Chief Sustainability Officer, Codding Enterprises

Mr. Syphers is committed to the principle of living well, within our means. He serves as Chief Sustainability Officer for Codding Enterprises, a Sonoma County developer and property management firm, where he manages the company’s environmental and social initiatives and helps with the planning of a deeply sustainable mixed-use community.

Geof challenges the company to rethink fundamental practices and manages Codding’s sustainability education program and policies. He brings practical experience earned as the founding director of the Green Building Services Group at KEMA, an international consulting firm. Under his directorship, KEMA consulted on 160 construction projects, from homeless shelters to airports, including 40 LEED buildings.

Geof is regularly interviewed for media stories, and is a frequent presenter at conferences and on college campuses. He has received awards for his presentations to Greenbuild (2002, 2003), EnviroExpo (2003), West Coast Green (2005, 2007), Sustainable Enterprise Conference (2007) and Sol-Fest (2007).

Sonoma Mountain Village is the first development in North America to be accepted into the prestigious One Planet Communities program, positioning it at the leading edge of the international sustainability movement. The 200 acre community is a zero carbon, zero waste development in California with a philosophy centered on restoration instead of minimizing harm. Mr. Syphers is responsible for the plan to reduce the ecological footprint of the entire 1900-home community from a U.S. average of 5.3 down to a truly sustainable, one planet level by 2020. His efforts are monitored by WWF International and BioRegional and are reported to the United Nations as part of the Kyoto Protocol update process.

Geof is a founding member of the Frogsong cohousing community in Cotati, California, where he lives with his wife and can bicycle to work. He is a 3 dan Go player, a registered mechanical engineer, and a LEED® Accredited Professional with degrees in applied physics and solar energy engineering.