change, you have to address the building sector, and we're at the forefront of developing the blueprint for doing that," said Mazria.

Architecture 2030 issued the 2030 Challenge, a global initiative calling on the global architecture and building community to make all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030. Since January 2006, hundreds of architecture firms and most major building sector professional organizations have signed on to the Challenge.

Several U.S. cities and states—including California, New Mexico, Illinois, and Minnesota—have also adopted the Challenge for new and renovated government buildings. In December 2007, Architecture 2030 achieved a major victory when President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which required all federal buildings to meet the energy performance standards of the 2030 Challenge.

Since its founding, Architecture 2030 has become a trusted resource for legislators, businesses, and organizations seeking to implement greenhouse gas emission mitigation strategies in the building sector. "We're overwhelmed with requests for information," said Mazria, who travels the world lecturing about the building sector and climate change. In April 2008, Architecture 2030 released the 2030 Blueprint, detailing a three-pronged strategy for replacing fossil fuel-generated electricity and reducing U.S. dependence on imported oil.

The organization also provides cutting-edge research, including a 2008 report on the impact of climate-induced sea level rise on U.S. coastal regions entitled Nation Under Siege. As more individuals, businesses, cities, and states hear this message and commit to the 2030 Challenge targets, Architecture 2030 will stay at the forefront of resolving the climate crisis. "We're solution-based," said Mazria, and through its research, advocacy, and outreach efforts, Architecture 2030 will remain at the forefront in meeting the major environmental problems of our time.