Overview
Held on April 24th, 2025 at the JLL Think Tank in Chicago, IL, forty-five public and private industry leaders convened for the AEG Chicago Stakeholder Challenge: Building Decarbonization + Energy Efficiency. The purpose of this challenge was to: 1.) Agree on a critical obstacle preventing achievement of Chicago’s climate, health and equity goals; 2.) Align on a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to best address this obstacle; and 3.) Enable stakeholders to create a volunteer Task Force accountable for delivering the agreed solution.
Lindy Wordlaw, Director of Climate and Environmental Justice Initiatives at the City of Chicago provided opening remarks to frame the discussion surrounding building decarbonization and energy efficiency for Greater Chicago. Lindy outlined the disproportionate impacts of energy inefficiency on low-income communities and people of color in Chicago, stressing the need for equity-centered climate solutions that address energy insecurity and health disparities
Opening Remarks were followed by the Speaker Challenge, where each speaker provided an 8 minute and 5 slide presentation that concluded with this completed statement: "Regarding Building Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency, to achieve Greater Chicago's climate, health & equity goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is…”
Asad Jan from JLL emphasized the importance of incorporating BPS into policy at both the municipal and state levels, advocating for a comprehensive approach to financing and implementing energy-efficient upgrades. Andy Mitchell from the University of Illinois Chicago addressed the challenge of prioritizing energy efficiency in academic buildings, emphasizing the need for expedited processes and dedicated funding to reduce energy use and emissions. Jack Jordan of Climate Action Evanston highlighted the importance of community-driven solutions and collaboration for implementing Building Performance Standards (BPS) in Evanston to meet climate goals.
Inspired by the statement provided by Jack Jordan, Executive Director, Climate Action Evanston participants agreed to prioritize the following obstacle:
“Regarding Building Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency, to achieve Greater Chicago's climate, health & equity goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is the lack of a stakeholder informed and supported replicable Success Scoreboard with health, wealth and emissions metrics to accelerate Building Performance Standards.”
Participants designed, presented, and selected a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to overcome the above critical obstacle. 18 leaders came together to form a Task Force to complete the above 90-day sprint and 12-month objective.
Task Force Volunteers: Jack Jordan (Climate Action Evanston), Kate Agasie (Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability), Walid Guerfali (ICF), Jordan Loader (JLL), Keely Hughes (The JPI Group), Catherine Hurley (WSP), Oliver Baumann (Baumann Consulting), Taila Howe (Bubbly Dynamics), Sarah Bortt (Clean Energy Leadership Institute), Sherelle Wither ( Innovation Metropolis SMART Tech District), Rimjhim Agrawa (Illinois Green Alliance), Ryan Wilmington (Illinois Green Alliance), Nalin Bhatt (University of Chicago), Mark Bufor ( Intentrify Equity Collaborative), Maria Monroy (The Carbon League), Michael Thuis (The Carbon League), Liana Zogbi, Gerald Williams (Intentrify Equity Collaborative)
5 Key Themes
1. Creating Local Success Stories Through Collaboration
Achieving equitable decarbonization requires robust stakeholder collaboration to create local success stories that address health, wealth, and carbon emissions. Leveraging partnerships across sectors can drive scalable solutions in building performance standards (BPS).
"Leveraging robust stakeholder collaboration to create a local success story for building performance standards in Evanston across the key metrics of health, wealth, and carbon emissions." – Jack Jordan (Climate Action Evanston)
2. Expedited Processes for Energy Efficiency Projects
One of the biggest obstacles is the slow pace of energy efficiency projects, especially in state-run academic institutions. Streamlining project approval processes and ensuring dedicated funding will help meet decarbonization targets.
"A critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is creating an expedited process for energy efficiency projects in state academic buildings." – Andy Mitchell (UIC)
3. Incorporating Building Performance Standards at Policy Level
For effective decarbonization, it is essential to incorporate Building Performance Standards (BPS) into policy at the municipal and state levels. This will provide clear mandates for energy efficiency and carbon reductions in buildings, while also setting measurable goals.
"A critical obstacle to overcome in the next 12 months is the incorporation of Building Performance Standards at the policy level." – Asad Jan (JLL)
4. Addressing Affordability and Energy Insecurity
Energy inefficiency disproportionately affects low-income and marginalized communities, exacerbating energy insecurity. Equitable solutions need to ensure that energy efficiency upgrades are affordable, especially for vulnerable populations.
"20% of Chicagoans cannot afford their natural gas bills, and energy inefficiency worsens this crisis." – Lindy Wordlaw (City of Chicago)
5. Equitable Financing and Support for Energy Retrofits
Achieving equitable decarbonization requires addressing the upfront costs of energy-efficient retrofits. Financial solutions like incentives, rebates, and targeted funding for low-income households can help overcome financial barriers.
"We need to develop financial solutions and explore avenues for implementing energy-efficient upgrades, particularly in existing buildings." – Asad Jan (JLL)
Conclusion
The AEG Chicago 25Q2 Stakeholder Challenge on Building Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency brought together key community leaders, sustainability experts, and policymakers to address barriers to achieving equitable building decarbonization in the region. The challenge focused on the importance of community-driven collaboration, creating policies that incentivize energy efficiency upgrades, and addressing affordability and energy insecurity in underserved areas. Key themes included fostering robust stakeholder partnerships to drive local success stories, accelerating energy efficiency projects in academic institutions, integrating Building Performance Standards (BPS) at the policy level, and ensuring equitable access to clean energy solutions. As volunteer leaders move forward with their 90-day sprint and a 12-month objective, their collective efforts will be critical in advancing a sustainable, equitable, and resilient built environment for Greater Chicago.
For the list of participating stakeholders who aligned on this critical obstacle and developed this 12 month goal and 90 day sprint, please visit here.
Other proposed 90-Day Sprints and 12-Month Obstacles and Objectives included:
