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Architecture 2030 has a knack for cutting through complexity and clarifying what needs to be done to dramatically reduce emissions from the building sector.

Take the organization's 2030 Challenge. It provides a pathway for the building sector to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. That's no small target: the sector is responsible for close to half of the USA's greenhouse gas footprint. But reform the way buildings consume energy and you open a highway to solving climate. Step one along the 2030 road? A 50% reduction in energy consumption in all new and renovated buildings by the end of 2010. That's a little more than 2 years from now.

Success depends on stronger buildings codes to catch everyone at the point where construction permits are issued. But if you think about all the building codes in every city, county and state that need to be changed, it's a Herculean task. Good luck.

But for Ed Mazria, 2030's founder and director, it's not a matter of luck but precise distillation. All he needed was a three column table with 14 rows to show any building department anywhere how to strengthen its code to hit the target.