BE+ Community Blog
MA LEED Project Showcase
By Grey Lee Are you ready?! October 17, 2013, live at Google, it's: The Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase! We are celebrating the achievements of LEED certifications - every project team should come. We want to see and hear about these green buildings. At this...
USGBCMA on the radio!
By Grey Lee Grey Lee spoke with Rick Kaplan and Eric Wilson of the New England Real Estate Journal about the state of the green building industry and the USGBC on their recent NEREJ Radio Program. Take a listen starting at 31:05 - it's about a 14-minute interview....
Congratulations to New USGBC National Member Firms!
By Grey Lee Since the beginning of 2013, a number of firms based in Massachusetts have become members of the USGBC. We appreciate the support and the growth of our community, so we want to invite these firms to become more involved with the local Chapter (us!) through...
Department of Education Visits Two Schools in Massachusetts for Their ‘Education Built to Last’ Facilities Best Practice Tour
By Grey Lee Special Advisor to the Secretary Donald Yu and U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Director Andrea Falken visited U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools in Massachusetts on Tuesday, July 30th to see and discuss the ways school...
Ecodistricts Summit Coming to Boston, November 12th-14th!
By Grey Lee The EcoDistricts Summit, the premier conference dedicated to the global movement to promote sustainable neighborhood development, is coming to Boston this November! What’s an ecodistrict, you ask? An ecodistrict is a new model of public-private...
Regenerative Development for Breakfast
By Grey Lee Bill Reed and Jim Newman came to speak about regenerative development - not just regenerative design, but bringing regenerative concepts into each of our own minds to change the design approach fundamentally. Over a dozen Chapter members and friends came...
Project Spotlight: UMASS College of Natural Sciences Greenhouse and Laboratory (LEED Gold)
By Grey Lee The University of Massachusetts College of Natural Sciences (CNS) Greenhouse and Laboratory was awarded LEED Gold Certification in January 2013, after successfully achieving their sustainability goals while still meeting the needs of a high-tech research...
Networking Event Tips and Tricks
By Grey Lee This post follows up on a talk I gave at the July 2013 Summer Social. The content was obtained from several resources over the years. Mingling at events may be the most unnatural activity the human race has invented. Sure many of us are social, but...
IECC 2012 is Now the State Energy Code
By Carrie Havey On July 9th, the Massachusetts Board of Building Photo credit: www.mass.gov Regulations & Standards (BBRS) voted to adopt the most current version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2012). This makes Massachusetts one of the first...
Green Schools Update (July)
By Grey Lee by Steve Muzzy Green Apple Day of Service is two months away and we are making good progress in Massachusetts. We currently have 9 projects registered, with many more in the works. Be sure to check out the current projects for ideas or to register to...
LEED v4 is approved!
By Grey Lee by Grey Lee Photo credit: USGBC.org Members of the USGBC accepted the next version of our flagship building rating system, LEEDv4, with 86% voting in favor. The new system will be officially launched at Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia. Changes to the...
Thank you USGBC National Members!
By Grey Lee I recently sent out a note to all the USGBC National Members in the Commonwealth. It's a great group of almost 400 seriously green organizations! Hello, I wanted to say thank you to your firm for being part of the USGBC. Together, we are a powerful...
LEED EBOM and NC helping ensure that all parts of state can benefit from green practices and policies
By Grey Lee USGBC MA's Executive Director, Grey Lee, is a monthly contributor to the New England Real Estate Journal's Green Building Section. Their latest issue can be accessed here. Read Grey's article below! LEED EBOM and NC helping ensure that all...
Cast your Ballot for LEEDV4 by June 30th!
By Jim Newman Are you a member of the consensus body for LEED Version 4? Have you cast your ballot yet? What am I talking about? Remember, voting ends June 30th. The process of affirming the next version of the LEED rating systems, known as LEED V4 for each...
Say Goodbye to the Incandescent Lamp – and perhaps the CFL?
By Grey Lee by Chris Liston Say goodbye to the incandescent lamp - and perhaps the CFL? As the federal government continues to phase-out A-type incandescent light bulbs, a price war between Cree Lighting and Philips Lighting has pushed the life-cycle cost of A-type...