EPMA Green Building Bike Tour

By Suzy O'Leary, Chapter Member


By Suzy O'Leary, 9/13/15

Over the river and through North Point Park, members of USGBC MA pedaled their bikes to see the next stop on a tour of green buildings organized by Steven Burke, Sustainability Coordinator at SMMA. Here are a few interesting facts that came to light during this fun trip:

The group made stops at the Boston University Yawkey Student Center containing three of the greenest restaurants on any U.S. higher ed. campus. A touch screen dashboard displaying daily energy and water usage keeps students in touch with the buildings high performance aspects. Kitchen hoods with air curtains prevent conditioned air from exhausting out of the space. A high efficiency dishwashing line repurposes dish water and uses roughly 80% less water than industry-standard arrangements.  A green roof helps control water run-off. 

Passing under the Janet Echelman sculpture suspended above the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the group learned about the three original peaks of land in Boston that are reflected in the sculpture's shape. 

They then made their way to the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion. The Pavilion, by utile, was described as one biker as a hidden treasure trove of good green design. He said he has passed the Pavilion many times but never knew it had solar power that made for net zero energy usage for the LED screens and sculptural canopies that collect rainwater to create a beautiful waterfall that flows into a basin and is dispersed via perforated piping to water the adjacent lawn. The locally sourced materials are a meaningful gesture that help create a sense of place for this welcome center for visitors to the Boston Harbor Islands. The pavilion's canopies are shaped similar to the wings of a bird; the thick foundation acts as an anchor to prevent uplift of the canopies as well as helps disperse the weight of the structure over the Big Dig tunnel below. The concrete form work and structural steel were both designed in CAD and cut using a digital CNC machine. 

The new Converse Headquarters is an excellent example of reuse of an existing building. The additions of the penthouse and a retail store along the river are modern but feel as though they already belong to the century-old brick structure. The pedestrian riverwalk that connects Puopolo Park to North Point Park is a fantastic way that a company can give back to and enhance the neighborhood. The retail store offers people the ability to design your own shoe, which is also pretty darn cool. 

Thanks to Steven Burke of SMMA and the Emerging Professionals group for planning yet another great event!

 

 

 








Meet our Members: Katherine Bubriski

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


I’ve been a co-chair of the chapter Advocacy Committee for the past year. I work with the other co-chair, John DiModica, as well as Grey Lee to drive and direct the committee’s efforts, including setting committee agenda, organizing events and working with legislators and partner organizations. I am also the issue captain for Net Zero Energy Building Code Legislation; right now we are building partnerships with organizations and municipalities around this issue. Check out the chapter website for all the latest on Net Zero Energy Buildings.

 

The chapter is a great member-led organization that is really making an impact on sustainability throughout the Architecture / Engineering / Construction industry and the communities we live and work in. I feel the chapter is very successful at bringing people from all ends of the industry (architects, contractors, developers, etc.) together to advance the chapter’s mission of “more green buildings and communities” as well as supporting members through education and networking.

I am a senior associate at Arrowstreet, an architecture firm located in Boston. I focus on the design of K-12 education projects throughout Massachusetts. I also help drive sustainability efforts firm wide, including green building design, staff education and office operations. I feel fortunate to work in a creative, progressive environment. Check out our blog that is regularly updated with all of the exciting things the firm and staff are doing at http://www.arrowstreet.com/.

 

Eversource Supports Local Education and Literacy

By Allison Maynard, Communications Associate


Eversource, energy provider for New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, has partnered with the City of Boston to complete 42 projects in 25 of the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) locations since 2009. This has generated over 1.6 million in annual kWh savings for the BPL and an estimated 27 percent reduction in electrical energy consumption. In addition to these impressive changes the aesthetics of the renovated Central Library, especially the Children’s Library, have been greatly improved. Since its opening earlier this year, over 10,000 children have participated in library programs and even more visit just to read and use the space.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Eversource is also a proud participant in the Green Apple Day of Service Mini-Grant Program. The program allows them to sponsor local schools to accomplish a project such as a recycling assembly, garden planting, waste free lunch, clutter cleanout, etc.

