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As you join us, please do the following:

  1. Check your contact & associated committee information HERE
    • Update/add contact information HERE

  • Connect on AIA Community Hub HERE

  • Survey of your topics of interest

click HERE https://forms.gle/HLDU53vjTjmNCYXi9

  • Connect with COTE’s social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/147669/

WELCOME to the COTE Network Call!

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AGENDA:

  1. Welcome - Sean (5 min)
  2. National Updates - Ellie (5 min)
  3. COTE Network Spotlight by COTE LG Robin, Lindsey & Sean (5 mins)
  4. COTE Component Update:
    • Q1 (2026): Those that did not share during the Q4 call.

Office Hours to follow:

    • Feedback session on your experiences with F4DE in honors and awards at the chapter level with Katie Ackerly
    • Open to all COTE related topics

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Who supports the COTE Network?

We are growing our team! Please reach out to us if you would like to volunteer with the Network please email Sean and / or Beth at scostello@dhae.com & bbrant@dsgn.com

Kira Gould

COTE

Communications

Beth Brant

COTE LG, Liaison to the COTE Network

Sean Costello

COTE Network

2026 Chair

Robin Puttock

2025 COTE LG Chair

Roshni Krishnan

COTE Network

2027 Chair

Holden

Rasmussen

COTE Network

Membership + Outreach

Lisa Ferretto

Sr Director, Sustainable Practice + Knowledge

at AIA

Ellie Falcon

Manager, Climate Action & Design Excellence

at AIA

Leigh Pfeiffer

COTE Network

Quarterly Planning & Network Guide

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COTE Network Calls

Mark your calendars!

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Office Hours

3:00-3:30 PM EST

04/21 - COTE Spotlight

08/11 - TBD

11/10 - Chapter Updates

+

02/03 - Chapter Updates

2026 Schedule:

Quarterly Calls are from 2:00 - 3:00 EST

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COTE Network – 2026 Quarterly Calls

2026 dates to be announced in COTE News &

Community Hub Soon!

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Call for 2026 COTE Network Volunteers

We need you!

3 year term / commitment. Past local COTE Chairs are ideal candidates

Please reach out to us if you would like to volunteer with the Network

please email Sean and / or Beth at scostello@dhae.com & bbrant@dsgn.com

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Hosted by Boston COTE (BSA)

August 26th at 1pm EST

COTE BOOK TALK!

Tim Beatley

Kaarin Knudson

Nico Larson

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AIA National Updates

Q4 COTE Network Call

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COTE – Climate Action Advocacy

 

  • Safeguarding tools & data: A running list of sources
    • Email cote@aia.org with additions

AIA Advocacy

https://communityhub.aia.org/blogs/lisa-m-ferretto-aia/2025/06/27/climate-action-advocacy

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COTE Top Ten

Climate Action and Design Excellence - AIA COTE Top Ten

Professional awards

  • 2026 Awards
    • COTE Top Ten metrics in DDx
    • Submissions closed
    • Recipients will be announced in June 2026

Student competition

  • Winners announced!

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Events & education

Climate Action and Design Excellence - Events & education

  • December

  • January
    • TBD - 2030 DDx webinars
    • AIA 2030 Commitment reporting opens

  • February

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AIA 2030 Commitment & Reporting!

The 2030 Working Group is seeking input on how to best support the broader COTE Network.

The challenges:

  • for Reporting Year 2024 (RY24) signatory reporting dropped 6%. We’re also seeing a plateauing in signatory growth over the last 3 cycles and the percentage of signatories reporting data has been declining over the last 4 cycles, now standing at only 32%.
  • Energy modeling in projects has been declining slightly, while we’ve seen pEUI reductions for those projects that are modeled improve greatly, to 60% pEUI reduction overall.
  • And fuel source reporting remains a challenge, limiting our ability to connect project data to overall grid improvements and provide meaningful analysis for external stakeholders.

The bright spots:

  • for RY24 we saw a much improved overall pEUI reduction, 56% across all reported Whole Building projects, a record for the program.
  • We also recorded a little over 4 billion square feet of projects, also an all-time high.
  • We’re seeing more net-zero energy projects, more electrified buildings and an increase in embodied carbon reporting across the board. We would like to see these trends continue and are seeking renewed dedication to project reporting for RY25!

Please share your ideas with 2030Commitment@aia.org

Join our 2030 Peer-to-Peer Network!

Read the 2030 Commitment RY24 By the Numbers report!

sincerely,

Melanie De Cola, LEED Green Associate

Director, Climate Action Pledge Programs

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COTE NETWORK SPOTLIGHT

Robin Puttock, Lindsey Falasca & Sean Costello

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COTE Network Spotlight Program

National COTE Leadership Group

We want to hear from you!

Share your stories HERE.

Call for Submissions: We’re seeking examples of programs, initiatives, and advocacy efforts led by your group that have made a meaningful impact in advancing sustainable design excellence.

What to Include:

  • Tangible results from programs implemented in 2025
  • Clear alignment with the Framework for Design Excellence.

Goal: Elevate and amplify the impactful work of local COTE groups. Submissions will be featured throughout 2026 to showcase leadership nationwide.

Logistics:

    • Takes about ~20 minutes to submit
    • Submit as many examples as you’d like
    • Deadline: December 31, 2025

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Groups we highlighted in 2025:

COTE Network Spotlight Program

National COTE Leadership Group

Westchester Hudson Valley COTE:

Creating Space for Climate Dialogue

[LINK]

Central Oklahoma COTE:

Energy Code Advocacy in Oklahoma

[LINK]

Western North Carolina COTE:

A Decade of Climate Dialogue

[LINK]

New Orleans COTE:

Advancing Building Energy Leadership

[LINK]

We’re excited to share even more stories in 2026 and beyond: but we need your submissions!

Please take a few minutes to complete the form by 12/31 and help us showcase your impact.

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2025 Chapter Updates &

2026 Goals

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AIA Arkansas COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

DUSTIN DAVIS

AIA ARKANSAS SUSTAINABILITY CHAIR

2024 UPDATE:

BUILDING TOURS:

  • ANTHONY TIMBERLANDS CENTER FOR DESIGN AND MATERIALS INNOVATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

  • ASSISTED WITH FAY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE FIRST COTE STUDENT PARTICIPATION SPRING 2024

THANKS TO PROFESSOR DAVID KENNEDY (3RD YEAR STUDIO)

2025 PLANS:

  • RECRUIT MORE SUSTAINABILITY MEMBERS

  • BUILDING TOURS IN BOTH NWA AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS

  • ONLINE SESSION ON THE AIA GLOBAL CAMPUS FOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

  • ASSISTED WITH FAY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE COTE STUDENT PARTICIPATION SPRING 2025

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AIA Atlanta

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Austin COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

AIA Austin COTE - 1st Thursday; 5:30pm to 6:30pm

2024 Programming

Chair: Ekta Khuller

Chair Elect: Maria Berrios

  • Continue to collaborate with other organizations within AIA Austin. (CRANE, HOmes Tour etc.) and external organizations.
  • Organize a couple of building tours highlighting sustainable design features
  • A round table discussion on the AIA 2030 Commitment submission
  • Urban Green Walk

Upcoming Events 2024

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AIA Arizona

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Arizona

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Baltimore

2025 RECAP

Great programs!

Legislative recap, Getting to zero book event

New Co-Chair

2026 GOALS

Recruitment, recruitment, who cracked the code?

AIA Baltimore

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Brooklyn COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Buffalo/Western NY COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 Highlights

  • Mass Timber Symposium: 4 speakers, 3 time zones, 150+ registrants. Thanks to Barbara Campagna, Susan Jones, Merritt Bucholz, and Bill Richards!
  • Construction Tours: Members want to see real projects!
    • Collaborated with PHIUS Alliance New York for tour of PH housing project
    • Walking tour of new Ralph Wilson Park

Goals for 2026:

  • More ContEd: Building tours, guest speakers, virtual and in-person.
  • Quarterly happy hours on the solstices & equinoxes
  • Collaborations:
    • Supporting events by our neighboring Upstate NY COTEs.
    • Co-hosting with other local allied organizations: Bird-Friendly Buffalo seminar with Buffalo Audubon Society & University at Buffalo (May 2026)
    • More engagement with Emerging Professionals & students

