Search
Lightning Talks
Lightning Talks
September 16, 2026
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
The Consortium for Public Education, 1100 Industry Rd., McKeesport, PA
- Individual Non Member Ticket – $50.00
- Individual GBA Member Ticket – $45.00
Resilient & Healthy Spaces Week: Lightning Talks
Register for this individual event OR take advantage of the All-Access Bundle to save on Resilient & Healthy Spaces Week events.
Join Green Building Alliance and partners for a morning of intensive learning. These “lightning” fast and thought-provoking presentations spotlight topics and exemplary projects that leverage innovation and demonstrate leadership in the design, construction, and ongoing operation of resilient and healthy spaces.
Attendees will also enjoy coffee, breakfast, Q&A session with the speakers, and opportunities for networking.
Designing for Resilience: Empowering Students to Build Sustainable Communities
As communities face increasing environmental, social, and infrastructural challenges, preparing the next generation to think critically about resilience has never been more important. In that context, how can we prepare students to build more resilient communities?
The Student Sustainability Challenge (SSDC) provides an engaging, real-world opportunity for students to explore local sustainability challenges and develop innovative solutions that promote healthier, more resilient spaces.
The Consortium for Public Education will showcase examples of SSDC student-led projects and highlight experiences and accomplishments of participating students engaging in this hands-on program.
Investing in Health Pays Back: The Business Case for Building WELL
While building codes establish the minimum requirements for safety and performance, they don’t necessarily create environments where people can thrive. But what if going beyond compliance is the better business decision? The business case for investing has never been stronger or more persuasive: Strategic investments in health and well-being are imperative for organizations everywhere.
While the benefits of people-centric practices have long been established in public health and building science research, recent studies outline a clear connection between these investments and enhanced business performance, increased asset value and higher financial returns. In this session with Shalini Ramesh (International WELL Building Institute), discover how research-backed strategies strengthen the business case for health investments. Gain insights from case studies that illustrate how prioritizing well-being translates into tangible, long-term benefits.
Building for Health: How LEED Supports Occupant Health in a Changing Climate
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of hazards that directly and indirectly affect individual and community health, safety, and wellbeing. During her talk, Colleen Smith (US Green Building Council) will explore the critical role that buildings play in protecting occupants from chronic and acute hazards including extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and power disruptions and how resilient building design can enhance service reliability to support broader community health outcomes. This talk will also demonstrate how LEED v5 advances occupant health and resilience through a required Climate Resilience Assessment and credits related to healthy indoor environments, green infrastructure, passive survivability, and power resilience.
The Living Asset: Integrating Agriculture and Nature into Commercial Building
What happens when underutilized urban rooftops turn into thriving agricultural ecosystems that grow food, nurture pollinators, engage tenants, and strengthen the case for green investment in the built environment?
In this presentation, Kristof Grina (Up Top Acres) explores how integrating agriculture into commercial and residential buildings creates a living infrastructure layer that delivers measurable returns: improved tenant health and satisfaction, demonstratable real estate value, certified sustainability performance, and urban wildlife habitat where little existed before. Through the lens of projects across the East Coast, attendees will learn how integrating agriculture into the built environment can be a win for ownership, tenants, and the environment.
Crowdsourcing Sidewalk Data with the Safe Sidewalks Crew
The Safe Sidewalks Crew is a new, grassroots volunteer effort to walk every block in Pittsburgh and map the true condition of neighborhood sidewalks. Using a simple mobile survey developed by the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure using ArcGIS, neighbors record data with the goal of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of our sidewalk network.
Volunteers have begun building a powerful, people-centered dataset that doesn’t just sit on a shelf. This initiative helps the City prioritize repairs and new construction, make the case for funding, and shift the conversation from “complaints’ to clear, community-driven evidence.
Seth Bush (Bike PGH) will share how pedestrian advocates and the City are collaborating to launch the Safe Sidewalks Crew, how they have trained over 200 volunteers, lessons learned, and how community engagement strategies from this program can be implemented in other neighborhood construction and design projects.