ASHRAE Journal - August 2023 - 24

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
We have accepted this challenge.
Personally, the more I read and understand about
the climate crisis, the more I feel compelled to change
the way I think about my impact on the world in order
to leave it in the best shape for my kids and my future
grandkids. We've come a long way in technology development
since the days of my explosive Pinto Pony.
Everyone can help limit climate change. From the way
WAYS TO EDUCATE yourself include attending ASHRAE Learning
Institute courses, downloading building decarbonization guidance and
participating in standards development committees.
in the process of researching and understanding our
Society's carbon footprint with the goal of reducing our
own impact on climate change. As part of this effort, we
will also be providing developing guidance to ASHRAE
chapters so they can work to understand, improve and
reduce their carbon footprint.
Also, as approved by the Board of Directors at the 2023
Annual Conference, we are proud to announce a new
Decarbonization Challenge Fund for our Chapters and
Regions. The intent of this program is to provide funds
to encourage and demonstrate building decarbonization
at the Chapter level, which will be fi nancially supported
by the Society. This is a grant program, which will be
championed by our Young Engineers in ASHRAE (YEA)
committee for this Society year. Applicants will submit
proposals through a web-based portal hosted by the
Society website. The proposals will be reviewed by the
YEA committee, and grants will be awarded as the funds
allow. The maximum individual grant award will be
$10,000.
More information will be forthcoming as this
Challenge is developed.
Decarbonizing the built environment will require an
incredibly broad array of actions, and applicants are
encouraged to think creatively about their submissions,
collaborate with local engineering and community organizations,
and engage industry partners to maximize
their impact and visibility of their efforts.
Awardees will be invited to receive their grants in person
at the ASHRAE Winter Conference and discuss their
efforts at the next Annual Conference in Indianapolis.
So, we've come full circle. It's our time to act.
We did it in the '70s, and we will do it today.
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we travel to the electricity we use and the food we eat, we
can make a difference.
As ASHRAE Presidential Member Farooq Mehboob
most recently reminded us, we need to arm ourselves
with the knowledge that comes from seeking important,
accurate and relevant information about our industry
and the world around us in our journey toward
" Securing Our Future " for generations to come.
Now, here's a collective challenge for everyone.
Educate yourself on the topics and initiatives that we
highlighted and accept the challenge of passing your
knowledge along to others-to your colleagues, to other
industry professionals and to those in your community.
You can accept this challenge by:
* Increasing your knowledge through attending
an ASHRAE Learning Institute course, downloading
guidance from the building decarbonization resources
page or by attending the Decarbonization Conference in
the fall.
* Participate in a standards development committee.
* Learning from others that are further along on their
journey of understanding than you are and being an
advocate for change.
Pick one-or more-and take action.
The more I learn, the more I realize what a daunting
task it is to understand all the concepts, the research,
the endless data and the countless viewpoints on how
best to address the climate crisis. I challenge you to
rely on ASHRAE's more than 125 years of research and
dedication to the built environment. I challenge you
to be a part of fi nding new solutions through your
participation.
ASHRAE has accepted the challenge of our time-and
we need you to join us.
Let's learn as much as we can and implement what we
learn.
Let's build a better world for ourselves, our children
and for generations to come.
I've accepted the challenge, and I hope you'll join me.
https://ashrae.org/
ASHRAE Journal - August 2023

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