LEED v4 is Coming – Be Prepared!

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


You may be a LEED AP, but how much time have you spent learning about Environmental Product Declarations, Life Cycle Assessment and Building Envelope Commissioning? Where are you digging into the versions of LEED specifically designed for Data Centers, Warehouses, and Hotels? These are just a few of the new things in LEED version 4, the first top to bottom update of the LEED Rating system since it was introduced in 2000 by the USGBC.

To help you prepare for this update, we're offering a LEED v4 Master Class that will take a deep dive into LEED. The class is designed to provide the information needed for high level architects, engineers, and designers to use the updated v4 system and to ask any questions on the subject during instruction.

We'll cover all the improvements to the LEED BD&C and IDC ratings systems including new credits, reference standards, and adaptations. This session assumes some familiarity with LEED and green building concepts so LEED AP status or equivalent is recommended for attendees. 

Register and find more information here!

 

Sound data, smart decisions: UTC's John Mandyck on the economic impact study

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate

(Originally authored by John Mandyck and published by USGBC)

We have a belief at United Technologies that data drives decisions. Thanks to USGBC’s new report with Booz Allen Hamilton, the 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study, it looks like we can count on continued informed decision-making when it comes to the future of our built environment. 

The data in this report is nothing short of impactful. We all know green building delivers when it comes to conserving natural resources, but what about other, equally important benefits of green construction? Take the economic benefits, for instance:

From 2011-2014, the green construction industry supported nearly 2 million jobs.
The green construction industry has generated $167 billion in GDP while providing $148 billion in labor earnings.
LEED-related construction spending has supported 1.1 million jobs, generated $81 billion in GDP and provided $71 billion in labor earnings. 

When the movement began, green buildings were seen as the sustainable solution for a rapidly urbanizing world. This study demonstrates that the economic value of green buildings is more than real—it’s significant. From the industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy to the millions of people employed, these findings are a valuable addition to our existing body of research on the benefits of green building beyond energy efficiency.

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that green activity continues to grow. It's projected that from 2015-2018, the green construction industry in the United States will support 3.9 million jobs while generating an additional $303 billion in GDP. This matches what we see at the global level, from the World Green Building Trends report issued by Dodge Data & Analytics (formerly McGraw Hill Construction) in 2013, showing global green activity doubling every three years.

Overall, this is outstanding news for the movement. Because data drives decisions, this data will drive smarter decisions for buildings. The message is clear: green buildings are excellent for business and generate significant economic value while also being good for the planet.

We must continue to share this message to further accelerate the green building movement. Whether it’s connecting green building professionals in emerging economies with international green building leaders, as we’ve done through our Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series, or sharing the message on social media, continued education is critical to ensuring sustainable urbanization.

Together, we can continue advancing the green building movement and make our world a better place to live today—and for generations to come. Thanks, USGBC and Booz Allen, for providing new data to drive those smart decisions.


John Mandyck is the Chief Sustainability Officer for United Technologies Corporation. A global leader in the aerospace, food refrigeration and commercial building industries, United Technologies provides high-technology systems and services that set the standard for performance, reliability and energy efficiency.

John also chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, and serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban Green Council in New York. He is a member of the Corporate Council at the Harvard University Center for Health and the Global Environment. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to co-chair the Department of Energy’s Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee. He has presented energy efficiency, sustainability and future of food strategies to audiences around the world. He blogs about sustainability issues at SustainabilityView.com and can be found on Twitter @JohnMandyck.

 

Day of Service – Suffolk University

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


The Suffolk Environmental Law Society and the Asian Pacific American Law Society led a group of students on a tour of two buildings on the campus 
of Suffolk University in downtown Boston. The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of how various energy efficiency practices are implemented into both existing structures and new construction. Through this event, we discovered how our school has already taken steps to improve 


energy efficiency and continues to make energy efficiency an important part of every building on campus. The LEED building tour helped to educate our students on the energy efficiency efforts made on campus, and encourage more students to become involved in an energy solution. 

