Nearly 20 AIA Pennsylvania members and staff participated in the AIA Grassroots Virtual Hill Day. AIA Pennsylvania Executive Director, Stephen Swarney and Director of Legislative Affairs, Amal Mahrouki, held a pre-planning meeting with members to coordinate and strategize on the direction and messaging for the virtual congressional meetings.
AIA Pennsylvania member advocates and staff joined more than 600 AIA members from across the country who attended upwards of 300 virtual meetings with congressional staff and legislators. Architects called on Congress to ensure that any upcoming infrastructure package includes $300 billion over five years for green infrastructure.
Additionally, AIA is urging Congress to prioritize grant applications that use existing buildings and low-carbon materials or follow the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2021 Zero Code Renewable Energy Appendix for new construction. ZERO Code requires that new commercial, institutional, and mid-to high-rise residential buildings generate or procure as much renewable energy as they use. Adoption of the Zero Code would raise the bar for new construction at this critical inflection point in the fight against climate change.
Overall, robust infrastructure investment will stimulate the economy, create jobs, and boost consumer confidence, which is necessary to spur an economic recovery. For more information and resources to take action on climate change and environmental injustice, visit Blueprint for Better. For a recap of the day, visit Architect – The Journal of the American Insitute of Architects.
Meet the member advocates that participated in the meetings.
- Monica Blasko, AIA | Past Young Architect Regional Director, AIA Pennsylvania
- Scott Compton, AIA | Government Affairs Co-Chair, AIA Pennsylvania
- Jeff Goldstein, FAIA | President-Elect, AIA Philadelphia
- David Hincher, AIA | COTE Co-Chair, AIA Philadelphia
- Anastasia Markiw, AIA | Young Architect Regional Director, AIA Pennsylvania
- Andrew Mitchell, Assoc. AIA | Associate Director, AIA Eastern PA
- Marc Mondor, AIA | Immediate Past President, AIA Pennsylvania
- Jeffrey Pastva, AIA | President, AIA Pennsylvania
- John Ryan, AIA | Second Vice President, AIA Pittsburgh
- Mairi Schuler, AIA | President, AIA Bucks County
- Brian Smiley, AIA | COTE Chair, AIA Pennsylvania & Director of Sustainability + Preservation, AIA Philadelphia
- Kyle Solyak, AIA | Board Member, AIA Pennsylvania
- Bunny Tucker, AIA | COTE Co-Chair, AIA Philadelphia