On February 24th, 2016, USGBC’s Arizona Chapter will hold its fourth annual Heavy Medals Banquet at the City of Phoenix Civic Plaza from 11:00 to 1:00 pm. The purpose of this Awards Luncheon is to acknowledge the owners and their supporting team for their extra effort to accomplish LEED® certification for their buildings. This in turn enables an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy and prosperous environment that improves quality of life for not only the building’s inhabitants, but also for the community.
Dr. Jim Hansen, an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and former Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, will be featured as the guest speaker. Jim has researched climate science since the 1970s and is regarded as the father of global awareness of climate change and a leading climate activist. Dr. Hansen is best known for his landmark congressional testimony on climate change that raised awareness of global warming. He is a National Academy of Sciences member and was one of Time Magazine’s “100 most influential people on Earth” in 2006. He has received numerous awards including the Sophie and Blue Planet Prizes. Dr. Hansen is recognized for speaking truth to power and for outlining actions needed to protect the future of young people and all species on the planet.