USGBC MA Chapter

By Grey Lee

USGBC MA Chapter has a new home!

 

 
We have officially started operations at the new CIC Boston coworking facility – at 50 Milk Street in Boston. We are now on the 19th floor with many of our colleagues from Space with a Soul. The new location is between Post Office Square and Downtown Crossing. 
 
Looking northwest at the Charles River, across Boston Common and beyond the spire of the Park Street Church. How many green buildings can you see here?
 

 

 

The facility will be more convenient to more volunteers and visitors – located close to all T lines and a short walk from many of our sponsors' and members' offices. We are also now much closer to Boston City Hall and the State House, which will hopefully enable more advocacy work.
 

We are now officially part of the curated office space network of the CIC (formerly Cambridge Innovation Center) and the building is being renovated for another type of “Venture Cafe” networking venue. This is a big weekly gathering in Kendall Square, Cambridge currently and we hope to participate with the innovation community through CIC Boston.
 

If you have an upcoming meeting at “our offices” – they will now be at 50 Milk Street in comparable space. We will be updating the calendar entries but please know that we will have no further activities at our former location at 281 Summer Street.

 

 

Also at CIC Boston is the Impact Hub Boston for social enterprises working to solve social problems through business-based models. I like to think LEED is one major way to use business to address social & environmental problems, meaning that we are indeed a social enterprise.

I hope you will stop by for an upcoming meeting. Wait, did I hear someone say “Open House?!”

See you soon,
Grey

 

Chapter Volunteer Phoebe Beierle Nationally Recognized

By Grey Lee

Phoebe Beierle, long-time Chapter volunteer and former Board President, has been recognized in the magazine gb&d – a 50,000 subscriber portal for all things in the green building & design world.
 

Congratulations to Phoebe for being acknowledged as one of five people nationally who are going above-and-beyond for green schools. THANK YOU for your work to help make the Boston School Department embrace environmental responsibility in their operations and in how they bring subject matter to the students. You are a fabulous example of the dedication, the insight, and the hard work it takes to transform organizations and our built environment. Kudos to you!

The Chapter depends on people like Phoebe to help bring about the major changes we need in order to attain our mission. We believe in the power of design to improve lives and we have a vision that every person will be able to live, work, play and study in a green building within a generation. Also congrats to another Massachusetts green building proponent, Bruce Coldham, for his work on the Living Building at Smith College!

Tuesday, September 30: The 2014 MA LEED Project Showcase

By Grey Lee

Are you ready for the biggest LEED show in New England?

That's right, the 2014 LEED Project Showcase is coming right up in 2 months.

This year we expect to be even bigger and better than last year. Did you catch that video we made? We anticipate over 75 projects on display and over 200 people in attendance. This is a great time to connect with people you've worked with on past projects, explore the creativity of our community, and connect with owners and property managers who need to see how we can meet their needs as they commit to better and better performances in their building portfolios.

The event will be from 5:30-8:30 on Tuesday September 30th, 2014. Sponsorship opportunities are available – including video interview and at-event presentation packages.

We will convene at Genzyme at 500 Kendall Street in Cambridge – this was the first building in Massachusetts to attain LEED Platinum certification back in 2005.
 

We look forward to seeing you there!
 

The Weekly Bulletin to 7/25/14

By Grey Lee

It's been a busy summer so far with the Chapter. We had a great time at Spaulding Rehab on the 17th – take a look at the pics for more on that!
 

Then on Wednesday our wonderful Emerging Professionals (EPMA) put together a great “Oceanview Summer Social” at the Atlantic Beer Garden. Special thanks go out to Forbo Flooring Systems who were able to provide appetizers for everyone and a few minutes of a presentation on healthy building materials – which of course is something we all appreciate.

What is coming up?