Their sponsored projects will be taking place in the upcoming weeks. We will share these projects on the blog as they take place. Thank you Eversource for your continuing support in the Green Building sector and your commitment to the communities that you serve. 

Throwback Thursday: Remember Showcase 2014?

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

The 2014 Green Building Showcase featured 75 project displays and had over 200 attendees. What a great event! We can’t wait for October 1st to get here to join in the fun again at the 2015 Green Building Showcase at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge. Register to show off your Green Building success story or just get a ticket to attend and see all of the other stellar projects by clicking here. We hope to see you there!

Check out last year's projects here!

Stretching the Stretch Code

By Grey Lee

The USGBC MA Chapter, as part of our national agenda, joins with colleagues at Acadia Center and the Sierra Club to urge the Commonwealth to enact better building codes – in particular, a stronger stretch code. Recently, information was made public at a 9/8/15 meeting indicating the State's regulatory agencies are not committed to real improvements of the stretch code, already two years delayed, to help those municipalities designated “Green Communities” reach their energy efficiency goals. Without leadership from regulatory agencies, advocates such as our organizations will look at corrective measures from the legislature including considering where a net-zero pathway for buildings and real estate could play out.

Massachusetts has a great building code. We have excellent regulations on the energy performance of new construction. You can read about the codes here – for some, it is a lot of fun to explore! Due in part to the commitment to improving codes and energy performance in buildings, Massachusetts has become the #1 state in America for energy efficiency, according to ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy).

Through the passage of the Green Communities Act of 2008, the Commonwealth created a pathway for communities to strengthen their building code for improved building performance. The optional “Stretch Code” was an “overlay” to the base building code which enabled a municipality to enforce a stronger code for energy performance. The New Buildings Institute has some good information on why stretch codes are good for communities. Almost 150 communities have adopted the stretch code.

The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations & Standards (the BBRS) is the regulatory authority for building codes. They have agreed to a process of continuous updates to the State's building codes, based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IEcc), which updates every three years. Thus, in June 2013 Massachusetts prudently updated its base building code to the 2012 IEcc – requiring that code since 7/1/14. 

However, communities that adopted the stretch code, based on IEcc 2009, have not been given guidance on what or how the stretch code will improve. Since the stretch code was based on the anticipated (stronger) IEcc 2012, when the base code updated to that IEcc 2012, the stretch code is effectively not a stretch. In fact, the detailed comparison finds the non-updated stretch code inferior to the new base code! Yet, without a state-sanctioned updated stretch code, these communities have no way of enforcing more aggressive performance in the buildings being built in their jurisdiction! 

The original purpose of a stretch code was to allow municipalities the option to require a more stringent energy efficiency code prior to adoption by the BBRS. The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) has done a lot of work on this – and we are working with NEEP colleagues Carolyn Sarno Goldthwaite and Kevin Rose. They produced a great overview of the MA stretch code history here. The original stretch code (of 2009, based on the authorization in 2008 of the Green Communities Act) was approximately 20% higher energy efficiency. In residential construction, these increases are measured by a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) developed and maintained by the national Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). In commercial construction, these increases are measured through the IEcc, with some adjustments, and referring to ASHRAE 90.1-2007 energy standards.

A strong stretch code is a good thing. It can align many of the relevant market participants. A stretch code can help people see where base code is going to go – it's like a preview. Having a sense in advance of future changes, it helps builders and product suppliers to compete for future market share – anticipating what will ultimately be needed to get to code. This tends to lower prices for developers and owners.

