Feature image: The LEED Gold Austin City Hall in Texas. Image credit: Yu Cai.

A successful state advocacy and policy program is contingent on developing and nurturing allies within state capitols. Just as a person is more likely to do a favor for a neighbor that regularly says hello, legislators are much more likely to be receptive to legislative concepts posed by familiar organizations.

To that end, Advocacy Days are a crucial pillar of USGBC’s advocacy and policy efforts.

Advancing green policy

Typically,  Advocacy Days are single-day, in-person events at a state capitol building, whereby a group of USGBC members and volunteers conduct a series of short small-group meetings with state legislators and/or their staff. These meetings are professional yet casual. Volunteers are not required to have experience or deep knowledge on policy. The only trait needed is a willingness to share why high-performance buildings are an asset to a state’s communities.

Advocacy Days are an opportunity to

Educate policymakers on USGBC, the value of LEED and the community benefits of high-performance buildings.
Establish USGBC as a resource for legislators and staff.
Help USGBC members and volunteers cultivate a sense of ownership over USGBC’s mission.
Serve as a venue to advocate for legislation that supports high-performance buildings and LEED.

These days are also a great way to network with peers who are also interested in helping advance building decarbonization.

Recent Advocacy Days

USGBC has participated in many Advocacy Days already in 2023, including:

Indiana: On Feb. 6, members of USGBC Indiana joined AIA Indiana for an Advocacy Day held in Bloomington.
Minnesota: On March 9, members of USGBC Minnesota participated in the seventh annual Clean Energy Business Day, an advocacy event hosted by Clean Energy Economy Minnesota that convenes clean energy advocates from across the state. USGBC members were part of the contingency of over 200 advocates and highlighted USGBC's support for bills targeting resilience, state building performance standards, weatherization and climate action planning grants.
Texas: USGBC Texas hosted an Advocacy Day in Austin on March 16. Volunteers discussed the importance of high-performance buildings with their legislators, as well as their support for a handful of priority bills, including SB 2404/HB 4811, which would create a state energy efficiency council, and HB 3061, which would create a loan program for energy audits, upgrades or retrofits for existing buildings.
Arizona: On March 21, USGBC Arizona members convened in Phoenix. Volunteers met with many legislators interested in climate action policies and/or serving in a committee leadership role. The team was also able to meet with the governor’s chief resilience officer, a recently created position.
California: A team led by USGBC Los Angeles convened in Sacramento on May 3 for the 2023 California Green Building Advocacy Day.

This list reflects the diverse flavor of Advocacy Days and hopefully will inspire USGBC members and volunteers to undertake one in their own state capitols.

USGBC supports Advocacy Days by providing volunteers with training, planning support, best practices, talking points and other resources.

Getting involved

Please contact us if you are interested in leading or attending an Advocacy Day in your state capitol.

Join USGBC's Advocacy Working Group

Bring green building to your state capitol with an Advocacy Day