Leading Edge Green Partnership Program = donations for USGBC Massachusetts

By Grey Lee

New Program Gives Back to Non-Profits Whose Missions Include Sustainability and Green Buildings

Natick, MA (July 31, 2014) – RE/MAX of New England is pleased to announce that Boston-based RE/MAX Leading Edge has unveiled the Leading Edge Green Partnership Program (LEGPP). The program is designed to reward non-profits that support green building and sustainability in Massachusetts, as well as to promote market transformation towards healthier and more energy-efficient buildings in the Commonwealth. 
 

Craig Foley (Green Partnership Program), Travis Estes (Next Step Living), and Grey Lee (USGBC MA)

The pilot transaction featured an employee from Next Step Living, New England’s leading provider of home energy solutions, who purchased a home with the help of National Association of REALTORS® Green Designee Craig Foley of RE/MAX Leading Edge. The transaction closed at the end of May and resulted in a check for 5% of the gross commission to the Massachusetts Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC is a registered 501(c)(3) and a champion of green building.

“We really appreciate this kind of support for our mission to facilitate more green buildings and market transformation,” said Grey Lee, Executive Director of the MA Chapter of the USGBC. “The green partnership program that RE/MAX Leading Edge has created underlines their commitment to the green marketplace.

The program refers real estate buyers and sellers to Massachusetts real estate agents that have achieved the National Association of REALTORS® Green Designation. More information about the designation can be found via the Green Resource Council website

“RE/MAX Leading Edge has emerged as a frontrunner in the green housing market,” said Dan Breault, Executive Vice President and Regional Director of RE/MAX of New England. “This partnership with Next Step Living is a great step toward creating a more sustainable building environment in Massachusetts.”

“We are excited to have developed our first substantial collaboration by partnering with Next Step Living. It’s the perfect match to initiate the program,” said Paul Mydelski, broker-owner of RE/MAX Leading Edge. “Being able to give back to the USGBC, a non-profit committed to green building and market transformation, is a perfect mix of players.” 

“Next Step Living is pleased to have this outstanding new partnership with RE/MAX Leading Edge,” said Gabe Shapiro, vice president of outreach programs at Next Step Living. “We have a shared goal to help people live more sustainably and are proud to work with such a leader in promoting green homes.” 

Mission-aligned companies and non-profits that would like to participate and support market transformation with NAR Green Designated agents throughout the state should contact Craig Foley, the Chief of Energy Solutions for RE/MAX Leading Edge, at leadingedgegreen@gmail.com for more information about the LEGPP. NAR Green-Designated agents are encouraged to contact Craig about the program; affiliation with RE/MAX is not required.

About RE/MAX of New England and RE/MAX Integra

Since its inception in 1985, RE/MAX of New England has grown to over 200 offices and 2,700 sales associates throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  RE/MAX provides franchised residential and commercial real estate services to its franchisees and their real estate professionals. 

About Next Step Living

Next Step Living, No. 84 on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in the country, is the leading provider of whole-home energy solutions in New England. Headquartered in Boston’s Innovation District, Next Step Living makes it easy and affordable for people to live in homes with a low environmental impact. For information about buying and selling energy-efficient homes, download a complimentary ebook.

About U.S. Green Building Council, MA Chapter

The mission of the Chapter is to promote the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings and communities in Massachusetts through education, collaboration, and advocacy; this enables an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

About the National Association of REALTORS® Green Designation

NAR's Green Designation is the only National Association of REALTORS® conferred real estate designation designed for agents engaged in issues of energy-efficiency and sustainability in the various facets of real estate.
 

The Weekly Bulletin to 8/8/14

By Grey Lee

New office, new views:
 

 

The Chapter hasn't missed a beat. We are moving full steam ahead with vigorous programming for the rest of the year. We just had our August Board Meeting and discussed our upcoming website renovation – we have just selected a contractor and have a design charette in two weeks. We also talked about strategic priorities going into 2015 and how to engage on two or three major efforts to build out our capacity to reach our vision. What would you say to focus on? 

 

We also went through our budget and talked about events, fundraising and membership. 

Of course the big event is the Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase 2014 on September 30, 2014 at Genzyme.

All project parties are welcome to present a mounted poster of their LEED-Certified building(s) as a “Project Board Sponsor.” There are many categories of sponsorship resulting in advertising, video, and live presenting opportunities at the event. Look at the opportunities on our Showcase Sponsorship page

Next week, we have a workshop on 8/14/14 in Boston: The NET ZERO Imperative with architect Eric Corey Freed.

Also next week on Monday, the Residential Green Building Committee will gather to discuss green residential financing programs.

The Membership Committee is meeting on Tuesday evening.

Both of these meetings take place in Boston.

One last thing to keep on the calendar is the EPMA Summer Bike Tour – on Saturday August 23rd. We'll be biking from Central Sq, Cambridge, over to the Fenway all the way to the Arboretum. See you there!

 

 From our new office, we can see one of the biggest green buildings in Boston – One Beacon Place. They were also winners of our Green Building of the Year award this year. 
 
 
Below: getting together with the Living Building Challenge Collaborative. We were hosted at Next Phase Studios in Back Bay, planning a presentation for October.
 

 

Nitsch Engineering Ranked #2 Best Civil Engineering Firm to Work For

By Grey Lee

Congratulations to Nitsch Engineering, a USGBC MA Chapter Sponsor, for being named a great place to work!
 

 
For the sixth time, Nitsch Engineering, Inc. – a Boston-based civil engineering, land surveying, transportation engineering, sustainable site consulting, planning, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) firm – has been recognized as one of the Best Firms to Work For in the United States by ZweigWhite. Nitsch Engineering was ranked #2 in the ranking of civil engineering firms and #4 in the A/E industry overall.
 
