Washington state is at a pivotal moment in its clean buildings transition. To meet the state's greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2050, the building sector must dramatically scale up efforts to achieve equitable clean building at pace by 2030. Accelerating the pace of change will require a radical shift in the way buildings are built and retrofitted, and how their emissions are accounted for.
SCALE 2030 is a Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) and 2050 Institute project that builds upon our Operation 2030 work. It aims to shift Washington from an approach focused on incremental energy efficiency and emissions reductions to a systemic framework that will enable the rapid market transformation needed to decarbonize buildings in just over 25 years.
The SCALE 2030 framework proposes five strategies for decarbonizing buildings: a shift to focus on building performance, rapid market transformation, increased funding, coordinated planning across the state, and developing clean energy regions through which to implement a clean buildings transition.
SCALE 2030 initiatives include:
Our ongoing SCALE 2030 initiative is a Clean Buildings Transition Roadmap for Washington under the guidance of the SCALE 2030 Advisory Group.
SCALE 2030 Roadmap Advisory Group
- Nick Cusick, Sustainable Connections
- Jonathan Heller, Ecotope
- Rachel Koller, Shift Zero
- Eli Lieberman, Washington Green Bank
- Sandra Mallory, Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment
- Nick Manning, Washington Department of Commerce
- Kerry Meade, Building Potential
- David Reddy, O'Brien 360
- Nicole Sanders, King County Executive Climate Office
- Juliet Sinsterra, Spokane University District
- Caroline Traube, McKinstry
Other resources related to this project include:
- Publication: SCALE 2030 Papers: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment and Transition Framework for Washington
- Presentation: June 4, 2025: SCALE 2030 Webinar
- Presentation: October 3, 2025: SCALE 2030 at the 2025 Green Building Slam
- Deep Dive: Insights from SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment
- Blog: Tackling Building Sector Emissions in Washington
- Blog: CETI and 2050 Institute Release SCALE 2030 Papers
- Blog: Clean Energy Regions: Tailoring Clean Buildings for Every Washington Community
- Blog: The PAR Ecosystem: A Strategy for Scaling Building-Driven Clean Buildings
Check out the resources below for a brief description of the SCALE 2030 project and Scaling Building Decarbonization Key Insights:
Associated Resources
Jeanne presented SCALE 2030 key findings at the 2025 Green Building Slam.
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A coordinated approach focused on building performance in policy, programs, and tracking can support Washington’s energy, equity, and climate goals.
Jeanne Currie and Poppy Storm present an overview of SCALE 2030 to the Bellevue 2030 District.
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A regional approach to clean buildings could be a powerful tool for scaling up Washington’s transition while maximizing positive impact to communities.
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This publication shares key insights from our SCALE 2023: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment for Washington and SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Transition Framework for Washington papers.
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Poppy Storm and Jeanne Currie presented key insights from SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Ecosystem Assessment for Washington and SCALE 2030: Clean Buildings Transition Framework for Washington.
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Two SCALE 2030 papers explore how to strategically accelerate an equitable clean buildings transition in Washington.
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CETI and 2050 Institute release the first two papers of the SCALE 2030 project to accelerate building decarbonization in Washington.
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A sneak-peak of key insights from our SCALE 2030: Clean Buildingss Ecosystem Assessment report, which examines Washington’s current building stock, energy use, and emissions.
Washington state is at a pivotal moment in its building decarbonization journey and needs a roadmap of what the building sector needs to deliver decarbonization at the scale and pace required.
