Happy New Year!

By Grey Lee, Executive Director

Hello Everyone!

Greetings from 2016!

I hope you are enjoying the transition of the years. 

We are really looking forward to a big 2016. You will see:

  • More great education – for general knowledge, GBCI & AIA credential maintenance and deep technical dives
  • Strong advocacy for green-building-friendly policies in Massachusetts and beyond
  • Powerful networking within our community, and connecting to other organizations
  • Innovation in industry mentoring and sustainability know-how
  • Fabulous celebratory events to mix and mingle
  • and lots and lots of sharing of the stories of our community

We can't wait to get going. See you soon. Make sure you sign up for our Annual General Meeting on 1/21/16 in Boston.

Thank you for your support, and see you soon!


 

Meet our Members: Alana Spencer

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Alana is a Sustainability Project Manager at Vanderweil Engineers focusing on LEED, Sustainable Design, and Energy Efficiency in the C+D and built environments. Vanderweil is primarily a MEP engineering firm and she works on the Sustainability Team within the firm. They offer integrated MEP/Sustainability services for their projects.  

Currently, she co-chairs the Events Committee at the USGBC-MA chapter.  This Committee organizes green building events throughout the year in the Boston area. Their goal is to raise awareness on all the amazing achievements in green building projects and products (LEED, Energy Star, Living Building Challenge, etc…) here in Massachusetts while educating those who attend our chapter’s events to inspire the continual growth of sustainability in the building community. If you have an idea for an event or on how they can enhance an event, your feedback is vital, feel free to reach out to them. This is a great community to be involved with, feel free to join the committee as well.

In her spare time, Alana works with various sustainability groups in the Boston area, continues to expand her sustainability knowledge base, and travels as often as she can. She's looking ahead to getting more involved in improved Resiliency efforts here in Boston and also learning more about the WELL Building Standard. On the Myers-Brigg test, she's an INTJ which translated into Star Wars characters, is the equivalent of Palpatine – so you know she is serious about sustainability with such a personality.

Fannie Mae: Spotlight on Green Building Certification Pricing Break

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Published on Written by Posted in LEED

 

This article was previously published on fanniemae.com. Read the full article.

More multifamily owners are pursuing Green Building Certifications for their properties now than ever before. Fannie Mae Multifamily is continuously innovating, improving our financial products to match our customers' financing needs. Offering the new Green Building Certification Pricing Break is part of that innovation.

The Pricing Break reduces the all-in interest rate on loans for multifamily properties with eligible green building certifications by 10 basis points (0.10 percent).

This October, SolTerra took advantage of the Green Building Certification Pricing Break on its $3.8 million mortgage loan for The Woodlawn, a LEED Platinum multifamily property in Portland, Oregon. With 10 bps off the all-in interest rate, SolTerra will save $24,551 in interest over the loan term. These savings create value for SolTerra and pay back the LEED certification cost in less than five years.

Congress passes funding and tax incentives for green building community

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Published on Written by Posted in Advocacy and policy

 

Congress has passed a sprawling spending bill and tax extenders package that covers funding for all federal agencies and includes short- and longer-term extensions for a number of popular incentives for businesses and consumers. Based on an initial review of the package, it is generally a win for those in green building.

The omnibus would provide $11 billion for programs under the Department of Energy, a $794 million increase above 2015. Specifically, the Buildings Technologies Office received a $28 million increase for next year. The bill also funds programs like the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes at $70 million and provides $10 million for a competitive funding opportunity to achieve deeper energy efficiency improvements in small and medium-sized buildings.

Funding levels at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were not as successful, at $8.1 billion, which is a $100 million reduction from last year’s funding. Although funding for agencies like EPA isn’t high, the good news is that the bill does not contain many of the problematic policy riders that had emerged through the appropriations process this year. USGBC commends Congress for removing policies that would have limited opportunities to pursue greater energy and water savings.

A number of real estate and energy incentives were also included for a two-year extension, one year retrospective for 2015 and one year prospective for 2016. This includes:

  • The 45(L) New and Efficient Homes Credit
  • The 179(D) Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction, with a standards update for 2016
  • Parity for employer-provided mass transit and parking benefits

The tax package also includes a five-year extension of tax incentives for wind and solar energy producers. The deal extends the 30 percent solar investment tax credit and a credit for solar-powered, energy-efficient properties for three years before winding it down for two years. Also, the deal extends the wind protection tax credit for two years before a three-year phase-out. The deal allows projects to claim the incentives once construction has been initiated, as opposed to after the project is completed. The Joint Committee of Taxation estimates these changes in total are expected to infuse more than $23 billion into the renewable energy market over the next decade.

Here's hoping that the beginning of next year is as productive as the end of 2015!

Annual Sustainable Dinner

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Please join the USGBC on Thursday February 11th @6:30pm for our Annual Sustainable Dinner hosted by the Commonwealth Restaurant.

We will enjoy a delicious & sustainable meal with the freshest locally sourced ingredients created by Chef Nookie along with an educational presentation on artificial lighting by our sponsor Jane Slade, RAB Lighting https://www.rabweb.com/:  

Light & Health – Starving for Darkness

Since the industrial revolution and the invention of the electric lightbulb, we spend more and more time bathed in artificial light. How do the artificial light and lack of darkness impact our bodies, and how does the illumination of our exterior environment impact wildlife? 