The first building, located at 73 Tremont Street, is home to the undergraduate library as well as various administrative offices and a cafeteria. This building was awarded LEED Gold certification in April 2015 and is the flagship building of Suffolk University’s campus. It was interesting to learn how the University turned an almost 100 year old building into a high-tech, energy efficient area for students. The next building, located at 20 Somerset Street was recently completed in the summer of 2015 and is currently awaiting LEED certification. Located adjacent to the John Adams Courthouse, this new state-of-the-art building is home to Suffolk’s business and communications programs. Being built with sustainability in mind, the university is anticipating a LEED Silver certification. Touring these two buildings was both informative and encouraging. Knowing our university is taking steps in its new buildings and existing structures 
is encouraging and instills a sense of pride in our school.This LEED Tour was a great opportunity for the SELS and APALSA to get our heads out of our books and look around at what our school is doing to reduce their carbon footprint. 


Thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council – Mass. Chapter and Eversource Energy for their generous sponsorship, we were able to take action in order to strengthen our awareness and education about LEED certified buildings on our University’s campus. We are determined to continue our efforts, both on and off campus, to reduce energy consumption and to educate those around us on how they can do the same!

Our Next LEED v4 Green Associate Exam Prep Course

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Missed out on our last LEED v4 Green Associate Exam Prep Course? Don't worry, there's one coming up in December!

The Green Associate Exam Preparation Course is designed to review the majority of the information which will be covered in the LEED v4 Green Associate Exam. This is especially important to attend because we'll be transitioning from LEED v3 to v4 next year, and this will give you a better grasp of the updated certification information for the new version. 

Already a LEED Green Associate or Accredited Professional? Invite a friend or colleague who still needs their accreditation!

Register here!

 

The full day comprehensive course covers the following topics:

Chapter #1 – Introduction

This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED Green Associate credentialing process and serve as an introduction to LEED, sustainability, the USGBC, the GBCI and the LEED rating system.

Chapter #2 – Location and Transportation / Sustainable Sites

This 1-hour chapter will focus on site issues such as connectivity, transportation, erosion, landscaping, and heat island effect.

Chapter #3 – Water Efficiency / Energy and Atmosphere

This 1-hour chapter will focus on water issues (plumbing efficiency, irrigation, process water, etc.) and energy and atmosphere issues (demand, efficiency, renewable energy, ozone depleting substances, etc.)

Chapter #4 – Materials and Resources

This 1-hour chapter will focus on procurement and waste diversion.

Chapter #5 – Indoor Environmental Quality

This 1-hour chapter will focus on indoor environmental quality issues such as indoor air quality, occupant comfort and green cleaning.

Chapter #6 – Innovation / Regional Priority / Certification Process

This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED certification process and the Innovation and Regional Priority categories.

Chapter #7 – Exam Review

This 1-hour chapter will focus on exam format and registration and sample exam questions.

Chapter #8 – Exam Review

This 1-hour chapter will focus on sample exam questions.

 

Disrupting Commercial Real Estate!

By Grey Lee, Executive Director


Come one, come all!

If you are involved with real estate and concerned about how the industry is changing, you should come to this event on Thursday!

Technology is quickly changing the landscape of how the CRE industry operates. DisruptCRE exists to connect commercial real estate professionals with emerging technologies and trends. Through DisruptCRE, we are diving head first into the CREtech movement bringing you the latest and greatest in CREtech, educational panels, and a pitch session titled “Meet the Disruptors”.

Top real estate decision makers around the world convene at DisruptCRE to find out what’s here now, and what’s next in CRE tech.

 

Register now at DisruptCRE and us the discount code “USGBCMA” to save 20%

 

ATTENDEES INCLUDE:

  • Architects
  • Brokers
  • Construction Professionals
  • Developers
  • Engineers
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Finance Professionals
  • Investors
  • Local Associations
  • PR & Marketing Firms
  • Property Managers
  • Tech Disrupters
  • Venture Capitlists
  • And More…

Day of Service – Quincy High School

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Green School Environmental Treasures Tour of Quincy High School

 


Saturday, October 24, 2015 marked the Green School Environmental Treasures Tour of Quincy High School, a collaborative effort sponsored by the City’s Park Dept.'s Environmental Treasures Program, Planning & Public Buildings Depts. and Quincy Public Schools. There were forty-six attendees, including members of the general public and Quincy Climate Action Network, the school’s Principal, teachers, and members of the student Green Team, the Superintendent of Schools, the City's Energy and Sustainability Director, and representatives of the Park and Planning Departments. The project was made possible by the support of Eversource Energy. 