One concern from the 9/8/15 public meeting on codes at BBRS is that the draft updated stretch code will only apply to buildings over 100,000s.f. – which is a very small portion of buildings being built, and less of additions to buildings. And inherently, focusing on new construction, this code effort does not address existing buildings in any material way. Another concern is that this draft code was actually proffered in April – there haven't been any other meetings since then, but the minutes were only recently posted, reducing the public's ability to participate in the process. We will continue to examine the details but the early observations are that this new stretch code is “too little, too late.” We know authentic concern for energy efficiency would result in a stronger, more widely-applicable and better stretch code. Where is the leadership in the state government to push for something meaningful?

This new stretch code is not okay. It will leave major savings, economic benefits, and opportunities “on the table.” We should have a stretch code that enables communities to meet their local market conditions more appropriately and a code that really pursues excellence and ambition – rather than being a watered down “moot code” which distracts us from our goals of improving energy performance in the built environment.

 

Green Apple Day of Service – Boston Green Academy (Project 2)

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


All fifteen, 10th grade environmental studies students participated in the Green Apple Day of Service, which focused on energy.  The service project actually lasted over the course of 6 days in November, as they completed the project during their class from 8-9 every morning.  The service project culminated in 2 different products: 1) a display of power station to light bulb for the middle school, 2) an energy audit of the building with plans for reduction, and 3) smart strips


 Day 1: The service project started off learning about what energy is.  They learned about solar, chemical, thermal, mechanical and electrical through a varietyof different hands-on activities.  They then honed in on electricity and spent the rest of the class building and learning about how circuits work and how electricity flows.

 Day 2: The students then researched how electricity gets from the power station to the lights in the home.  They then chose one of the system parts (example: high voltage lines, power station, low voltage lines) and created a large visual of this part.  

 Day 3: Students continued to work on their art project and wrote a blurb explaining what function this part of the system served.

 Day 4: Students learned about what is usually burned in a power station (fossil fuels) and learned through fun, hands-on activities how fossil fuels are made.

 Day 5: Through a variety of experiments students learned what happens when you burn fossil fuels.  Specifically, they learned what carbon dioxide is and why excess carbon dioxide is harmful.

 Day 6: Students did an energy audit of the school, looking for areas in the school that are wasting electricity.  They will soon purchase Smart Strips for their classrooms and teach their teacher about how to use it.  In addition, this audit will be used by the 7th grade during their Green Apple Day of Service when they will make signs for the school reminding us to save electricity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Day of Service – Boston Latin Academy (Project 2)

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


In partnership with staff from NELSON and thanks to a mini grant sponsorship from TOTO, Boston Latin Academy was able to design and build a large terraced garden in front of their school in celebration of Green Apple Day of Service. Last year two garden beds were installed along the side walk in front of the school to grow vegetables and annuals but this new bed is more extensive and exciting to students because it will allow them to plant perennials, such as strawberries, and expand the school garden to include more fruit and vegetable production.

 

 


The BLA greenhouse club works hard throughout the year to promote sustainable agriculture and locally farmed produce, and this garden bed is a visible and exciting addition to the club’s efforts and is something the whole community will watch “grow”. The greenhouse club will be responsible for maintaining the new garden space and they will continue to raise funds to support the program through their successful annual spring plant sale – a huge hit for BLA community members who want to grow their own vegetables. Thanks to our partners and volunteers on the Green Apple Day of Service, BLA students will now have a large enough garden bed to plant their own fruits and vegetables and see their aspirations literally come to fruition on the front steps of the school! 

Day of Service – Boston Latin Academy (Project 1)

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Thanks to a mini grant sponsorship from MassSave Program(administered by ICFI), over fifty Boston Latin Academy students, parents, staff, and community volunteers spent Saturday, October 3rd, beautifying the school grounds, weeding garden beds, organizing the greenhouse, planting spring bulbs, and building a large raised bed. This is the 4th annual fall schoolyard Green Apple event that BLA has hosted, and it was a great success!  Despite the intermittent rain, our volunteers were busy at work with shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, and an assortment of other supplies (including hot chocolate!) all morning and afternoon.  The result was to make great strides in our ongoing efforts to make BLA, a school in the heart of the city, into a little urban oasis, with clean grounds dotted by fruit trees, shrubbery, flower beds, and vegetable gardens. 