“We are particularly proud of this award because the ranking weighs employee feedback more heavily than corporate information – which shows us that we’ve been successful in building a company where our employees feel respected, have challenging and exciting work, and are happy with the direction the firm has taken,” said Lisa A. Brothers, PE, LEED AP, President/CEO of Nitsch Engineering.
 
“Nitsch Engineering is dedicated to continuing to listen to our employees and to provide them with the work/life balance and professional growth opportunities that directly address their needs. We look forward to continuing to improve our workplace as we grow in the future – and to hopefully being ranked #1 soon!”  
 
The Best Firms to Work For list is one of the most meaningful rankings in the industry. The annual competition includes a corporate survey, which accounts for 25% of the total score, and an employee satisfaction survey that accounts for 75% of the total score. Grading criteria include corporate culture, benefits, compensation, professional development, performance/recognition, and recruiting/retention. All of this year’s winners can be seen on ZweigWhite’s website at http://www.zweigwhite.com/awards/best-firms-to-work-for/index.php.  
  
About Nitsch Engineering
 
Nitsch Engineering (www.nitscheng.com) specializes in providing civil engineering, land surveying, transportation engineering, sustainable site consulting, planning, and GIS services. Since 1989, the company has worked with developers, corporate and institutional owners, public agencies, and design professionals on major private development and public infrastructure projects in 18 states and five countries. Nitsch Engineering is the largest Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) civil engineering firm in Massachusetts and is also certified as a WBE by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) for states including New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

LEED Project Showcase 2014: Your Sponsorship is Requested

By Grey Lee

The following is a letter sent to over 150 eligible LEED Project Teams to encourage their participation in the Showcase. If you know anyone who's worked on a LEED-certified building in the past year and a half, please refer them to me so we can bring them on board and so they can earn the attention and accolades they deserve.
 

 

Congratulations!
 
You are eligible for the 2014 Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase. You are the LEED Project Administrator listed for a project certified since Jan. 1, 2013. You did read that right, we want projects since 2013.
 
Thank you for your hard work to ensure your project attained certification and has benefited from the third-party verification process that USGBC created through LEED. We want your project to be highlighted at the LEED Project Showcase. If you are not central to the project, could you help us by referring us to the person or team who would be? This is a gathering for all parties involved in the creation of certified green buildings.
We are hosting the Showcase on Tuesday evening September 30th at Genzyme on 500 Kendall Street in Cambridge MA.
 
 
We would like you to show off your project and sponsor a board, but there are also more significant sponsorship opportunities available.
 
The higher-level sponsorships include advertisements in the NEREJ, videos produced to describe the project for your future use, and opportunities to present at the event. This year we anticipate 250 people in attendance and excellent networking opportunities.
 
National Grid has already signed on as a Platinum Sponsor. You can see a video regarding last year's Showcase hereWe hope you will participate in this celebration of all things LEED!
Thank you for your interest, and please do not hesitate to correspond so I can clarify the event and the sponsorship opportunities.

Grey Lee
Executive Director

Please forward this message to colleagues with whom you've worked on a LEED Project.
 

Passive House Conference Gathering in Portland, Maine, in September

By Dona Pfeffer, NAPHN

by Dona Pfeffer, NAPHN

Portland, Maine to Host Global and Local High Performance Building Experts

North American Passive House Network 2014 will gather Passive House leaders from across the continent and around the world to share new developments in the future of low carbon construction.

Portland, ME will host the North American Passive House Network 2014: Conference and Expo (NAPHN14) at the Holiday Inn By the Bay on September 22nd and 23rd. Leaders in this future-proof building methodology will converge to share solutions on how to address resiliency, carbon reduction and climate change for the built environment. The Passive House Standard has fast gained momentum here in the North East and across North America with leading proponents participating in this event. Local NAPHN 
chapter, passivhausMaine, is thrilled to play host to this conference. 

Founder of the Passive House Institute, Dr. Wolfgang Feist, will keynote NAPHN14 with a presentation on how the Passive House Standard is evolving to incorporate Plus Energy buildings with renewable energy sources. In a recent press release on the new rating system, Dr. Feist stated, “A building that produces more energy than it consumes is not only possible, it is often very sensible.” 

With the North East’s challenging climate and strong history of environmental building design, the region has fomented a hotbed of Passive House innovation. Pre-fabrication and the use of non-petroleum-based building materials have surfaced as strong themes here. Local Passive House proponents will be represented in both presentations and two post-event Passive House Projects Tours. Projects on the tours include schools, a co-housing development, multiple residential projects along with retrofits of existing 
homes.

Presentations have been selected from the broad spectrum of climate and building traditions across North America including NAPHN members from Colorado, New York, California, New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Massachusetts. International presentations from Austria, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Belgium and China will exemplify the diversity and adaptability of this building methodology and make this the most globally-diverse Passive 
House Conference ever hosted on US soil.

NAPHN14 closing plenary speaker Gernot Vallentin, who's firm ArchitekturWerkstatt Vallentin founded by he and partner Rena Vallentin, was awarded the prestigious Best Educational Passive House Building at the 18th International Passive House Conference in Aachen, Germany. The Pulmuone Seminary and Training facility, located in Goesan, South Korea, was designed and completed in 2013 (see below).

The Passive House Standard has come to represent a universal level of quality and performance and it is this that will be showcased at NAPHN14 in Portland, Maine. 
NAPHN14: Conference & Expo website (with offered trainings, social events & tours).

 

The Pulmone Seminary and Training Facility in Goesan, South Korea

 

 

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?