 

REGISTER HERE

When:  February 11th, 2016 6:30 PM   through   8:00 PM
Location:  11 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge, MA 02142

Chapter Members $ 40.00
Non-Members $ 55.00

 

Season's Greetings from USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi

By Grey Lee, Executive Director

Dear USGBC Community Leaders,   

As another great year draws to a close this holiday season, I find myself reflecting once again on the remarkable contributions of our grassroots community. With each day, more and more people are recognizing that sustainability is the key to a prosperous and healthy future. Because of your work and commitment, individuals see the USGBC community in their region as the “go-to” leader in green building and sustainable communities.   

Ultimate change in the marketplace happens at the grassroots level. As a recognized leader in the USGBC community, your ongoing contributions are essential to the continued advancement of the green building movement. It is through your work—strengthening local partnerships, mobilizing grassroots efforts, and advocating on behalf of green buildings and sustainable communities—that we will achieve our mission of market transformation.

At the United Nations’ 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) buildings were discussed at all levels, from the U.N Framework Convention on Climate Change to various private sector events. I mention this to highlight the fact that, while much of our work is local, our community is part of an international movement and you are a making a difference on a global level. On behalf of everyone at USGBC and green building advocates around the world, I thank you for your invaluable contributions over this past year and offer warm wishes for a joyful holiday and happy New Year.

Sincerely,
Rick Fedrizzi
CEO and Founding Chair
U.S. Green Building Council

Green Apple Day of Service at Boston Green Academy

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Boston Green Academy's Report on its Green Apple Day of Service:

Boston Green Academy's 7th grade students participated in a Green Apple Day of Service, which focused on electricity conservation.  The service project ran over the course of 4 months. The school received a grant over a year ago to put an e-gauge on their electrical meter, but due to the limited ability of the Boston Public Schools facilities department, it took a full 1.5 years to actually get it installed.  The project culminated in an action project where the 7th graders will monitor and record the school's energy use and help the rest of Boston's schools reduce their electricity usage.

By December 2014, the students got the ball rolling.  Their 10th Grade Environmental Studies class created a lesson for the 7th graders on electricity, including: how energy is made, how it gets to our school and homes and how conserving energy can help fight climate change.  They then taught the lesson through the 7th grade science classes.  The 10th graders were really nervous, but the middle schoolers thought they were the coolest and definitely listened to them.  

March: The school's energy dashboard system finally went completely online in February.  The 7th graders had several lessons where they explored the energy dashboard website.  The students played games where they had to search the website and find answers.  This helped them become familiar with the website and also helped them equate kilowatt-hours to dollars spent to carbon dioxide emitted. The lessons will culminate in a big action project where the students monitor electricity usage and use that data to help the rest of the school's student body thoughtfully reduce their electricity usage over time.

Not too late for a gift: Online LEED Courses (WELL too!)

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager


Visit our new webpage for online education!
GBES is an Education Partner with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in the development of new green building education courses and has partnered with the Massachusetts Chapter to provide online webinars for LEED credentialing and maintenance. 

“We are excited to take the next step in our long affiliation with USGBC,” said Charlie Cichetti, principal of GBES. “Our established role ensures that GBES will continue to offer our customers the most relevant, up-to-date, and high-quality materials for sustainability education.”

The education partnership with USGBC strengthens the GBES position as the industry leader in LEED exam preparation since 2007. GBES has been active in USGBC Chapters and other industry organizations throughout the United States, as well as key international groups, with both online and in-person education.

USGBC is moving away from its focus on developing and delivering its own green building courses. Instead, it supports GBES and others in the partner network to provide resources to produce best-in-class educational programs. Partners have access to a variety of data, including LEED credit achievement patterns and market trends. In addition, partners can connect with a wide range of subject-matter and education experts, and access all of the USGBC educational materials.

As an Education Partner GBES has access to USGBC’s intellectual property, industry data and marketplace analytics, as well as educational development resources, further enabling us to create content that meets the demand of green education consumers, including design firms, developers, Fortune 500 companies and USGBC chapters.

In a marketplace crowded with elementary and inadequately developed products, GBES offers sophisticated and powerful LEED exam preparation. Backed by the strongest commitment to client success in the industry, dedicated customer support, unrivaled expertise in accreditation training and the best technology, GBES is a reliable partner for learning LEED and passing the LEED exam the first time. 

Visit our site HERE! Tell your colleagues!

Don't miss the 5th Annual Sustainable Dinner

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

Please join the USGBC on Thursday November 12th for the 6th Annual Sustainable Dinner! Eat, drink and meet other members in the green building industry. Learn how we can be more colaborative as an industry to make green buildings the standard. The dinner will be hosted by the Commonwealth Restaurant, Cambridge with a fantastic menu created by Chef Nookie.  This year’s event will focus on healthy living in buildings. 

A delicious meal with the freshest locally sourced ingredients is always a good place to start, but did you know that the lighting around you can affect your health as well?  Event sponsor, Jane Slade, RAB Lighting https://www.rabweb.com/ will speak to the group about how proper lighting can affect your circadian rhythm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REGISTER HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When:  February 11th, 2016 6:00 PM   through   8:00 PM
Location:  11 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge, MA 02142

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Members $ 40.00
Non-Members $ 55.00