The City of Cambridge may be voting on the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) this coming Monday. This is similar to Boston's BERDO and other energy benchmarking & disclosure ordinances throughout the country. The USGBC and our Massachusetts Chapter are strong proponents of these measures and have been lobbying hard to see a good ordinance pass in Cambridge. We will keep you posted.

On Tuesday August 12th, we'll be hosting a related “Making the Best of BERDO” Forum from 8-10am at Atlantic Wharf in Boston. Thank you to our event sponsors Cadmus!  We'll hear an excellent panel of heavy-hitters from Gerding Edlen, Boston Properties, National Grid and of course, Cadmus. We'll learn how leading firms are using building energy benchmarking and reporting to beef up their property management processes and embrace whole-portfolio energy management for competitive advantage. Sign up now!

That same week on Thursday the 14th, we have an in-depth morning workshop on Net Zero Energy design & construction. Taught by Eric Corey Freed, this will be an important opportunity for people from across our industry to delve deep into net zero design – the imperative of which no one can deny!  See you there.

 

Speaking of “going green,” join the EPMA for the “Sustainable Bike Tour” of Boston's Back Bay and Fenway on Saturday, August 23rd. Starting from Central Square in Cambridge, the tour will last a few hours in the afternoon. Last year was a real hit, so we hope to see even more green building & bike ethusiasts this year.

And before I forget, there's also some big news – the 2014 MA LEED Project Showcase is coming to town on Tuesday, September 30th at Genzyme in Kendall square. We just settled the venue and the date. It's going to be great – over 75 project teams and over 200 guests from all ends of the industry. A major green building networking event sure to be. Don't miss it! Sponsorship opportunities are available. You will be hearing a lot about it over the next few weeks.

Last but not least: what the greenest building in this picture?
 

Fun at the Summer Social!

By Grey Lee

On Wednesday July 24th, the Emerging Professionals (EPMA) hosted another great evening event bringing together a wide range of green building professionals. We took over half of the Atlantic Beer Garden and had a good time making connections.
 

Yeah: #MoreGreenBuildings!

Special thanks to Forbo Flooring for sponsoring the delicious eats. We appreciated your presentation about healthy materials and biologically-informed design. Glad you could make it out to meet the future of the green building industry. Thank you Matt & Jeff.
 

 

 
Congratulations to the organizing team from EPMA – Jessica, Jenna, Kristen, Stephanie and Adrienne.

 

It was great to meet over 50 emerging professionals from architects, engineers, illumination specialists, materials scientists, builders, roofing, fenestration & access pros, retrofitters, state public servants and more! See you next time!
 

 

Spaulding Rehab Tour & More!

By Grey Lee

We had a great evening in Charlestown last Thursday night.
 

The view heading over to Charlestown from the Central Wharf Ferry

Thank you to AtSite for sponsoring the event. Thank you to Perkins+Will, TCI, and Copley Wolff Design Group for facilitating the amazing tours. Your dedication to this incredible project is noteworthy. Thank you to Deborah Rivers of P+W for organizing the tour leaders for us all.

 
Perkins+Will has a great suite of content related to the project at their website – with excellent aerial photos. 
 

There's a great article “Rethinking Rehabilitation” about the hospital at GreenHealth Magazine.
 

 

 

Here's the AtSite team with the project architect. Looking good Alan Friedman, Steve Black, Olav Hegland and Jeffrey Keilman of Perkins+Will!

 

 

 

 

Great group of over 75 professionals came out to hear brief presentations and then tour the building & grounds. 

 

 

 

 

 

More than a few Chapter regulars made it out to see and be seen!
 

 
 
 
 

The Weekly Bulletin to 7/18/14

By Grey Lee

Thank you to all who came out to our monthly networking night at Spaulding Hospital yesterday! Thank you to event sponsor AtSite and to Deborah Rivers of Perkins+Will for organizing the tours of that amazing facility. More photos coming soon!
 

