A Conversation with Deb Kleinman, New Colorado USGBC Executive Director

Colorado Construction magazine interviewed Deb Kleinman, the newly appointed executive director of USGBC Colorado, as of Sept. 17, about green building and the LEED-certification program.

Colorado Construction Magazine: How did you become involved with the USGBC?

Deb Kleinman: My earliest interaction with USGBC was in Cleveland, where I lived for a couple of years. Before I found a permanent job there, I did short-term project work for a couple of local nonprofits, including the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. At that time, the CGBC was in the middle of a huge green renovation of a historic building in the city's inner core, which would ultimately house a number of area nonprofits at sub-market rents. My job was to photograph the progress of the building site and create Web-based updates on what was happening.

My background and expertise really is in several areas. Before joining the USGBC Colorado Chapter, I owned a one-woman consulting business called Kleinman & Associates, which served state and local government agencies and private nonprofit organizations. I am drawn toward work that I can imagine looking back on at the age of 80 or 90 and saying, ‘I’m proud of that and because I was involved with it, I helped make the world a better place.’

CCM: What’s planned for the chapter in the upcoming year?

DK: We would like to find a way to better represent Colorado, both locally and nationally, and one of the ways we’ve decided to do that is to diversify the organization geographically. Recently, we have been focused mostly on the Front Range particularly the northern Front Range. We need to respond to the interest and demand by partnering with more communities across the state.

CCM: Why is the USGBC important for the industry?

DK: What I hope people are seeing from our organization is a good source for education and advocacy for the changing market, an organization that helps to educate practitioners and gives them the foundation to create a network of LEED-accredited professionals. We give consumers the information they need to have conversations with industry leaders about what they expect when it comes to sustainable building.

CCM: Is green building a fad, or a trend that you see evolving into a standard?

DK: Rabbi Hilel said each generation has its own issues and its own crisises it needs to address. I think where we stand now, with a focus on climate change and unchecked growth, is that green building may not be the solution but it’s a critical step in addressing the issues affecting today’s generation.

What I hope will happen is that green building will become a mainstream standard. I think that people are hungry for a strategy and a tool they can apply to make changes, and green building is meeting those immediate desires.

CCM: What is the importance of sustainability to design and construction and how can the industry do a better job of building sustainable projects?

DK: The industry needs to focus on taking a project in its full contextual form and putting it in a broader context. It all comes down to the triple-bottom line how will the project affect the economy, environment and social outcomes of the community it serves? With a focus on the well-being of people, we will start to raise the bar for everyone.

CCM: What improvements or changes are needed for LEED?

DK: What is amazing about LEED is that like any system, it has its weaknesses, but what I love about it is how it has evolved over the years. It’s a testament to the wisdom of crowds, the more input we receive from people, the better the standards become. It is like an open-source software project evolving over time. There will always be room for improvement, but that room will just make it a stronger project.

CCM: What do you want people to know about you?

DK: I’m very excited to help transform the building environment in Colorado and work with a fantastic network of dedicated professionals here and around the country. I’m at a place in my life where I want to, pardon the pun, work on something more concrete, and more creative than what I had been doing. The opportunity at USGBC Colorado was the right one at the right time, and meets both of those needs and more.

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