Southface lends its technical expertise to shape sustainable growth policy initiatives, and provide energy efficiency support to nonprofits and communities to promote equity for all.
The Sustainable Cities Institute (SCI) launches with assistance from the Home Depot Foundation and Southface as the coordinating nonprofit. This also marks Andrea Pinabell’s introduction to Southface, as she worked on the project.
Southface assists the City of Atlanta in piloting the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, part of a national effort for commercial buildings to reduce their energy use by 20% by 2020.
Southface’s Georgia Solar Map, www.georgiaenergydata.org, is launched and considered the most accurate, go-to source for solar installations in the state.
The EarthCraft Sustainable Preservation program is created, making it the first green building certification for historic buildings. The program is designed to evaluate and highlight what is inherently sustainable about historic buildings while providing guidance on appropriate alterations to make them more energy and water efficient.
Following unanimous approval by the General Assembly Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia signs into law the “Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015”, which allows residents and businesses to enter into a power purchase agreement or what is instead known locally as a solar energy procurement agreement, The Act provides the ability to lease or purchase rooftop solar panels, consume the power they generate on-site, and sell any excess power generated back to the utility. Southface played a pivotal role in shaping and advocating for the legislation.
Southface creates the Nonprofit Energy and Water Efficiency Initiative and provides Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Feeding America member Food Banks with funding and technical assistance for energy-efficient initiatives at several of their facilities across the Southeast.
For the first time in its history, Southface hires a policy director, Lisa Bianchi-Fossati, to bolster advocacy capacity and support the organization’s efforts to transform the market for clean energy and sustainable development in Georgia and the Southeast.
The Southface Board of Directors concludes its months-long search for a visionary leader, and announces Andrea Pinabell as the organization’s next president.
Southface, in partnership with the Virginia Center for Housing Research (VCHR) at Virginia Tech University, releases a report with research findings on the impact of green building certification programs on affordable housing development.
The Department of Energy’s Building America program often partners with industry-led research teams to address the development of energy efficient home performance solutions. Southface was tapped to research the applicability of low-cost, high-performing sensors in monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ).
As a key partner to the City of Atlanta’s Office of Resilience, Southface facilitates a stakeholder engagement process, which is reflected in the mayor’s 2018 plan to convert the City to 100% clean energy.
Southface partners with WonderRoot and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) to co-host events for residents of Southwest Atlanta and the Utoy Creek Watershed addressing stormwater management and green infrastructure education.
The TransFormation Alliance (TFA) is a collaboration of over 30 metro Atlanta organizations, working to create thriving mixed-income communities anchored by transit. Southface is selected to be the TFA Climate Champion and leads initiatives of the Strong and Prosperous Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC).
Georgia Power invests $4.5 million over three years to fund low-income energy efficiency programming as a result of advocacy and program design by Southface and EEFA Georgia. Southface and EEFA GA partners engage more than 150 residents and community members through Energy-Equity Forums across Georgia.
Southface commemorates 40 years of working to promote sustainable homes, workplaces, and communities. It is also the 20th Anniversary of the Greenprints conference and Visionary Dinner, and the 10th anniversary of the Grants to Green program.