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AIA California

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2024 Climate Action Operating Plan Highlights

Advocacy

  • Collaborate and strengthen relationships with State Agencies and organizations to continue to push for building decarbonization advances for the next code cycle and encourage adaptive reuse
  • Advance embodied carbon and water conservation policies statewide, both locally and at State level

Education

  • Prepare courses for Zero Net Carbon Design Continuing Education
  • Continue to provide content to the Climate Action Webinar Series
  • Advance the knowledge base of resilient design through webinars, articles, and resource sharing

Communications

  • Continue to advance sustainability as an essential element of design excellence in our design awards programs
  • Continue to issue new What Can You Do Now articles that include actionable items architects can take to advance decarbonization, and how they can talk to clients and different audiences about building sustainability

AIA California Climate Action 2023-2024 Agenda/Work Plan

The Climate Action page on the AIA CA website that gives an overview of the Committee and the Steering Committee leadership

AIA CA Climate Action supporting the AIA CA Strategic Plan

Addressing embodied carbon through policy and advocacy in CALGreen

Upcoming CALGreen Embodied Carbon 4-part Series in partnership with SEAOC

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AIA Central Oklahoma COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

AIA Central Oklahoma

2024 Goals

Policy Advocacy Subcommittee– [Energy] Codes and agencies

  • Meet with State Code Commission members to see what we can do to advocate for energy code upgrades

Programs and Education Subcommittee

  • Tour Walnut Village dense housing development utilizing ICF construction and a PUD with a preserved historic house on site
  • Three Lunch and Learns: Ecosupply, Best Companies and Walco
  • 820 Solar will sponsor our Summer Solstice gathering at a Beergarden that showcases solar power.

Academic Outreach Subcommittee

  • Focus on outreach to higher ed - systems integration and studio review - OU and OSU
  • Long term goal - student award

Awards Subcommittee – COTE Award AIACOC and OK State

  • Ongoing - COTE Award for AIACOC
  • Long term goal - help NE Oklahoma begin their own COTE because there won’t be a path to a State level COTE Award until then

Resilience HSW “Cocktails and Credits” at a member firm

CLT HSW “Lunch & Learn” and Tour at a CLT project by Gensler Dallas

COTE Technical Review HSW “Cocktails and Credits” with Dr. Fithian

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AIA Central Valley

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Central Valley

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Charlotte COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Chattanooga COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025

  • Initiated monthly COTE meetings
  • Generated a mission statement and guiding principles
  • Held a COTE event (a “walking panel discussion”/tour) as part of AIA Chattanooga Design Discourse focused on sustainable strategies in parks, including stakeholders from City of Chattanooga Sustainability and Green Infrastructure departments as well as a local firm and a UTC professor

2026

  • Joining forces with the Programming Committee to provide content aligning with one of the Framework for Design Excellence Principles each month
  • Working with local COTE leaders across the state to participate as a state-wide knowledge community and hold an event at AIATN Conference in August
  • Hold monthly COTE meetings at a different office each month to stoke participation one firm at a time

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AIA Cincinnati

2025 RECAP

Sept 26-Oct 10: Ice Box Challenge at Cincinnati Homearama

  • Ice in Code standard box melted in 10 days
  • 345 lbs of ice left in Passive House box at the end of day 14!
  • 31 volunteers
  • 13,000 Homearama visitors
  • 800 engagements

Tour of local adaptive reuse project.

Facilitated Historic Masonry Retrofits webinar by 475 Building Supply.

  • 37 attendees

2026 GOALS

Passive House roundtable discussion

Kicks-off applications to receive scholarship for Passive House training.

3 tours of local sustainable projects

2 knowledge sharing / page-turn events

Present experience from Ice Box Challenge at Midwest Sustainability Summit

Plan local COTE awards program

AIA Cincinnati

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Cleveland

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Cleveland

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Colorado COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Connecticut

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Connecticut

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA DC COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2024 Co-Chairs

Patrick Keeney, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP O+M

WSP

Kevin McNulty, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Assoc., Fitwell Ambassador

Gensler

Recap of 2024 Events

February Design, DC Climate Crisis & Responsive Design

March Committee Meeting hosted by ZGF

→ First ever Friend of the Committee, Atelier Ten SF on embodied carbon policy/standards

