“Green Building Break” to Explore Carbon Savings Through Building Reuse

Date Posted: February 17, 2026

Posted In: Environment/Sustainability, Organizations,

As conversations around attainable housing, adaptive reuse, and responsible development continue across the St. Louis region, the next Green Building Break from the The Missouri Gateway Green Building Council offers a practical tool for turning sustainability goals into measurable action.

The Green Building Council will host a free virtual session, “Leveraging Existing Buildings with the CARE Tool,” focused on quantifying the carbon benefits of renovation versus demolition and new construction. The online session will be held Feb. 20 from noon-1PM.

Carbon Evaluation Tool

At the center of the discussion is the CARE (Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator) Tool, a data-driven resource designed to help project teams evaluate the embodied carbon impacts of preserving and upgrading existing structures. In an era when material costs, supply chains, and climate concerns are reshaping development decisions, understanding the carbon implications of reuse has become increasingly important.

The session will be led by James Roseberry, AIA, CDT, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainability at Trivers Associates. Roseberry will walk through real-world applications of the CARE Tool and demonstrate how architects, engineers, developers, and owners can use it to inform early design decisions.

Existing Buildings Can Be Greenest

The premise is straightforward but powerful: often, the greenest building is the one that already exists. By quantifying the carbon avoided through renovation and adaptive reuse, the CARE Tool provides a framework for aligning environmental performance with economic and community priorities.

For professionals engaged in redevelopment, institutional upgrades, or neighborhood revitalization — the session offers insight into how sustainability metrics can support both mission and market realities. As the region balances growth, reinvestment, and resilience, tools that connect data to decision-making are becoming essential.

Free Session

In a development landscape increasingly defined by performance — financial, environmental, and social — understanding the carbon math behind reuse is strategic.

The one-hour Green Building Break is free and held virtually. Participants can register through the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council’s website at:
https://mogreenbuildings.org/event/green-building-break-leveraging-existing-buildings-with-the-care-tool/