Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts Meeting
2020-01-27 18:00 - 19:30, 2020-02-24 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Conference Room Windrose, 5th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02110, United States
EMERGING PROFESSIONALS OF MASSACHUSETTS (EPMA)
The EPMA Committee is a great venue for becoming more engaged with green building community and forming meaningful connections with colleagues across the industry. Our monthly meetings are open to anyone interested in becoming more involved.
MEETING AGENDAS TYPICALLY INCLUDE: The meeting starts with a 45 minute discussion with the committee leaders regarding planning for upcoming EPMA events and USGBC MA Chapter updates. All are welcome to this portion of the meeting as we look for volunteers to help plan events. Please join us at 6:45pm for the presentation and networking. Below is the breakdown of the meeting agenda:

6:00-6:40pm: Committee Meeting
6:40-6:45pm: Break/Introductions
6:45-7:20pm: Presentation
7:20-7:30pm: Networking

THIS MONTH’S FEATURE PRESENTATION:
Stay tuned for an update on the presentation!a
A BIT MORE ABOUT EPMA:
Chairs: Lindsey Machamer, Jasmine Abdollahi
The Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts (EPMA) Committee is a community of ascending professionals across the green building industry and allied fields that provides professional support, development and advocacy tools through active networking, monthly programming and community events. To learn more about EPMA, join the mailing list by following this link (select the Emerging Professionals e-mail list), visit our EPMA facebook group page (USGBC Emerging Professionals – MA) or send an email to emergingprofessionals@usgbcma.org.
EPMA Events Include:

Building Tours
Sustainable Bike Tour
Networking Nights
Neighborhood Clean-Ups
Student Programming

Check out our calendar for the latest schedule!

2020 Annual General Meeting
2020-01-28 18:00 - 21:00 | Payette HQ, 290 Congress St, Boston, MA, 02210, United States
Date: Jan 28th, 2020 | Time: 6:00 – 9:00pm | Location: Payette HQ | 290 Congress St, Boston, MA, 02210
It’s that time of the year again, when we all come together to celebrate the volunteers, members, and successes that make our USGBC MA community amazing! We’re ringing in the new year with food and drinks and an awards ceremony for our members, as well as wrapping up voting for the Board of Directors and the organizational name change.
This past year we have accomplished a lot together, such as advocating for zero energy policies, launching inaugural conference Design 4 People, and awarding King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools & Community Complex the title of 2019 Green Building of the Year at our Green Building Showcase.
The Annual General Meeting is also when we conclude two voting sessions: the 2020 Board of Director’s election and the vote for changing the organizational name to “Built Environment Plus”. Voting is limited to USGBC MA members only and will occur at the Annual General Meeting on January 28th, beginning at 6:00 PM. In order for the organizational name change to occur, two-thirds of our current members must vote in favor of this change. Proxy ballots for both votes will be sent by email to all members on January 13th. More information will be released soon about the nature of the organizational name change.
The evening will conclude with an announcement about the results of both voting sessions.

Presinar: Life-Cycle Assessment, LEED v4, and Environmental Product Declarations Webcast
2020-02-19 16:30 - 18:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, Floor 16, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
GBCI: 0920020398
Learn how to document the least implemented requirements in LEED v4 Materials and Resources credit category from an expert life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioner.
Course Objectives:

Gain understanding of what life cycle assessment (LCA) is, including specific terms and definitions.
Define what whole building LCA (WBLCA) is and how it is applied within the LEED v4 BD+C building life-cycle impact reduction credit.
Define environmental product declarations (EPD) and be able to locate and identify life cycle information for materials and products for the LEED BD+C v4 building product disclosure and optimization – environmental product declarations credit.
Learn how to document the least implemented requirements in LEED v4 Materials and Resources credit category; understand life cycle thinking and how aspects of LCA and EPDs apply to LEED BD+C v4 building life-cycle impact reduction and building product disclosure and optimization – environmental product declarations.

Credits: 1 AIA 1 GBCI (LEED Specific BD+C, GA)
https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/smart-cities-11692994

Two-Part Building Energy Modeling Course Part 1 | Green Building Training Program
2020-02-26 09:30 - 16:00 | 5th Floor “Meridian” Conf Room, 50 Milk St, 5th Floor "Meridian" Conf Room, Boston, MA, 02109
About the Class
You and your business may be eligible to take this training for FREE! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

NOTE: This event is a two-part series.* The course is arranged in this way to allow you to practice the energy modeling in between courses:
Class 1: Feb 26th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Class 2: March 11th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Building Energy Modeling is a versatile, multipurpose tool that is used in new building and retrofit design, green certification, qualification for tax credits and utility incentives.
Learning Objectives: After completing the course, attendees will be able to: 1) describe how modeling is used as part of an integrative design process 2) construct simple commercial building energy models using eQuest 3) interpret the results of energy models 4) distinguish between design models and validation models.

*This course was originally listed as two separate courses occurring on Feb 26th and March 11th.
This now funded through the Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund’s Massachusetts Training Exchange. If you are a small, Massachusetts-based business that employs 100 people or less, you and your employees may be eligible to take this training session for free! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

Women in Green: Community Lunch
2020-02-27 12:00 - 13:30 | China Pearl Restaurant, 9 Tyler St, Boston, MA, 02111, United States
Instead of packing lunch for work, why not join the USGBC MA for our Women in Green: Community Lunch! On Thursday, February 27th, come meet other women in the Massachusetts, sustainable design community and enjoy a variety of dim sum dishes at China Pearl. There are only 40 seats available, so make sure to register early.