April Panel with Emerging Architects Committee (EAC)

May Committee Meeting hosted by Arup

→ Presentation on DC Green Building Advisory Council

June AIA Conference booth

July House tour of Adelaide Alley house from BLDUS

July Committee Meeting hosted by TortiGallas

→ Presentation on Passive House

August Meet-Up with SE2050 at Walter P Moore’s office

→ Presentation by SE2050 Embodied Carbon targets

September Participated in the Committee Open House night at the DAC

November Tri-COTE event

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AIA Detroit

2025 RECAP

-Women of Carbon film screening at Wayne State University

-Detroit Walking Tour

-LEED v5 seminar w/ USGBC Michigan

-Garden Party Fundraiser & Networking event

-Green Circle networking events with local oragnizations (USGBC, Detroit 2030, etc.)

2026 GOALS

-Continued collaboration with local oragnizations

-Enhanced engagement with membership and affiliates

-Focus on carbon and adoption of mass timber in Michigan

AIA Detroit

COTE Network Quarterly Call

Anna Anderson

Cody Hansen

Chris Heine

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AIA East Bay

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA East Bay

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA East Bay

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA East Bay

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Grand Rapids

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Grand Rapids

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Honolulu COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Houston COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2024 Recap

2025 Vision

  • Gulf Coast Green - Wild by Design
  • 2030 Commitment
    • Survey of Houston Participation
    • Small Firm Roundtable Workshop to sign up more firms
  • Gulf Coast Green - Symbiotic Resilience
    • 03/28/2025
  • Houston Adoption of 2021 ICC Codes - Focus on education regarding changes in the IECC
  • Partner with other committees to extend our reach:
    • Advocacy & Permitting for Bird Safe Architecture
    • BEC for Building Envelop CEU
    • JEDI Collective

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AIA Inland Empire Chapter

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Inland Empire Chapter

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Kansas City

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Kansas City

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Las Vegas

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Las Vegas

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Long Beach / South Bay

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Long Beach / South Bay

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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COTE Network Q4

Leadership & Organization

  • Monthly COTE Meetings and Event Calendar
  • Themes of Water and Resilience
  • Sponsors: Perkins & Will, HKS
  • New Chapter COTE Mission Statement
  • Leadership for 2026 Announced

AIA Dallas - COTE

Advocacy & Policy

  • Further coordination with City of Dallas CECAP Initiative
  • AIA Framework for Design Excellence as guiding principles

Professional Development

  • LU Courses offered at most monthly meetings
  • Tours of Sustainable Projects
  • Advocacy of Common App in Chapter Design Awards
  • Living Building Challenge
  • PHIUS

Events & Community Engagement

  • GREEN+ Mentoring Program for projects in lower income areas to attain Green certifications
  • Tour of Southstone Yards and Mass Timber LU Presentation
  • Increased recruitment through events and outreach
  • Net Zero Water -Texas Water Trade
  • Tour of Halperin Deck Park
  • COTE Blog

Mission Statement:

The Committee on the Environment (COTE) serves as a conduit for Architects and allied professionals in understanding of planning and design practices impacting the public and the environment.

It seeks to promote - healthy buildings, energy optimization and preservation of natural resources through thoughtful design. The committee values public discourse and stakeholder involvement in a range of issues from planning, development and construction to policy and social justice.

David Stewart LEED AP, BD+C - Chair 2025

Joseph Boring CPHC, LFA, LEED AP, BD+C & O+M, WELL AP - Vice Chair 2025

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AIA Maine

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Maine

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Middle Tennessee

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Middle Tennessee

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Minnesota

AIA Minnesota

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Mississippi COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2024 ACTIVITIES:

  • Allison Anderson of Unabridged Architect organized a group to assess interest in establishing a COTE chapter in Mississippi.
  • The group has met monthly since June.
  • At the AIA MS convention in October, the new chapter opportunity was shared with membership.
  • The AIA MS Board voted to make the COTE Chapter official.
  • Co-chairs are Emily Roush-Elliott, Delta DB, and John Ross, Mississippi State University.

