Kimberly Lewis is Senior Vice President for market transformation and development in North America at the U.S. Green Building Council. Kimberly is laser focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and advancing transparency and excellence within the green building market. She directs all of USGBC’s market development through local communities, members, volunteers and emerging professionals, delivering on the USGBC mission to improve the quality of life for all through more sustainable cities and communities worldwide.

Why are you passionate about sustainability?

I am passionate about sustainability because as both a minister and an advocate it gives me the opportunity to reframe an age-old narrative of our spiritual evolution and moral progress as a global society that shares a vision of abundance!

Scripture says: Abundance! And with no waste. After all had eaten of what began as 2 fishes and 5 loaves to feed 5,000 men (they didn’t count the women and children), the Disciples gathered up all the crumbs and there were 12 baskets full — one per disciple.

Sustainability is a moral imperative. Use what we have been given in abundance well and it will be multiplied. If we are loving our neighbors as ourselves, no one in our communities should be lacking.

Can you talk about USGBC’s network of local communities and how they’re helping to advance green building?

USGBC’s network of local communities is at the heart of our grassroots efforts. We have more than 40 local communities across the country who are supporting our goal of green buildings for everyone. They are true local leaders and a driving force in growing LEED and USGBC core products by sharing our narrative based on four core tenants: sustainability, resilience, health & wellness and equity. They are bringing together volunteers and leaders and driving market growth and engagement to better lives by advocating for green buildings for all.

As a nonprofit organization, USGBC relies on the support of an incredible group of more than 10,000 members who share our passion for advancing green building through LEED. We know that in order to get every building on the path to certification we must be present and engaging with the people on the ground making the decisions and helping to shape the design, construction and operations of our offices, homes, churches, gyms and other spaces. USGBC’s communities are working every day to bring our big, broad vision to life at the local level. They are conducting workshops to educate those in the market about LEED and the economic, environmental and social benefits of green buildings. They are hosting events that convene the local green building community and celebrate leadership in that region. They are working with policymakers to advocate for legislation and change that promotes green building strategies. And they are engaging, one on one, to solve problems and bring more people, companies and organizations onboard and committed to creating a healthier, more sustainable future for us all.

For anyone that is new to green building and LEED or new to USGBC, find your local USGBC community, connect with them and become part of a family helping to transform our buildings, cities and communities into green, resilient spaces that improve our living standard.

What is Women in Green?

USGBC launched Women in Green in 2012 and it has become a worldwide leadership platform. Our vision is to celebrate and connect female leaders in sustainability who are influencers at the top of their field, fueling ambitious young women and catalyzing change. This global platform empowers women to enhance, strengthen, and lead green industries across all sectors. Women in Green has reached more than 5,500 women over the years and has expanded outside the U.S. to India, Europe, China and Mexico.

We aim to foster leadership through transformation and authentic transparency and move from mentorship to sponsorship by creating opportunities through our own influence and defining our own stakeholder table. We will be a clarion call for personal accountability and action, giving the next generation permission to fail fast.

Through events, partnerships and other opportunities, Women in Green provides a space for women who are shifting the narrative on empowerment, access and impact in the clean energy economy. As old paradigms are challenged a new roadmap emerges that is shaking up how we measure progress, who defines those indicators and what and whom are missing from the leadership table as we unfailingly work to raise the quality of life for all.

USGBC has always been committed to a sustainable, prosperous future through LEED, the most widely used green building program in the world. Green building globally has grown due in large part to the contributions of women, but there are many challenges they still face. Women in Green events and programs gather female leaders together for powerful discussions and networking that remind us that each woman is a person of great influence. That each woman is part of building a brighter, more inclusive future.

Women in Green is a truly powerful experience and one I’m proud to lead.

What is next for Women in Green at USGBC?

As we boldly leap into a new decade, we want to double down on the ideals, personal relationships and charges that were defined as part of Women in Green when it was introduced in 2012.

Each year we anchor our Women in Green programming around a theme and this year our theme is “Sheroes — Stand Up!” We are all sheroes — defined by Sheroes United as a “female hero: a woman that displays strong heroic traits under tremendous pressure and is triumphant over her circumstances.” In the last few years, our green building sheroes have been called upon as never before to stand up for others, stand up for speaking our minds and stand up for paving the way for future generations of strong women.

Our sheroes can be found all around us — in our families, our communities and our workplaces. Sheroes stand up for a future with clean air, clean water, healthy food, access to quality education, equitable housing and more. They are lifting up the voiceless and the disenfranchised.

