Alice Sung

Alice Sung is the Founding Principal of Greenbank Associates, a green building and sustainability consultancy dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and maximizing climate change impact through the building/energy sector. Through her work, Alice realized that completing one new green building project at a time was insufficient for meaningful climate action. Working as a change agent, Alice is passionate about transitioning new and existing public portfolios, especially pre-K-12 schools, to zero net energy/water, and now zero-carbon, across California’s 1000+ public school districts. Eliminating fossil fuel dependence in schools lies at the intersection of health, youth educational outcomes, equity and climate justice, community resilience, and the future we want. Alice advocates for decarbonizing buildings, creating zero-carbon K-12 public school districts, and providing access to educational tools to support healthier learning environments, while shifting fossil-fuel utility operating dollars to educational programs, at a higher systems level. Her current goal is to explore best leverage points, state policy, strategic planning, financing, program design, organizational structure(s), and partnerships needed to make real-world GHG reductions to reach global climate goals of below 1.5º C. by 2030, beginning with our public schools.  

Practicing as a licensed architect in the California Bay Area, with over 25 years of experience, Alice has facilitated the greening of dozens of public, private, and educational facilities, including LEED Certified buildings and CHPS Verified schools. She has trained with The Climate Reality Project to help spread awareness of the urgent global climate crisis, educate and mentor youth climate activists. She served as a contributing author to the Water Reuse Practice Guide and is currently contributing to another online e-book, the Building Decarbonization Practice Guide, both aimed at zero carbon footprints in the built environment. The New Buildings Institute awarded her the “Zero Net Energy Leadership, Individual Award,” in conjunction with the Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit in 2018.