The USGBC-LA Green Building Corps delivers a structured volunteer engagement program that provides the unemployed and underemployed with valuable experience, relationships, and contributions towards green building projects that benefit the greater Los Angeles region. Green Building Corps participants commit to either a 3, 6, or 12 month term of 5 – 20 hours per week and will receive a certificate of completion at the end of their program experience.
Project Experience
Green Building Corps participants will provide project support for the USGBC-LA Annual Legacy Project, Green Schools microgrant projects, Chapter initiatives, and committees. Additionally, green building projects will be sourced across Architecture, Engineering, and Construction firms as well as sustainability consultants, public agencies, and community partners. The intent is for these projects to provide a public or community benefit, allowing unemployed or underemployed people to gain experience, build relationships, and better position themselves for future employment.
Mentorship
USGBC-LA will match participants with mentors from USGBC-LA’s Mentor Network with a requirement of at least one-hour per month meeting, either in-person or virtual, focused on career development.
Resources
Green Building Corps members will be provided with USGBC-LA memberships at no charge and access to USGBC-LA’s training, recorded content, and events at no cost wherever possible.
Corporate Engagement
Companies can purchase bundles of hours from the Green Building Corps for support on projects, back office work, event support, data entry, and more. All hourly payments will go directly to support the Green Building Corps.
Green Building Corps Members
Ali Karim Lee
Recently moved from Canada to California, Ali is passionate about sustainability and has experience in academic research, sales and customer service. He is LEED AP BD+C and EIT from Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia. He has been volunteer for CaGBC and professional engineering associations in Canada. Ali has a Master of Applied Science in Building Engineering from Concordia University, Montreal. His master’s research was in the field of Energy & Buildings. He holds a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering. In his free time, he enjoys exploring and capturing natural and urban beauties, watching movies and reading books.
Ben Baraga
Ben is a first-year student at Pomona College in Claremont hoping to major in Environmental Analysis and Public Policy. He is still trying to figure out his path in sustainability, but is eager to explore his passions of social working, writing, and researching for a green cause. Growing up in Altadena, California, Ben has always been aware and fearful of the looming threat of wildfires, so one particular interest of his is to research, educate, and inform about proper fire safety and risk management. He hopes to further explore these passions with the Green Building Corps, applying them to different contexts like social action and policy.
Corey Ly
Corey graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minors in Environmental Systems & Society and Geographic Information Systems & Technology. He has an expansive background in research and consulting. Since graduating, he has worked with LA Sanitation and Environment as an Environmental Project Assistant, where he helped increase urban tree canopy, and with Soil/Water/Air Protection Enterprise as an Assistant Environmental Analyst providing CEQA and environmental impact consulting services. He currently works as a Sustainability and ESG Analyst with Third Economy, where he contributes his corporate sustainability research and consulting expertise.
Debbie Solorzano
Debbie received a B.S. in civil engineering at the University of Central Florida and has been working for a planning and design consultant firm for 3 years now. She is passionate about incorporating sustainability in her practice and enforcing principles to help relieve our environmental consequences. She has recently moved from Florida and wants to embrace California’s achievements and steps towards reducing the environmental footprint. She hopes to incorporate the experience and knowledge she learns from this program to her career and help others within her sphere of influence to move into sustainable development and awareness.
Donald (Jay) Skaff
Donald (Jay) Skaff is third year student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering. Other than his
involvement in USGBC-LA, Jay is a chapter board member for the Structural Engineering
Association of California (SEAOC) and is a student ambassador for his university’s College of
Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED). Jay has a passion for carbon-neutral design,
especially mass timber structures, and hopes to help bridge the gap between structural
engineering and sustainable design.
Emma Kurihara
Emma works as a sustainability consultant in the new construction industry, with a focus on affordable multi-family housing. She attended Brown University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Development Studies. During this time, she also spent a semester studying Sustainable Development in Denmark, where she was impressed with the country's adoption of environmental practices and technologies. Raised in Los Angeles, Emma is excited to learn more about LA's environmental policy landscape, particularly as it relates to healthy and affordable housing.
Erika Martin
Erika Martin is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) and Environmental Program Developer. She earned an MBA in Energy and Sustainability and a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. Her passion for weather, climate and the state of the environment grew as she covered more and more severe weather outbreaks including several tropical storms and hurricanes. She credits her wall-to-wall coverage of Super Storm Sandy as the reason she decided to switch gears from a graduate degree in Operational Meteorology to one in Sustainability.
During grad school, she began designing environmental programs and initiatives for clients who were pivoting towards ESG trends, while working as a full-time Meteorologist.
The health of the planet is very important to Erika and she enjoys sharing various strategies towards a more sustainable future.
Erika is a Skywarn Storm Spotter, Weather Ready Nation Ambassador, and has earned the distinction of the American Meteorological Society’s Seal of Approval (CBM). She co-founded a company which has developed an ecological footprint platform which she hopes will serve as a means to a healthier environment.
Henry Brehman
An avid food lover, Hank has worked in catering and restaurants for 7 years and has an aching to do more to combat food apartheid and reduce food waste. With a renewed sense of purpose, he recently earned the Recycling and Resource Management and the Sustainable Systems and Technologies certificates from Santa Monica College. This fall, he hopes to pursue an undergraduate degree in earth and soil science and minor in Indigenous studies in resource management, pending admissions decisions.
Jane Richards
Jane Richards has been a passionate advocate for sustainability for many years, showcased by her environmental blog Green Eatz. She has been involved in environmental activism for over a decade, starting with her support for the Carbon Tax in Australia in 2011.