2025 PLANS:

  • The initial COTE volunteer group identified 3 priorities:
    • Raise awareness about environmental design among AIA MS members and beyond
    • Understand capacity gaps and opportunities among industry partners in implementing green and efficient design in Mississippi
    • Identifying and pursuing appropriate advocacy opportunities
  • To achieve those goals the volunteers will:
    • Meet monthly in 2025 with an invited industry partner guest speaker on each call
    • Add a COTE award component to the AIA MS 2025 awards
    • Support energy efficient, renewable, and other green building efforts (such as Solar for All and IRA funded rebates) through calls, emails, and projects

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AIA Monterey Bay

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Monterey Bay

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA New Hampshire

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA New Hampshire

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA New Jersey

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA New Jersey

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA New Orleans COTE

Advocacy

  • Participating on technical working group for a Benchmarking Ordinance
  • Tracking changes to the stormwater management ordinance

Education

  • Lunch and learns
  • meeting next year with Tulane Architecture students

Working groups (not just COTE, not just architects!)

  • healthy materials
  • carbon
  • energy
  • material waste/reuse

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AIA North Carolina

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA North Carolina

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA North Carolina Triangle

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA North Carolina Triangle

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Orange County

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Orange County

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Pennsylvania

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Pennsylvania

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Philadelphia COTE

Philadelphia

2024 Chapter Updates

2025 Goals

  • Low Carbon Assemblies series including speaker events and exhibit
  • Spring into action included Council member and Kimberly Dowdell
  • Speakers at monthly meetings
  • Walking tour at FDR Park
  • Happy Hour
  • Small Scale, Big Impact - new series focused on residential/ small-scale construction
  • Spring into Action Day
  • Speakers at monthly meeting
    • Code Updates
    • Resiliency
    • Material Selection
  • Collaborative event with Drexel University students and students from Milan
  • Group tour to Edelman Fossil Park
  • Collaboration with other organizations like Preservation Alliance & Green Building United

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AIA Pittsburgh

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Pittsburgh

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Savannah, Hilton Head, and Charleston

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Savannah, Hilton Head, and Charleston (Lowcountry Chapter)

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Seattle COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 Events

Book Talk: Brook Muller

Earth Day Sustainability Slam

Knowledge Sharing: District Energy

Knowledge Sharing: Passive House Library

Knowledge Sharing: Seattle Energy Code

Building Tour: UW Founders Hall

Volunteering: Green Seattle Day

2026 Goals

Zero Waste Materials Panel

Climate Policy Advocacy

Collaborate with Another COTE Group

2025/2026 Co-Chairs

Megan Greenfield

Michael Helmer

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AIA Silicon Valley

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Silicon Valley

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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Texas Society of Architects

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 Accomplishments

  • Common App Data Analysis
  • TXA Presentation
  • Edits to TXA design awards
  • Materials Pledge Webinar

2026 Goals

  • Two Part 2030 Webinar
  • Common App Open Hours
  • Connecting with local Texas chapters
  • TXA Conference Presentation
  • TBD..

2026 Chair: Kate Sector Gregg

Links:

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AIA South Carolina COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Southern New York

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Southern New York

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA St. Louis

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA St. Louis

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Tampa Bay

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA St. Louis

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Utah

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Utah

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Virginia COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

AIA VIRGINIA COTE

2025 Efforts

  • Knowledge Community Grant
  • Building Reuse and Decarbonization Webinar Series
  • COTE Coffee (Architecture Exchange East)

2026 Goals

  • Resilient Building tours w/ elected leaders - One in each component!
  • Sustainability Summit

AIA Richmond:�Rebecca Aarons-Sydnor�Sarah Grier Barber�Brynna Dunn

AIA Central Virginia:�William Abrahamson

AIA Northern Virginia:�Joseph McCoy�Cat Smith (Chair)�Jin Park�Breta Bishop

AIA Coastal Virginia:�Andrew McKinley

AIA Blue Ridge:�Preethi Chitharanjan

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AIA Westchester Hudson Valley COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Western Massachusetts

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Western Massachusetts

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Western North Carolina

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Western North Carolina

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Winston Salem

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Western North Carolina

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Wisconsin

2025 RECAP

2026 GOALS

AIA Wisconsin

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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New to COTE?

Seeking feedback for your COTE Chapter?

