Sustainability and human innovation don’t have to go against each other. In fact, the future of our planet depends on the two going hand-in-hand.

This summer, affiliate Dr. Alfie Vick participated in a panel hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Georgia Chapter and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Atlanta Post to discuss resilience. The panel, titled Building a More Resilient Future, centered around resilience in design, construction and operations, and how it affects the state and people of Georgia.

The panel addressed focal areas such as indoor air quality, blue-green infrastructure, equity, and the public sector’s role in building resilience through programs like LEED certification. Government plays an important role in this realm, with the second-highest number of LEED certifications belonging to the public sector. The panel highlighted this role, aiming to demonstrate the positive impact resilience and sustainability have on public spaces.

Dr. Vick, a Georgia Power Professor in Environmental Ethics and Director of the Environmental Ethics Certificate Program, is a licensed landscape architect and LEED Fellow. His work focuses on preserving and enhancing the function of natural systems while effectively and attractively integrating human use. His professional work has included several LEED-certified buildings, including the LEED Platinum headquarters of the Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta.

The panel included two other speakers; Tyesha Giddings, technical project manager at Southface, and Michael Ramos, President at Raymond. Learn more about the event here.

To learn more about how IRIS affiliates are bringing resiliency and sustainability to urban landscapes, explore our research portfolio here.