Women in Building Performance is Going Viral
Women in Building Performance is making a run for it. With the generous support of several industry organizations and individuals, we've decided that it's time to make this more than just an awesome gathering at HPC's national conference (That is happening too, by the way!) I’m excited to take the opportunity at the conference, and with some generous donations, to continue building the path for more women and diversity in our industry. In my new role at Pearl Certification, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several non-building performance conferences, focused on predominantly HVAC. There are lots of amazing wonderful people in that trade; there are very very very few women. And as we broaden our tent as an industry and look for ways to welcome in more trades, this HVAC problem becomes OUR problem - and we already have that problem!
I’m asking for donations for the reception, and for the Women in Building Performance Initiative. We’ve already raised enough money for 200 drink tickets! With your donation, we’ll be able to dedicate some staff time to building out things like mentorship programs outreach to young women/colleges, and building resources to help companies recruit and keep more qualified women on their payrolls. Mike Rogers raised funds for the scholarship fund, dedicated specifically for women in the industry, and even offered some of his expert consulting to the winners. There was one entry. ONE. I would love to have a robust scholarship fund, but if women aren’t applying to it, we have more work to do! Why is this important? In case you needed the reminder - women make the majority of purchasing decisions in the home. Women in Building Performance has some aggressive goals, which you can find here.
The conference is just an event. I’d like to see us raise enough money to augment the to build out a funded initiative to support women in the industries we support. And yes, there will be some free drinks. I’d love to have your support. You can donate here, and HPC will issue an invoice, as your donation is tax deductible. Many individuals as well as some companies have donated already - please give what you can! (Note that the link goes to the scholarship donation page - There isn't a dedicated link for Women in BP yet)
So far, I know that Mike Rogers has done some amazing outreach to fill the HPC scholarship coffers for scholarships specifically for women in the industry. Pearl Certification, BPI, Elizabeth Chant, Steve Byers (who won’t even be there!), Larry Zarker, and Energy Circle have graciously offered up some cash to offset the costs, and HPC is providing staff support on the day of, and in answering my late afternoon/evening calls and emails to promote this. What can you offer up?
Yes your money will cover drinks. But it will also cover some educational opportunities for women who may not have it. And it will set the ball in motion for us to have real resources dedicated to addressing this need in our industry. If you can’t spare some funds, I know you’ll support this effort by supporting women in the industry.
I look forward to seeing your beautiful shining faces in a few weeks!