Fellows mentioned in this story: Danielle Bass, Cohort VIII

From the United States Green Building Council:

While the world waited in fall 2021 to see how far global climate action would go at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, several U.S. states were putting the finishing touches on spectacularly detailed plans of their own to counter climate change.

Of the 34 states that either have a climate action plan or are developing one, several are breaking ground on policies and programs as diverse as the country itself. Two of the states, Hawai‘i and New York, are showcasing best practices, building models for international use and unveiling spirited plans to reach across the aisle for the future of their citizens and economies.

In 2018, Hawai‘i became the first state to set a goal of reaching 100% greenhouse gas neutrality, which it plans to achieve by 2045.

Danielle M. Bass, state sustainability coordinator for the State of Hawai‘i’s Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, says that the beauty of this goal–called the Zero Emissions Clean Economy Target–is that previous laws serve as benchmarks to reach the state’s “big legal target,” the 2045 goal.

Continue reading at usgbc.org.