Feel free to Stay for Office Hours!

from now to 3:30pm EST

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COTE Chairs that previously presented at Q4 call in Nov. 2025

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AIA Oregon COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

AIA Oregon COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025

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AIA New York

2025 RECAP

  • Highlighted event: Circularity Symposium
  • Highlighted publication: Building Decarbonization Action plan for New York City (policy platform for incoming mayoral administration)
  • Advocacy with NY State legislators on three embodied carbon bills

2026 GOALS

  • February 2026 event: “Digitally Enabled Decarbonization: Exploring the Expanding Role of Digital Technologies in Reducing Carbon Emissions at Scale
  • Compiling and publishing case studies of float glass circularity from demo sites
  • Developing a game plan for Climate Week NYC and Greenbuild (in NYC!)

AIA New York

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA New Mexico COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 Updates

Leadership & Organization

MISSION STATEMENT

The New Mexico Committee on the Environment’s mission is to advance sustainability across New Mexico’s AEC sector by fostering outreach, education, policy advocacy, and community engagement.

Advocacy & Policy

  • Tracked and engaged on NM Senate & House bills
  • Participated in interim session planning
  • Advocacy on Executive Orders 2006-001 & 2019-003
  • Supported PHIUS QAP advocacy initiatives
  • Submitted response to DOE climate change statements

Education & Professional Development

  • Building science course with SF HBA, ECO HS, SFCC, Habitat, Youthworks
  • LEED tour & APS presentation at Arroyo del Oso Elementary
  • Curriculum collaboration with NM Black Leadership Council
  • Partnership with UNM student sustainability group
  • Design With Climate Charette with ASHRAE

Events & Community Engagement

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AIA Los Angeles COTE

2025 Recap

  • 2026 Chairs
    • Casey Castor, Assoc. AIA (Vice Chair)
    • Esmeralda Ward, AIA, LEED AP
  • Events + Collaborations
    • 9th Annual 1.5°C Symposium on Climate Change
      • Theme: Designing Impact: Climate Solutions Across People, Practice, and Projects
      • April 17th, 2026 - Loyola Law School Campus (TBD)
    • Volunteer Days-Of-Service
  • Goals
    • Strengthen Community Partnerships
    • Highlight Southern California Climate Action Heros
    • Advocate for Resilient Design Strategies
    • Host continuing education opportunities, guest speakers, and sustainable building tours.
    • Support other COTE Chapters with their initiatives & programming

2026 Goals

  • 2025 Chairs
    • Brendan Bailey, AIA (Chair)
    • Casey Castor, Assoc. AIA (Vice Chair)
  • Events + Collaborations
    • 8th Annual 1.5°C Symposium on Climate Change
      • Theme: 55 Years of Earth Day, Where do we Stand?
      • April 18th, 2025 - LADWP John Ferraro Building
    • Volunteer Day-Of-Service: DENA Wildfire Relief Drive
      • Pasadena Church, Pasadena, CA
    • Sustainable Building Tours: Solar Futures House (Woodbury 3D Printed Case Study), CT-7 Mass Timber Creative Office Campus, Net Zero Institute
    • “Refrigeration Code Changes: What Designers Need to Know” Technical Panel @ Buro Happold
    • NetZero Conference: Community Partner
    • Greenbuild International Conference and Expo 2025
  • Goals
    • Strengthen Community Partnerships
    • Highlight Southern California Climate Action Heros
    • Advocate for Resilient Design Strategies
    • Host continuing education opportunities, guest speakers, and sustainable building tours.

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AIA Indiana

2025 RECAP

February 2025: AIA IN COTE - Day at the Statehouse

2026 GOALS

Launching AIA IN COTE Awards: Currently working on planning that event.

Networking/Outreach/Education

How can we make a bigger impact in our communities when Indiana is generally behind on sustainability?

Working to expand AIA IN COTE beyond Indianapolis

Indiana’s Dan Overbey is a co-chair for the AIA 2030 Working Group!

Virtual Webinars:

Blower Door Testing

Geothermal

Developed AIA IN COTE awards to launch in 2026

July 16th, 2025: Indy named to the 2024 CDP A List!

