Carbon Leadership Forum

Mission

Lever for Change 2030 Climate Challenge Finalist

Buildings and construction account for 40% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Much of that is attributable to the emissions produced by building material manufacturing. Novel carbon-storing building materials made of plants are available on the market today, however their carbon benefits are not uniformly valued and face significant barriers to adoption at scale. With new tools available to improve analysis and reporting of embodied carbon in building materials, CLF will propel the development and adoption of biogenic building materials. By connecting rural communities that harvest biogenic materials with urban areas that use large volumes of construction materials, we can cut emissions associated with agricultural waste and stimulate the economy with the creation of green jobs. These transformative practices will produce proof-of-concept model ecosystems that, leveraged through CLF’s global network, will minimize the greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials, and enable gigatons of carbon to be stored in new and renovated buildings by 2050.

Launched in April 2020, the 2030 Climate Challenge was a $10 million competition sponsored by an anonymous donor to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings, industry, and/or transportation sectors in the United States by 2030. 68 proposals were submitted to the competition and were evaluated using four criteria: whether the proposals were impactful, feasible, scalable, and durable. Five Finalists were announced in February 2021. Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) was announced as the $10 million Awardee in June 2021.

Organization Information