 


Led by Alex Pitkin and Matt Rice of Symmes Maini, and McKee, two of the architects who designed the building, the tour featured the school’s green design features, including the building’s rooftop photovoltaic array, which spurred discussion of the growing potential for solar as a renewable home-energy source. The school's sustainability club – The Green Team QHS – shared their efforts to obtain a hydration system for use by both students and staff to drastically reduce the use of plastic water bottles. (Please see attached proposal.) Participants also toured the Arts wing, featuring displays of student eco-design projects, such as an upcycled bottle cap dress, and the STEM wing’s green
house, one component of the school’s aim to develop a closed loop system in which Culinary students recycle food waste from the cafeteria and open-to-the public cafe to make compost for the greenhouse. 

 

Built in 2010, many attendees had never toured the school and were amazed by the beauty and thoughtfulness of the building’s design aimed at enhancing a collaborative cross-disciplinary curriculum, innovative green features, and life cycle analysis the architects used in selecting sustainable materials. Participants were particularly impressed that freshman students are encouraged to try out each of the technical programs before deciding on a major and several commented that they wished they could go back to high school!

 

Just Released: 2014 USGBC National Annual Report

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

The Annual Report came out for the National USGBC office. Nationally speaking,  we are 12,200 member organizations and 200,500 LEED professionals strong. Their aquisitions of the PEER, WELL and GRESB, GBCI hasextended the USGBC to new sectors like health, wellness, electricity, microgrids, sustainable land design and development. USGBC's solutions for healthy and resilient communities work at different scales—from a single shop at the town center to an entire neighborhood, which provides many entry points, tools, and resources for communities wherever they are along their journey to sustainability and resiliency. And there is a great focus on Green Schools: If children are our future and conservation starts with them, then it follows that green schools are the future and conservation begins there. Read the full report here.

The Annual Report is confirming of what we know: Green Buildings are way of the future and on the rise. Here are some stats from a recent publication of the University of Guelph which are just as compelling as the Annual Report. .

Green Building vs. Traditional Buildings

  • Rents on average are 3.7 per cent higher;
  • Occupancy rates were 18.7 per cent higher in Canada and 9.5 per cent higher in the U.S.;
  • Tenant renewal rates were 5.6 per cent higher in Canada;
  • Tenant satisfaction scores were 7 per cent higher in Canada; and
  • Energy consumption per square foot was 14 per cent lower in the U.S.

To read more on this study, click here.

 

Show Me the Money! Tax Benefits Abound for Green Developers

By Derek Newberry, Advocacy Fellow

If you couldn't make it to yesterday morning's lively and important advocacy breakfast about Green Tax Benefits, here's a brief summary of what you missed, and some of the great resources that were shared.

There was a big turnout of both regulars and newcomers, who came for the donuts—and stayed for the invaluable tips about how to save big on their energy efficiency projects. Jerome Garciano, an attorney at Robinson & Cole and one of Chapter's Advocacy Committee members, spoke about tax credits, deductions, and other financial incentives at the federal and state level. Jerome shared an very worthwhile resource for green builders with his Green Tax Incentive Compendium, an easy-to-access tax guide with federal and state-specific information about tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Below is the one of the slides that prompted the most questions and discussion from the audience. The chart simply illustrates the process and players in an energy investment tax credit. There are a lot of other valuable slides in Jerome's PowerPoint presentation, which you can access here


 

IRS Code 179D—Big Tax Breaks, But Surprisingly Unknown

We also heard from Jack Keleher, the Deputy General Counsel at Massachusetts' Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAMM). He explained an incentive program that surprisingly few architects, engineers, and developers in the green building industry are aware of—even though 179D could potentially bring huge tax breaks to their businesses. Check out this article from Forbes.com that clearly explains what IRS Code 179D means for project developers, or email Jack Keleher if you have questions about how you can get DCAMM to sign off on your energy-efficient projects (the IRS requires that your projects are approved by a third party).