All of these efforts are important steps to ensuring that BLA is not only a place where academic excellence shines through, but that our high performance school building shines as well. The BLA community is grateful to the USGBC MA Chapter, ICFI for their sponsorship and the volunteers who worked hard to make another Green Apple Day happen. The students and staff at the school can't wait to get our hands dirty again in the spring!

GRESB Networking Night

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager



We are please to partner with USGBC National and EnerNOC and we are excited to learn about the next level of green building market transformation. 

Our friends at EnerNOC are excited to take us on a tour with presenters from GRESB international headquarters. 

The 2015 survey results are out and we want to invite you to join us and our friends at GRESB to review the results together at EnerNOC’s upcoming networking night on September 22nd. Complimentary drinks and appetizers will be served!

Where: EnerNOC Headquarters – 1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, MA

Agenda:

5:15 pm – 6:00 pm   Networking, Drinks and Appetizers

6:00 pm – 6:10 pm  Opening remarks, EnerNOC

6:10 pm – 6:40 pm  2015 GRESB Results and Q&A , Chris Pyke, COO, GRESB

6:40 pm – 7:00 pm  Conversation with Boston Properties

·         Dan Winters, Head of North America, GRESB

·         Amy Gindel, SVP Finance & Planning, Boston Properties

·         Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager, Boston Properties

·         Jon Hartnett, Commercial Real Estate Team Lead, EnerNOC

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Drinks reception and networking

 

Hope you can join us. Register today!  

 

New CEO at USGBC, Meet Mahesh Ramanujam

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

 

Washington, D.C. – (Sept. 8, 2015) – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors announced today that USGBC’s Chief Operating Officer Mahesh Ramanujam has been named incoming Chief Executive Officer, and will move into the role after Rick Fedrizzi, the visionary co-founder of USGBC and current CEO, steps down at the end of 2016.

“Mahesh has a highly impressive track record of success in both his role as USGBC’s COO and as President of Green Business Certification Inc.,” said USGBC Board Chair Marge Anderson. “He is a proven leader who has exhaustive knowledge of the organization, respect from its volunteer leadership and strong support from its team. He has extensive global experience and broad business acumen. He is the perfect choice to lead the organization into the future.”

“As a founder, I could not be happier, and as a CEO, I could not be more satisfied that I’ll be able to leave USGBC in the best hands possible,” said Fedrizzi. “Since Mahesh first joined USGBC in 2009, he has transformed every corner of the organization, focusing on high performance and putting the needs of our customers and community members first. His personal core values are deeply aligned with our mission and his comprehensive understanding of our work make him the ideal leader for this role.”

“I’m deeply honored that Rick and the Board have placed their trust in me, and I will serve the organization and our movement with a long-term vision – keeping innovation as a top priority,” said Ramanujam. “As USGBC’s CEO, I pledge to continually modernize and enhance our capabilities and performance to ensure we deliver the future that our founders envisioned.” 

Ramanujam joined USGBC in 2009 as Senior Vice President, Technology, before being named COO in September 2011. In December 2012, he was also named President of the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) where he broadened offerings to better serve a wider client base, leading the organization to change its name to Green Business Certification Inc. earlier this year. 

Prior to joining USGBC, Ramanujam was COO for Emergys, a business transformation consulting firm in North Carolina. As a consultant to IBM, he was part of the team that led various business transformation initiatives including the sale of IBM PC systems to Lenovo and its printer divisions to Ricoh. He also was part of the team that led business transformation at Lenovo to ensure the successful establishment of Lenovo’s global manufacturing and operating platforms.

Ramanujam is a native of Chennai, India, and holds a bachelor’s of engineering in computer sciences from Annamalai University, where he began his career in software and systems analysis and product development.