Providing technical support role with Indy’s benchmarking policy implementation -

including the “Data Jams”

AIA Indiana

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 AIA ETN COTE

  • Knowledge, Agency, and Implementation
  • (4) quarters taking a more granular look into Water/Ecology, Urban Infrastructure/Transportation, Energy/Carbon, and Wellness.
  • Hosted Total Carbon Modeling Workshop w/ 70 attendees

2026 GOALS

  • Continue Knowledge, Agency, and Implementation
  • Bolster firm 2030 participation / integral process
  • Focus on Materials Pledge
    • couple w/ biogenic local materials research
  • Tours and study of completed local environmentally aspirational work

AIA East Tennessee COTE

Cameron S. Bolin

Melissa Hatchett

Taylor Eisenhower

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AIA Columbus COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

City of Columbus Healthy Buildings Advisory Group:

  • Supporting the City through multiple AIA members attending a series of 4 workshops

2026 Plans:

  • Passive House Design
  • Reframing Sustainability to focus more on Resiliency. Same goals, different approaches to deal with the current political narratives.

2024 Chair

Howard Blaisdell, AIA, LEED AP,

Associate Principal, Project Manager

Moody Nolan

2025 Activities:

  • Business Case for Sustainability
  • Low Carbon Concrete Seminar (May)
  • Green Gatherings

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AIA Chicago COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

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AIA Central NY COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

Leadership: Dylan MK Smith, AIA COTE Chair, Co-founder

What does it mean to practice architecture in Central NY: 2025?

Architects play a critical role in catalyzing the building industry by advancing

carbon-neutral projects, products, policies, initiatives, research, and education.

Our Chapter seeks meaningful, sustained progress in addressing the industry’s

footprint as a primary contributing source of operational and embodied carbon

and reducing vulnerability to the climate crisis.

Promote climate action.

  • Mitigating the sources
  • Adapting to the impacts
  • Galvanizing architects to act

Encourage public-private-academic partnerships.

  • Resilience in the Built Environment Workshop Series (NYSERDA)
  • Support local and state governments and communities they serve
  • Understand gaps due to federal policy changes

Agricultural and Clean Energy Technology Center | SUNY Morrisville | SWBR

2025 AIACNY COTE Award Winner

Celebrate sustainable design excellence.

AIACNY COTE Award included in 2025 Celebration of Architecture

Submissions must use Common App

AIACNY COTE Certificate added to the program this year

Three (3) projects recognized by the jury from the general submission pool for incorporating thoughtful and effective environmental, social, and technological strategies

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AIA Boston COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

2025 BSA COTE Events

Total Carbon & Engineering

Nov 12, 2025

Noon

Virtual

Patrick Murphy, Vanderweil

Suzanne Robinson, LeMessurier

BSA COTE

Sustainability Education Committee

BEC Building Enclosure Council

CLF Carbon Leadership Forum

Book Talk

Aug 26 2025

Virtual

Nico Larco, AIA

Mayor Kaarin Knudson, AIA

Prof. Timothy Beatley

Kira Gould

BSA COTE

studioDSK

AIA Materials Pledge

Earth Day

April 22 2025

Virtual

Nereyda Rodriguez, MDS Architects

Jodie Thill, Flad Architects

Amy Latva-Kokko, studioDSK

BSA COTE

Daylighting

September 24, 2025

5:30-7pm

Virtual

Dan Stein, Lake | Flato

Peter Herman, Ellenzweig

BSA COTE

Sustainability Education Committee

BEC Building Enclosure Council

RUG Revit Users Group

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AIA Asheville COTE

COTE Network Quarterly Call

AIA Asheville COTE

2024 Programming

Co-Chairs: Emily Coleman-Wolf and Jenny Heim

Members: Cynthia Turner, Devon Hutton, Betsy Del Monte, Carrie Schulz, Christina Roush, Tanya de Leon

  • Expanded programs by hosting a monthly AIA Asheville Section meeting. The focus was the AIA 2030 Commitment, with a roundtable discussion. Four local firms participated to talk about their involvement and process.
  • Organized several happy hours to bring interested AIA members together in a social and informal setting.
  • Annual Climate Symposium (our 10th year!), partnering with the Aspire Conference, held in September.
  • Hurricane Helene impact on Asheville and Western North Carolina - more to come in 2025.