 

Coming up next week we have the EPMA “Oceanview Summer Social” at the Atlantic Beer Garden.  This would be Wednesday 7/23 from 6-9pm. There will be Mad Libs and free appetizers, courtesy of Forbo Flooring. All are welcome – hosted by the Emerging Professionals, but open to all!

I wrote a bit about upcoming events the other day – take a look to see what's in the works. There are some committee meetings listed in there too.

Don't forget to send a note to your state representative in order to endorse the PACE financing bill. We have a template letter you can use right here on the blog. Thank you for lending your support to this initiative!
 

 

Building Above Code – HERS Ratings (a note from Martha's Vineyard)

By Rose Ryley Courcier, NAR GREEN Designation, Sandpiper Realty

by Rose Ryley Courcier, NAR GREEN Designation, Sandpiper Realty
 

On a recent muggy July morning, I walked up through some heavily landscaped hedge screening, typical of an Edgartown Village property, to find another unusual summer site on Martha’s Vineyard: homeowners lounging poolside by their brand new guesthouse. They were enjoying late morning coffees while their golden retriever Stella pounced around the new decking and perfectly sodded lawn. I introduced myself, “Rose from Sandpiper Realty … I’m here to meet with Ben and Heather.”
 
The homeowner excitedly jumped up and welcomed me into her home like any other friend stopping by to admire the recently completed, totally polished two bedroom guest house, complete with massive second story deck, and framed by a full tennis court. We glided effortlessly from the outside in. Upon nearing the floating steps leading down to the lower level, she yelled out, “Rose is here, she’s wearing shoes!”
“No shoes!” I heard from another voice that bounced off the walls below.

Progress on PACE Legislation

By Grey Lee

Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate voted to approve S.2255, which was previously known as S.177 “An Act to promote job creation through energy efficiency.” 

The USGBC MA Chapter is thrilled that this legislation has moved this far this year.

Now it's time to push it to the House – we want a vote in the next two weeks before the session closes.

Please send a letter as soon as possible, using the language below to 
 

Please customize the letter according to your position and your organization. You may refer to your affiliation in the Chapter and as a stakeholder in the USGBC, of course.
 
Thank you very much for your support!
-Grey Lee
 

 

July 14, 2014
 
 
Representative Robert A. DeLeo
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
State House, Room 356
Boston, MA 02133
 
 
Dear Speaker DeLeo,
On behalf of the US Green Building Council, Massachusetts Chapter, representing over 5000 LEED Accredited Professionals and associated green building proponents, I write today in support of S. 2255 (formerly S. 177), An Act fueling job creation through energy efficiency – and for its passage on the House side. Filed by Senator Brian A. Joyce, this bill will create jobs, increase property values, encourage private investment, and reinforce Massachusetts’ role as a leader in energy efficiency and disaster resilience. I urge the House to pass this important measure which was passed in the Senate last week.
 
PACE financing provides property owners access to low-cost, off-balance sheet capital, by way of betterment lien placed on the property and payable like a property tax bill. Across the nation, successful PACE programs have provided a new and innovative way for property owners to finance energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy projects, and water conservation measures. The Massachusetts legislation also will allow property owners to upgrade buildings with resiliency improvements, to reduce or eliminate damage caused by extreme weather events, similar to the Florida PACE program. The availability of this new tool for project finance will result in new projects which will mean more work for people in the renewable energy & allied industries of Massachusetts.
 
S. 2255 will make necessary improvements to the Commonwealth’s current PACE program, creating a streamlined, centrally administered PACE program that is capable of achieving economies of scale and will be easily adopted by municipalities. The new program will require lender consent and will focus on the pent up demand for energy efficiency and disaster-resilience financing in the commercial and industrial sector.
 
Passage of S. 2255 will fuel job creation and spur private investment, cementing Massachusetts' role as a leader in energy efficiency and resilience. As green building professionals, we look forward to the enactment of this legislation as it supports our mission.
 
 
Thank you for your time and consideration,
 
[your name & organization here]