"Citizen-architect" Angie Brooks (FAIA) joins the podcast to discuss the importance of beauty and equity in our pursuit of sustainability. She recounts the high honor of receiving an award from Michelle Obama, talks about gender diversity in architecture, and explains why we need federal leadership here in the US to create a smartgrid rather than the "stupidgrid" we have today! Episode Sponsor: www.sustainablehomesofthefuture.comContact Host: [email protected] Angela Brooks, FAIA, LEED AP, BD+C, ENV SPPrincipal, Brooks + ScarpaAngela Brooks is a recognized leader in the field of environmental and social-equity design and is responsible for firm development in the area of housing and policy, leading the firm’s sustainable initiatives and overall design staff management.Angela believes that it is not enough to create great buildings and has worked to create complete neighborhoods- she co-founded a non-profit called Livable Places to promote good policy, density and livable communities, lectures extensively on these topics and was 2018 Chair of the National AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), developing programs and advocating for policy changes at the Federal level-promoting design that achieves high levels of performance.Ms. Brook’s firm BROOKS + SCARPA has received over fifty major design awards including five AIA COTE “Top Ten Green Building” Awards. In 2009 Ms. Brooks received the National American Institute of Architects Young Architects Award. In 2010, Angela’s firm was awarded the National and State Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects and she received the USA Network “Character Approved” Award for her innovative work in the field of architecture. In 2014, her firm was awarded the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture.Show Notes:DSIRE (Database for State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency) - www.dsireusa.org NEST Toolkit - https://brooksscarpa.com/the-nest-toolkit