To help carry the program forward, we are committed to standing up for eight pillars: Leadership, Health, Economic Equality, Mentorship, Speaking Up, Democracy, Purpose and Courage. This year, we have started celebrating local, regional and national sheroes who are leading the charge and serving as inspiration for our continued efforts to elevate, sponsor, mentor and encourage women to stand up.

Each month, our USGBC Women in Green leaders will announce eight regional women who embody elements of our eight pillars. They will join us for the Women in Green Leadership Luncheon at Greenbuild in San Diego this November, where we will recognize and hear from these regional sheroes. The attendees at the event will also elect a Shero of the Year from the eight finalists. It’s going to be a powerful moment and we hope sustainability leaders from the across the country will join in the celebration.

This year we’re also launching a social media campaign and are inviting women to tell us how they or someone they know is standing up using the hashtags #WIGstandup2020 #Sheroes and #SheroesStandUp. But that’s just the beginning.

The future of Women in Green continues to be shaped by an incredible Working Group that meets monthly to design local partnerships to support our vision. We invite all female sheroes to get involved and join us as we stand up!

How have you seen the role of women in the industry change since you’ve been with USGBC?

I have seen a strong u-turn in our communities around the vision of moving from mentorship to sponsorship. Women are already leading and have great influence within our communities because we get stuff done. We must continue to compel these same leaders to stand up and demand a new generation/pipeline of leaders with access, opportunity and jobs of influence quicker and faster. The work we have to do to combat climate change needs our kind of thinking and our inclusive spirits to cultivate the best ideas for solutions and ACTION! In my world we say — don’t talk about it — be about it!

We are no longer waiting to be invited to the table. If we don’t see a shift, we are creating our own table redefining the goal post of what is measured and what is defined as success while creating pathways for our young women to fail fast — but lead!

Who are some leaders in the industry that stand out in your mind?

I have many sheroes and I could list them out for days! For inspiration, I encourage readers to reference Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design by Kira Gould & Lance Hosey!

Last year at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Atlanta, during our Women in Green luncheon I had the pleasure of introducing Dr. Mildred McClain. Another one of my sheroes, she is the founder of The Harambee House Inc. and Citizens for Environmental Justice. She had a call to action for all green building Women in Green: to mentor 3 women of color! Ladies are you on track to meet this call?

One of my highlighted sheroes for Black History is Reverend Joan Ross. I first met her at a USGBC community event, when we partnered with her after she delivered the keynote at a 2014 conference in Detroit, Michigan. A call to action and donation campaign was launched and fulfilled to supply resources to bring streetlights back on in the North End community, not for the city, but on individual landowners’ property. Since then Rev. Ross has been busy.

In 2017, the North End Woodward Community Coalition (NEWCC), of which Ross is the executive director, entered the Department of Energy’s Sunshot Challenge Competition to come up with and implement projects to bring solar to low-income communities across the country. The NEWCC project goal was to develop a strategy to get solar to 1,000 low-income households in Detroit. They knew that low-income communities and people of color pay an estimated 30% more for their utilities than others.

NEWCC was also working with two other organizations to provide internet access to neighborhoods, and they were able to execute the Equitable Internet Initiative to both North End and Highland Park, serving 92 families and small businesses with a line-of-sight, point-to-point internet system. They took that momentum to build out solar access and to develop the strategy for a replicable sustainable community preparedness plan.

The Honnold Foundation’s founder, Alex Honnold, heard about the work NEWCC was doing in Detroit and sent Dory Trimble, the executive director, to learn more and see the work firsthand. This led to a $120,000 grant awarded by the foundation to connect NEWCC to solar panel manufacturer REC Group, to install best-in-class solar arrays on 10 of these land trust homes. In August 2017, Honnold and his team joined NEWCC on the ground to begin the project.

Soon after, Honnold introduced NEWCC to National Geographic Explorer Ruben Salgado of Solar Portraits. In October, Ruben came to visit and spent 14 days with NEWCC, along with Alice Chun, who was visiting schools in the area and working with students to build solar lights based on the Solar Puff. They worked with over 500 young people in creating the lights–allowing the children to share time with a real-life explorer and inventor.

To date, NEWCC and the Honnold Foundation have completed 6 rooftop solar projects.

Rev. Ross is my February shero of the month because creating sustainable, resilient, equitable and healthy communities is the steppingstone in revolutionizing the re-emergence of “The Beloved Community.” Keep fighting, Rev. Ross!

Stay tuned to our Sheroes campaign to see all of our communities highlight their Sheroes for 2020.