Dana Bourland's guest appearances

Dana Bourland

Town Hall Seattle Science Series

Design the Future

Green in Action

David Allen

Lawrence Weschler

David Eagleman

Michael Pollan

Jane McGonigal

Emma Marris

Anne Biklé

David Sinclair

Paul Hawken

Bill Schutt

Charles Fishman

Jonathan Safran Foer

Temple Grandin

Raj Patel

Maryn McKenna

OwlTail

In this episode of the Green in Action podcast, host Kimberly Vermeer speaks with Dana Bourland, Enterprise Community Partners alum, founder of the JPB Foundation Environment program, and fellow Island Press author. Kim and Dana get personal about their motivations to push for healthy and equitable housing and discuss what that looks like on a community scale. They dive into the lessons from Dana’s new book, Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises. Listen in for a timely conversation about the fundamental shift in approach needed to address the housing and climate crises – from interdisciplinary thinking, bold national measures, to a strong commitment to racial and social equity. Learn more at the show notes on our website, urbanhabitatinitiatives.com

In this episode of the Green in Action podcast, host Kimberly Vermeer speaks with Dana Bourland, Enterprise Community Partners alum, founder of the JPB Foundation Environment program, and fellow Island Press author. Kim and Dana get personal about their motivations to push for healthy and equitable housing and discuss what that looks like on a community scale. They dive into the lessons from Dana’s new book, Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises. Listen in for a timely conversation about the fundamental shift in approach needed to address the housing and climate crises – from interdisciplinary thinking, bold national measures, to a strong commitment to racial and social equity. Learn more at the show notes on our website, <a href="http://urbanhabitatinitiatives.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">urbanhabitatinitiatives.com</a>

Moving Beyond Green Buildings with Dana Bourland

Dana Bourland is committed to solving our housing and climate crises in ways that advance justice. Dana led the creation of the environment program at The JPB Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the US. Before that, she helped create the Green Communities program (at Enterprise Community Partners), a set of criteria now required by 27 states.Dana is also the author of a new book, Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises, published this year by Island Press. Dana conceived it as a thank you to the imaginative, committed people working in affordable housing, but the call to action is clear, and it is for us all. “Mainstream America doesn’t know what’s going on in affordable housing on the green building and equity front,” Dana says. “It is within our grasp to fundamentally change the course of human history -- if we address these two crises together. We can provide housing at the rate and scale we need and address climate action.” We can do this, she says, if we all show up in a way that is accountable to communities who have never gotten the resources that they deserve.

Dana Bourland is committed to solving our housing and climate crises in ways that advance justice. Dana led the creation of the environment program at The JPB Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the US. Before that, she helped create the Green Communities program (at Enterprise Community Partners), a set of criteria now required by 27 states.Dana is also the author of a new book, Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crises, published this year by Island Press. Dana conceived it as a thank you to the imaginative, committed people working in affordable housing, but the call to action is clear, and it is for us all. “Mainstream America doesn’t know what’s going on in affordable housing on the green building and equity front,” Dana says. “It is within our grasp to fundamentally change the course of human history -- if we address these two crises together. We can provide housing at the rate and scale we need and address climate action.” We can do this, she says, if we all show up in a way that is accountable to communities who have never gotten the resources that they deserve.

Dana Bourland on affordable housing advancing justice

Clayton Aldern

American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. Our housing is not only unhealthy for the planet, green affordable housing expert Dana Bourland believes, but is also putting the physical and financial health of residents at risk, with full time minimum wage workers unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment in any US county. She argued that we need to move away from a so-called gray housing model to a green model, and she joined us to introduce a primer on what that would look like.  In conversation with Grist’s Clayton Aldern, Bourland endeavored to demonstrate that we do not have to choose between protecting our planet and providing affordable housing to all. Supported by her book Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crisis, she drew from her experience leading the Green Communities Program with a national development organization. With examples from green living communities across the country, she layed out the problems that green housing solves, the challenges in the approach, and recommendations for the future of green affordable housing. Don’t miss this exhilarating discussion that will empower and inspire anyone interested in the future of housing and our planet. Dana Bourland (she/her/hers) works at the intersection of issues related to health, poverty and the environment. She led the creation of the Environment Program at The JPB Foundation. Formerly, Bourland was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, where she oversaw all aspects of Enterprise’s award-winning Green Communities program including the creation of the Green Communities Criteria and Enterprise’s Multifamily Retrofit Program. She is featured in and has contributed to numerous publications including the book Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy; Greening Our Built World: Costs, Benefits, and Strategies; Women in Green; Growing Greener Cities; Becoming an Urban Planner, and is included as faculty in Fast Company’s 30-second MBA program. Clayton Aldern is a data reporter at Grist. A Rhodes scholar and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, his writing and data visualization have appeared in The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, Vox, and many other publications. Previously, he led the data analysis and program evaluation team for homelessness programs at Pierce County, Washington. Aldern is also a research affiliate of the University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, and with Gregg Colburn, he is the author of the forthcoming book Homelessness is a Housing Problem. Buy the Book: https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9781642831283  Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Grist. 

American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy. Our housing is not only unhealthy for the planet, green affordable housing expert Dana Bourland believes, but is also putting the physical and financial health of residents at risk, with full time minimum wage workers unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment in any US county. She argued that we need to move away from a so-called gray housing model to a green model, and she joined us to introduce a primer on what that would look like. <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/event/dana-bourland-with-clayton-aldern-livestream/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> In conversation with Grist’s Clayton Aldern</a>, Bourland endeavored to demonstrate that we do not have to choose between protecting our planet and providing affordable housing to all. Supported by her book <a href="https://islandpress.org/books/gray-green-communities" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gray to Green Communities: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crisis</a>, she drew from her experience leading the Green Communities Program with a national development organization. With examples from green living communities across the country, she layed out the problems that green housing solves, the challenges in the approach, and recommendations for the future of green affordable housing. Don’t miss this exhilarating discussion that will empower and inspire anyone interested in the future of housing and our planet. Dana Bourland (she/her/hers) works at the intersection of issues related to health, poverty and the environment. She led the creation of the Environment Program at The JPB Foundation. Formerly, Bourland was Vice President of Green Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, where she oversaw all aspects of Enterprise’s award-winning Green Communities program including the creation of the Green Communities Criteria and Enterprise’s Multifamily Retrofit Program. She is featured in and has contributed to numerous publications including the book Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy; Greening Our Built World: Costs, Benefits, and Strategies; Women in Green; Growing Greener Cities; Becoming an Urban Planner, and is included as faculty in Fast Company’s 30-second MBA program. Clayton Aldern is a data reporter at Grist. A Rhodes scholar and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, his writing and data visualization have appeared in The Atlantic, The Economist, The Guardian, Vox, and many other publications. Previously, he led the data analysis and program evaluation team for homelessness programs at Pierce County, Washington. Aldern is also a research affiliate of the University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, and with Gregg Colburn, he is the author of the forthcoming book Homelessness is a Housing Problem. Buy the Book: <a href="https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9781642831283" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9781642831283</a> Presented by <a href="https://townhallseattle.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Town Hall Seattle</a> and <a href="https://grist.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grist</a>.

140. Dana Bourland with Clayton Aldern: A Call to Action on the Housing and Climate Crisis