Drew Shula is a social entrepreneur and environmentalist. He is Founder & CEO of Verdical Group, a nationally leading sustainability consulting firm specializing in green building certifications, engineering services, ESG, net zero strategy, and events. Verdical Group is a high-scoring certified B Corporation and 1% for the Planet member company working on some of the highest profile green building projects in the world with visionary institutions like NASA, Google, Johnson & Johnson, LAX, Meta, and Apple. Under his leadership, Verdical Group was named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies in 2025, a 1% for the Planet Summit Award nominee in 2024, won a Real Leaders Impact Award in 2023, and was a Finalist for Small Business of the Year from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC in 2022. He is also founder of the world’s largest annual net zero event — the Net Zero Conference and Trailblazer Awards.

Shula was just the sixth person ever to be honored as both a LEED Fellow and Living Future Hero. He frequently speaks about the building industry’s impact on the climate crisis and net zero building design. He has been featured as a speaker at high-profile events such as the Greenbuild International Conference, Metropolis Magazine DesignTV, Living Future unConference, the Coachella Music Festival speaker series, Cornell University, and the AIA 1.5 Degrees Celsius Symposium on Climate Change. Drew is a past or current member of several Advisory Boards, including USGBC-CA, Woodbury University School of Architecture, the Living Future LA Collaborative (where he was a member of the Founding Steering Committee), and Environmental Charter High School. Drew has been featured or published in USA Today, The Washington Post, Forbes, Metropolis Magazine, USGBC+ Magazine, and Architectural Record Magazine. He holds a 5-year professional degree in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame.

In today’s Q&A, Drew highlights the timeliness of this year’s 12th annual Net Zero Conference taking place on October 1 in Los Angeles and what motivates his team to move forward.

Could you tell us more about how your business and focus on the Net Zero initiative originally started?

Verdical Group launched the Net Zero Conference simply as an educational event to help the green building community learn more about net zero design. Twelve years ago, this was a somewhat novel concept that even many leaders in the industry were not familiar with. It was one of our first events (hosted just prior to launching the event production branch of our company), and we figured a handful of people would show up to learn about decarbonization initiatives and sustainable design strategies. When several hundred sustainability professionals, we knew we had something great – that this was a movement with a lot of excitement around it. From there, we decided to make the Net Zero Conference a recurring event. It has since broadened beyond the building industry to include content on Biomimicry, Biophilia, Built Environment, Design, Energy, Health & Wellness, Materials, Technology, Transportation, Urbanism, Waste, and Water.

What kind of organizations and projects does Verdical Group support?

Verdical Group is a leading sustainability consulting firm focused on decarbonizing the built environment and inspiring a net zero future. We provide services ranging from green building certifications and project management to engineering services and sustainable events, working on individual building projects, portfolio-wide scopes, and with organizations looking to improve their policies and practices or plan equitable and environmentally responsible events.

Incorporated as a Benefit Corporation in the State of California and third-party certified as a high scoring B Corporation, we meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We’re a 1% for the Planet Member Company: we donate 1% of our annual revenue, not just profit, to environmental nonprofit organizations. We are also a Certified Small Business, Green Business, and Social Enterprise.

You have traveled extensively for business over the years. Do you have any examples of recent trips that had a significant impact on your outlook and perspective for leading in this industry?

I recently attended a TED Countdown event in Nairobi, Kenya. During a time when political turmoil in the U.S. can be discouraging for folks who are working to combat climate change and build a more sustainable future, the event was a great reminder that climate change is a global issue, and that the work we each do as individuals across the world adds up to an incredible impact.

Here is a link to the event for more information: https://conferences.ted.com/countdown2025

Could you share some highlights of this year’s event?

The twelfth annual Net Zero Conference will be hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 1, 2025.

The conference convenes climate leaders to collaborate on global solutions for change in the built environment. The event is a hub for people in the industry to gather, bridge knowledge gaps, and inspire a net zero future. It will feature inspiring keynotes, educational sessions, an expo hall featuring leading decarbonization technologies, and the Trailblazer Awards Ceremony.

This year’s keynotes include Joel Cesare (Growth Lead, Cambio), Leah Thomas (Environmentalist), and Nalleli Cobo (Environmental Activist), and Michael Ford (The Hip Hop Architecture Camp).

The Trailblazer Awards celebrate interdisciplinary leaders making a positive impact on people and the environment. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center as part of the Net Zero Conference.

The Net Zero Conference is produced by Verdical Group, a sustainability consulting firm that specializes in decarbonizing the built environment.

Why do you think the event on October 1 is more timely than ever to attend?

Now in our 12th year, the Net Zero Conference encapsulates a movement that spans beyond individual buildings to businesses, states, countries, and the Earth itself. Even in times of political turmoil at the local, state, and/or country level, we can focus on creating positive change in our buildings, our businesses, and our cities. We can advocate to build a net zero future for everyone! And that’s exactly what we’re doing at the Net Zero Conference – join us!

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