After moving to California, Jane volunteered as an ambassador for the non-profit Cleantech Open, a startup accelerator for cleantech entrepreneurs. There, she mentored in sustainability and pitch techniques, organized tours and clinics, and recruited and interviewed startups. She also worked as an administrator at Sustainable San Mateo County, an advocacy group for sustainable living. In 2017, Jane graduated with distinction with a Sustainability Certificate from UCLA Extension, specializing in Green Buildings and Renewable Energy.
At USGBC-LA, Jane is hoping to become a stronger advocate for sustainable personal and community living, as well as gain in-depth knowledge of 'greening' the built environment.
Jane Roschen
Raised as a climate activist in LA, Jane Roschen has worked on the editorial team for LA City’s Resilient Los Angeles, managed an energy resilience initiative for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in DC (U.S. DOE), and supported the recycling and water policy effort at State Senator Ben Allen’s office. Jane’s grade school fostered stewardship at a local level, where she embraced sustainable practices like composting, urban gardening and upcycling. She amplified her own green community experiences as an Eco-Rep at George Washington University, where she rallied GW students to advocate for climate policy through civic engagement and led competitions amongst residence halls to conserve water and energy. While studying abroad, Jane brought sustainability awareness to a health intervention project in Northern Thailand. She currently serves as a Science, Technology and Policy Fellow for the State Energy Program at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she provides support to states, tribes, territories and local governments to fund energy efficiency projects on a broad scale. She is excited to join the inaugural Green Building Corp to meet professionals working in sustainability to build her network of committed specialists and experts. Wanting to push a clean-energy agenda with a community focus, she is eager to gain hands-on advocacy experience, so that one day she may be in a leadership role for global environmental protection policy.
Lloyd Becca
Lloyd Becca from St Andrew Jamaica, a child of the islands, is used to seeing nature at its best. As a child, he spent a lot of days wading in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea on the west end of the island. Over time, he saw a lot of changes take place to the ecology of Jamaica’s beaches, which encouraged him to learn more about nature and ecology. He started his journey by starting a company called Jamsol Energy Ltd. As the company grew, it inspired him to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies. He aims to merge the disciplines of agriculture (aquaponics and permaculture) with energy efficiency to further reduce the footprint our food supply has on this marble in space.
Melissa Lopez
Melissa is studying Environmental Science at Brown University and she is motivated to use applied research skills to improve sustainability in urban spaces. As an intern for Brown's Office of Sustainability, she has led green tours and runs donation drives to divert waste from landfills. Melissa is from Los Angeles, where she grew up understanding the importance of hydrology and green spaces in populated cities. As a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar, she has been able to conduct field research and GIS analysis. In the future, Melissa hopes to bring her interdisciplinary knowledge into the field of sustainable design.
Michael Zurita
Michael Zurita, a Los Angeles native, is currently employed as an equipment operator ranging from Class 8 vehicles to heavy construction equipment. Michael attended San Jose State University where he earned his degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Energy Policy and Green Building. Along with his deep passion for a sustainable future, Michael has extensive knowledge in green building design, sustainable development, renewable energies, environmental issues, and solutions. Open to new connections and opportunities, Michael has a diverse professional background that ranges though hospitality, construction, film, sales, transportation, and logistics. In his free time, he enjoys biking around Los Angeles, swimming, learning to dance, and playing basketball.
Safa Bari
Safa is an alumni from the University of California, Riverside with a B.S. in Sustainability Studies. She is eager to apply her knowledge of sustainability towards green building, renewable energy, and environmental issues. Safa is focusing on conducting research grants, letter of inquiries, and implementation of renewable energy practices as a consultant at Seed Consulting Group. Through the opportunities of the Green Building Corps, she is looking to use her experience as a means to broaden her knowledge, contribute to green projects, and form connections with top professionals in the field. Safa is looking to pursue a career in sustainability consulting, with the intent of taking action towards a more healthier and sustainable future. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, taking pictures, and discovering new foods to try.
Tamsyn Hunnewell
Tamsyn is a LEED AP, WELL AP and TRUE Advisor with over ten years of experience in environmental consulting and sustainable resource management. Areas of particular interest include the relationships between the built environment and natural systems. Tamsyn is dedicated to working creatively with others to solve urban development challenges with focus on the environment, human health and wellbeing of communities. She holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University.
Victoria Dam
Vicky is currently a double master's student at USC (M.Arch, M.Building Science) where she is building on her undergraduate philosophy of creating sustainable buildings and high-performance built environments using research-based design. She has varied work experience, having previously interned at her local city Public Works, design-build architecture firms, and construction management/general contractors. With a keen interest in multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary relationships, she has taken many electives in urban planning, real estate development, building materials research, and social equity. Outside of school, she is currently learning how to generate meaningful data analytics using project metrics/design performance, and studying for her LEED AP and WELL AP. She also holds a BA Arch from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Quantic. A Los Angeles native, she is excited about the opportunity to learn more about different aspects of sustainability and seeing how all these pieces lead to sustainable and healthier built environments.
Yasmine Rajkarnicar
Yasmine Rajkarnicar is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management. During her time as an undergrad, Yasmine was an active member of UMN Freedom by Design and was an intern at the The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation in New York City, where she examined the current state of projects built by the late architect Paul Rudolph and provided strategic insights to a team of senior architects. Yasmine plans on pursuing a Master's Degree in Urban Planning with an emphasis on sustainability. Yasmine is currently keeping herself occupied, volunteering for a non-profit organization called Ayiti Now Corp where she is managing projects on building affordable shelters and schools for children in Haiti. Yasmine is excited to join Green Building Corps to explore her interest further, while also getting the chance to help local communities in need of greener spaces.
