Since 2018, Built Environment Plus has directed over $1.3M+ of Workforce Training Funds to the Massachusetts Green Building Community by participating in the Express Grant and General Grant programs from the Commonwealth’s Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP). We are curating over 150 trainings to meet the needs of the local building industry. As 2022 concluded, we ended yet another successful year of trainings.

We are excited to report three of the 2-year General Grants were completed, one grant is ongoing, one application was submitted for a new grant, and we look forward to applying for two more General Grants in 2023. The BE+ Express Grant public courses saw increased attendance, we developed a targeted training list, and also implemented a Training Interest Form to capture the needs of our community.

In March of 2022 we released our 3rd update to the Massachusetts is Ready for Net Zero Report.

Continued data collection from the Massachusetts building community showed the total known square footage of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects in the Commonwealth has reached 16.5 million GSF, an increase of 130% in just one year. 

Of the 4 million GSF with reported cost data, 85% reported <1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready. 90% are at least 35% more efficient than the current stretch code baseline (up from 82% in March, 2021 with 26% more projects reporting energy data). All rely on heat pumps as the primary source of heat. Net Zero buildings also procure on-site and/or off-site renewable energy to offset 100% of consumption on a net annual basis.

Built Environment Plus (BE+), Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Boston and the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) held a private virtual, regional, AEC summit focused on construction and demolition material reuse, salvage, and waste diversion.

In the session, we framed the current issues, collectively discussed the reuse barriers, heard presentations from municipalities and organizations leading the reuse landscape, and from local changemakers looking to make a difference. We concluded with a reflective discussion on collective action and next steps.

Built Environment Plus recruited students and employers to participate in MassCEC’s Targeted Internship Program (TIP). The program’s goal is to increase diversity within the Commonwealth’s clean energy workforce and create career pathways for Massachusetts college and clean energy certificate students that lead to greater economic stability. 

Students of color selected for the Targeted program are mentored and guided by a MassCEC approved Training Provider. Students must also attend career preparedness workshops facilitated by the training provider. Training providers recruited students from the MassCEC College Internship Database and seeked clean energy employers to place students from the Summer 2022 session. The program provided funding for 60 students.