About us

Urban Green Council is a nonprofit dedicated to decarbonizing buildings for healthy and resilient communities.

Climate change is the critical issue facing the world today. We focus on efforts to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, which in New York City consume 95 percent of electricity, use 80 percent of water, and account for more than two-thirds of total carbon emissions.

Established in 2002, we are funded by contributions from foundations, members and corporate sponsors. Our in-house experts and a dedicated network of volunteers are helping to transform the built environment in New York City with models that can be replicated in urban centers worldwide.

Education is one of the key ways we advance our mission. We train people who design, construct and operate buildings locally and nationally. Urban Green has trained over 50,000 building professionals on the latest developments and best practices for designing, building and maintaining sustainable buildings.

This Education Portal is an online platform you can use to view Urban Green’s on-demand courses. Urban Green regularly adds new, cutting edge content on topics such as NYC’s Local Law 97, construction waste management, energy code inspections, systems commissioning and more.

Ellen Honigstock

Senior Director

Becca Elzinga

Manager, Education Development

Colleen Burns

Associate Manager

Lauren Casella

Associate, Outreach & Delivery

John Oliva

Associate, Education

These courses are part of Urban Green's comprehensive educational offerings. Beyond this platform, you can find:

• Live public events with industry experts discussing the latest in building decarbonization
• New York City and State energy code training
• Green Professional (GPRO) training with a certificate exam for contractors and tradespeople
• Recordings of recent events and podcast episodes in our resource library

Subscribe to Urban Green’s weekly newsletter for latest news and updates.

Organizational Values

• Excellence: We strive for innovative high-quality programs and ideas.
• Inclusion: The diverse voices and backgrounds of our employees, Board of Directors, members and partners make us stronger.
• Collaboration: We believe consensus delivers better solutions and teamwork is essential to our success.
• Engagement: We promote a culture of performance, participation and curiosity.

Learn more about us on our website