Dana Bourland is Vice President for the Environment at the JPB Foundation. Before becoming VP of the environment program at JPB, Dana was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to “making well-designed homes affordable”. She developed and oversaw all aspects of Enterprise’s Green Communities program including the creation of the Green Communities Criteria and Enterprise’s Multifamily Retrofit Program.
A Town Hall Seattle event. American cities are currently...
A Town Hall Seattle event. American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. Our housing is not only unhealthy for the planet, green affordable housing expert Dana Bourland believes, but is also putting the physical and financial health of residents at risk, with full time minimum wage workers unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment in any US county. She argues that we need to move away from a so-called gray housing model to a green model, and she joins us in this livestreamed presentation to introduce a primer on what that would look like.
In conversation with Grist’s Clayton Aldern, Bourland endeavors to demonstrate that we do not have to choose between protecting our planet and providing affordable housing to all. Supported by her book Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crisis, she draws from her experience leading the Green Communities Program with a national development organization. With examples from green living communities across the country, she lays out the problems that green housing solves, the challenges in the approach, and recommendations for the future of green affordable housing. Don’t miss this exhilarating discussion that will empower and inspire anyone interested in the future of housing and our planet.
Dana Bourland (she/her/hers) works at the intersection of issues related to health, poverty and the environment. She led the creation of the Environment Program at The JPB Foundation. Formerly, Bourland was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, where she oversaw all aspects of Enterprise’s award-winning Green Communities program including the creation of the Green Communities Criteria and Enterprise’s Multifamily Retrofit Program. She is featured in and has contributed to numerous publications including the book Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy; Greening Our Built World: Costs, Benefits, and Strategies; Women in Green; Growing Greener Cities; Becoming an Urban Planner, and is included as faculty in Fast Company’s 30-second MBA program.
Clayton Aldern is a data reporter at Grist. A Rhodes scholar and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, his writing and data visualization have appeared in The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, Vox, and many other publications. Previously, he led the data analysis and program evaluation team for homelessness programs at Pierce County, Washington. Aldern is also a research affiliate of the University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, and with Gregg Colburn, he is the author of the forthcoming book Homelessness is a Housing Problem.
US cities are faced with compounding climate and housing crises. How can communities meet their housing needs while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change?
By creating green housing affordable for all, cities will...
US cities are faced with compounding climate and housing crises. How can communities meet their housing needs while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change?
By creating green housing affordable for all, cities will contribute to the health and well-being of residents, their communities, and the planet. Considering both systemic questions and action-oriented strategies, the speakers will discuss green building processes and principles that can be incorporated into housing design, construction, rehabilitation, and operation.
Dana Bourland, author of Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises and Kimberly Vermeer, co-author with Walker Wells of Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, illustrated that delivering on the human right to housing and combatting the climate crisis go hand-in-hand. Each discussed the intersection between equity, housing, and sustainability. After the authors presented their key ideas from their books, the moderator, Dawn Phillips, led a discussion between the authors and the audience.
Panel:
• Dana Bourland, Vice President for the Environment at the JPB Foundation
• Kim Vermeer, LEED AP Homes, President of Urban Habitat Initiatives Inc.
Moderated by Dawn Phillips (He/Him) – Executive Director of Right To The City Alliance
US cities are facing the joint challenge of the climate crisis and the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. In her new book, Gray to Green Communities, affordable-housing expert...
US cities are facing the joint challenge of the climate crisis and the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. In her new book, Gray to Green Communities, affordable-housing expert Dana Bourland argues that we need to move away from a gray housing model to a green model that considers the health and well-being of residents, their communities, and the planet.
Before joining The JPB Foundation, Bourland was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, leading this national organization's award-winning Green Communities program, including the creation of Green Communities Criteria, Green Communities Offset Fund, and Multifamily Retrofit Program.
Moderated by Jon Ford, director of strategic initiatives for Vitalyst Health Foundation.