Thank you to our engaged audience and our wonderful presenters for sharing their expertise. We're looking forward to hosting more Advocacy breakfasts like this in the near future; please email advocacy@usgbcma.org if there's a green building advocacy issue you'd like to hear about at an upcoming breakfast meeting, or if you would like to be a presenter. See you next time!

 

Here are some photos of Massachusetts' green building advocates at yesterday's breakfast:


 




Meet our Members: Rebecca Slocum

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Rebecca Slocum is an Emerging Professional committed to sustainability and the advancement of the USGBC’s mission and vision for the built environment.

Over the past year she has become an active member of the Chapter’s Emerging Professionals Committee. She believes USGBCMA is a great resource for Emerging Professionals given the educational, volunteer and networking opportunities it affords its members. In an effort to further networking between Emerging and Established Green Building professionals, she is currently working with the committee to develop a Mentor Program for the chapter.

Rebecca studied Architectural Engineering at Penn State where she acquired a strong technical background and realized a deeper appreciation for architecture and the built environment. During her college years, Rebecca interned for a well-known construction management company as well as a lighting design firm. After graduating in 2014, she moved to the Boston area to work for Vanderweil Engineers. At Vanderweil, she aides in the design of power distribution systems for buildings, supports the firms architectural lighting design group and works to implement LEED and energy efficiency measures.

Rebecca was raised in Upstate New York where she spent childhood summers in the Adirondacks. She thinks this is no small part of why she ended up in the green building industry.  In the future, Rebecca plans to continue promoting sustainable building and green community development.

It may come as no surprise that Rebecca loves spending time outdoors. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys many of the outdoor activities that New England has to offer, including swimming, skiing and sailing.  After having a great experience abroad during her college years, Rebecca plans to travel more in years to come; she is currently learning German.

Our State is Greener than Your State

By Derek Newberry, Advocacy Fellow

For the fifth year in a row, Massachusetts ranks as the #1 Energy Efficient state in the nation! According to a press release from our Chapter ally The Acadia Center, Massachusetts has been recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a national nonpartisan organization, for its continued commitment to energy efficiency in the 2015 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

After surpassing California in 2011 (CA is behind MA by only half a point in this year's rankings), Massachusetts has achieved this recognition especially through its Green Communities Act of 2008. Over the last 5 years, our state has been saving a large and growing percentage of energy every year through efficiency measures, and delivering over $11.5 billion in economic benefits and energy savings for ratepayers.


Looking ahead, Massachusetts' next 3-year plan (2016-2018) is being evaluated by the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, a stakeholder board. This draft plan, which reflects the state's history of prioritizing energy efficiency, is expected to deliver $8.13 billion in economic benefits and energy savings over the 3-year period. It also sets savings goals (2.93% of electric sales, 1.24% of natural gas sales) which are currently believed by the board to be the highest savings goals in the nation, once again.

Massachusetts' ambitious 3-year plan will translate to major environmental benefits, equivalent to removing ~408,000 cars from the road.

“Maximizing efficiency is a major step toward securing a clean energy future,” said Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney for the Acadia Center, and member of the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council. “Massachusetts is showing that the principle of deploying least-cost, non-polluting measures to reduce demand really works. It's a triple-win for the environment, the economy and the end-users who enjoy lower costs and more effective energy use.”

Although Massachusetts' incredible #1 ranking on the Energy Efficiency Scorecard, the state and region need to continue creating new or improved incentives, financing tools and strategies to include inefficient homes and commercial buildings.

Congratulations to everyone in the Massachusetts green building industry for your hard work to continuously raise the bar for energy efficiency throughout the US!

Thanks to our Chapter ally, The Acadia Center, for their press release about this important issue.