Awardees include California DGS, Mad River Mass Timber, San Luis Obispo’s Andy Pease, Blade Air Pro Filter, and Epic Cleantec

Global Design Competition “Shaping the Future of Water Use at Home” Winners to be Announced at Conference

LOS ANGELES (May 14, 2026)  The USGBC California (USGBC-CA) will present the Product & Civic Leadership Awards on May 28, 2026, at its 25th Annual California Green Building Conference, being held on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. These awards - announced below - acknowledge the leaders who are making a difference through outstanding achievements in sustainability, green building, and innovative products. Starting at 4:30 p.m., the awards will close the impact-oriented, one-day event that is the largest and longest-running gathering of leading green building advocates across California's public and private sectors. Registration is open and complete event information is on the Conference website, including the Agenda, keynote speakers, sessions, and a featured lunchtime panel on plug-in solar.
 
In addition to the annual awards, USGBC California will be announcing live the winners of its first global design competition, “Shaping the Future of Water Use at Home”. This worldwide ideas competition empowers architects, engineers, designers, and students to create water-efficient homes that inspire change. Prizes totaling $50,000 will be awarded across both Professional and Student categories.
 
“As we bring our California Green Building Conference for a second time to the Bay Area, we do so at a time when collaboration, innovation, and practical solutions matter more than ever,” said Ben Stapleton, CEO of USGBC California. “Across California, communities are looking for ways to reduce costs, create healthier and more affordable housing, strengthen resilience, and prepare for a rapidly changing future. This conference is about bringing together the people designing, building, financing, and shaping that future — and proving that sustainability can and should improve affordability and quality of life for everyone.”
 
THE AWARDS LIST
 
CIVIC LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Policy Leadership Award:  California Department of General Services (DGS). The award honors a municipality or agency leading the way in advancing green building and sustainability. DGS advances statewide Zero-Net Energy targets for 100% of new facilities and 50% of existing building area; LEED Gold certification; mandates that projects exceed Title 24 by 15%; and is working toward zero carbon emissions, continuing to elevate industry-wide green standards. (Image: Daycare center in the May Lee Office Complex, Courtesy of DGS)

Elected Official Award:  Andy Pease, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. The award recognizes bold leadership in sustainability from the political and public service sector. Former City Council Member, San Luis Obispo, Andy is co-owner of In Balance Green Consulting, which optimizes green building strategies in the Central Coast region, including LEED administration and certification services, energy performance modeling and water conservation strategies. During her eight years on city council, the City of San Luis Obispo achieved milestones in housing construction and affordability, bike and pedestrian-focused infrastructure, new programs for inclusion and belonging and an innovative Climate Action Plan that targets carbon neutrality by 2035.
 
PRODUCT AWARDS:
 
Material Impact Award:  Mad River Mass Timber. The award highlights products that reduce embodied carbon and shift the building materials market. Mad River Mass Timber sources local Humboldt County, CA-timber, and locally produces milled Dowel Laminated Timber (DLT) panels to build lower-carbon, carbon-sequestering workforce and modular housing, helping promote healthy California forest management.
 
Market Transformation Award:  Blade Air Pro Filter. The award celebrates game-changing solutions that accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices. Blade Air Pro Filter reframes HVAC filtration as an energy strategy, not maintenance. It reduces fan energy 15–40% without retrofits, accelerating adoption of low-pressure design and influencing how buildings approach decarbonization, performance, and operational sustainability.
 
Ripple Effect Award:  Epic Cleantec’s Recycled Water Beer. This award honors innovation serving as a catalyst for sustainable water management. Amidst Epic Cleantec’s ongoing work to advance onsite water reuse in buildings, their recycled-water beer transforms public perception of water reuse, turning hesitation into acceptance. By normalizing recycled water through everyday experiences, it catalyzes cultural change essential to scaling water solutions.


 
In addition to the awards, USGBC California is highlighting the topic of building performance standards and policy at the Conference this year, convening its Peer Learning Collaborative on May 27th (invite only), followed by the release of a new dashboard delivering dynamic energy, carbon, and water insights across thousands of buildings statewide. Powered by Measurabl, with a live demo available at their Conference booth, the dashboard will be one of the largest public building performance datasets for California commercial real estate. It will be housed at USGBC California’s Building Performance Hub.
 
The CA Green Building Conference is a dynamic platform, with 22 panel sessions, eight Table Talks, three groups of Collective Impact™ case studies + moderated Q&A, Net Zero Accelerator companies’ innovation fast-pitches, and over 65 exhibitors and community organizations all convened to form what has become the West Coast's premier green building experience. The session tracks include (alpha order) Circular Economy & Waste, Climate Action, Decarbonization, Equity & Environmental Justice, Nature-based Solutions & Regenerative Design, Resilience & Recovery, Water Innovation, and Workforce Development.
 
The 10:00 a.m. hour will feature two esteemed keynote speakers, CPUC Commissioner Christine Harada and Rising Sun Center of Opportunity’s President & CEO Julia Hatton, as well as USGBC Senior Director, Materials and Resources, Wes Sullens, and USGBC California CEO Ben Stapleton. The lunchtime panel on the hot topic of Plug-In Solar will be moderated by journalist Sammy Roth. To learn more about the keynote speakers and programming, please refer to the earlier announcement.
 
USGBC California is grateful for the significant support for the California Green Building Conference (alphabetical): AXA XL, Capture H2O, DPR Construction, Glumac, Greenplaces, Hathaway Dinwiddie, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), MCE Community Choice Energy, Premier Recycle, and Webcor. LADWP serves as carbon offsets sponsor, and Molly Wood serves as a Media Partner.
 
For further California Green Building Conference or USGBC California information, please contact Julie Du Brow at [email protected] (310-922-1301) or Ben Stapleton at [email protected].

 
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About USGBC California (USGBC-CA)
USGBC California is a 501(c)3 non-profit and member-based organization whose vision is to transform California's built environment into a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable region for all. USGBC California, an independent chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, comprises green building communities across the state. We lead by inspiring leaders throughout our communities to take action on climate change, public health, and environmental justice while educating, developing, and empowering a diverse talent pipeline through our training, mentorship, and direct-to-community programs. We connect by merging interdisciplinary perspectives and collaborations to create positive systemic change. We advocate through promoting innovative, impactful policy solutions addressing the most urgent environmental and social challenges of our time. (www.usgbc-ca.org)