Talking Trash to Save Money: A Guide on Planning Efficient Waste Streams
2020-03-03 09:00 - 11:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, Floor 16, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
When architects fail to plan for several waste streams, that building manager can expect to pay up to three times as much in sorting, disposal, and hauling fees, as well as workers’ compensation. This course is designed to ensure designers understand the space and electrical requirements necessary for dock space, and the internal storage of trash, recycling, organic food waste, and special materials. Lack of planning for these elements has direct effects on the ability to sort and separate waste materials, custodial safety, and the cost of waste contracts.
Learning Objectives
Planning strategies will focus on…

access by waste hauling vehicles
external space necessary for waste containers
internal container storage
movement of containers throughout facility

Meet Our Speakers

Gretchen Carey

Gretchen Carey is the Recycling and Organics Coordinator of New England for Republic Services. She is also a LEED Green Associate and Zero Waste TRUE advisor, and has been in the solid waste field for 13 years. Gretchen is also the President of the statewide non-profit, MassRecycle.

Two-Part Building Energy Modeling Course Part 2 | Green Building Training Program
2020-03-11 09:30 - 16:00 | Meridian Conference Room, 5th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
About the Class
You and your business may be eligible to take this training for FREE! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

NOTE: This event is a two-part series.* The course is arranged in this way to allow you to practice the energy modeling in between courses:
Class 1: Feb 26th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Class 2: March 11th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Building Energy Modeling is a versatile, multipurpose tool that is used in new building and retrofit design, green certification, qualification for tax credits and utility incentives.

Learning Objectives:
After completing the course, attendees will be able to:

describe how modeling is used as part of an integrative design process
construct simple commercial building energy models using eQuest
interpret the results of energy models
distinguish between design models and validation models.

*This course was originally listed as two separate courses occurring on Feb 26th and March 11th.
This course is now funded through the Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund’s Massachusetts Training Exchange. If you are a small, Massachusetts-based business that employs 100 people or less, you and your employees may be eligible to take this training session for free! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts Meeting
2020-03-16 18:00 - 19:30 | Conference Room Windrose, 5th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02110, United States
** This month’s EPMA meeting will now be hosted virtually in response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. A Google Hangouts invite will be sent through the EPMA newsletter and to registered attendees on Eventbrite. **

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS OF MASSACHUSETTS (EPMA)
The EPMA Committee is a great venue for becoming more engaged with green building community and forming meaningful connections with colleagues across the industry. Our monthly meetings are open to anyone interested in becoming more involved.
MEETING AGENDAS TYPICALLY INCLUDE: The meeting starts with a 45 minute discussion with the committee leaders regarding planning for upcoming EPMA events and USGBC MA Chapter updates. All are welcome to this portion of the meeting as we look for volunteers to help plan events. Please join us at 6:45pm for the presentation and networking. Below is the breakdown of the meeting agenda:

6:00-6:40pm: Committee Meeting
6:40-6:45pm: Break/Introductions
6:45-7:20pm: Presentation
7:20-7:30pm: Networking

THIS MONTH’S FEATURE PRESENTATION:
Stay tuned for an update on the presentation!a
A BIT MORE ABOUT EPMA:
Chairs: Lindsey Machamer, Jasmine Abdollahi
The Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts (EPMA) Committee is a community of ascending professionals across the green building industry and allied fields that provides professional support, development and advocacy tools through active networking, monthly programming and community events. To learn more about EPMA, join the mailing list by following this link (select the Emerging Professionals e-mail list), visit our EPMA facebook group page (USGBC Emerging Professionals – MA) or send an email to emergingprofessionals@usgbcma.org.
EPMA Events Include:

Building Tours
Sustainable Bike Tour
Networking Nights
Neighborhood Clean-Ups
Student Programming

Check out our calendar for the latest schedule!

Bird Safe Design: Strategies for Designing Bird-Friendly Buildings
2020-03-17 13:00 - 15:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, Floor 16, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** “Bird Safe Design” will now be hosted virtually in response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. Registered attendees will receive their Zoom meeting link a few days before March 17th. **

This class will review the science that explains bird collisions, how to recognize hazards present in the built environment, and a range of building designs that illustrate solutions. These case studies will explore many of the available strategies for reducing bird mortality; these bird-friendly strategies oftentimes bring additional value to design decisions for heat, light, and security. We will review regulations connected to bird-friendly design, including the use of the LEED credit as well as current legislation that mandates safer design for birds. Techniques now in use for evaluating the relative threat level to birds of different materials are also described in this course, along with typical results.

Course objectives:
● Identify and apply current best practices in reducing bird collisions in new design
● Integrate bird-friendly architecture with other aspects of green design
● Understand existing and potential legislation mandating bird-friendly design
● Use LEED Pilot Credit #55: Reducing Bird Collisions

CANCELLED | Presinar: Get Inside the Building Automation System: Your Building’s Brain
2020-03-18 16:30 - 18:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, 16th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** In response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19, we are exercising caution by rethinking our events programming. For the time being, all presinars up until June will be cancelled until further notice. We thank you for your cooperation and patience. **

GBCI: 0920020330
Learn how a Building Automation System (BAS) can provide benefits in three key areas: environmental, comfort, and financial. This session will take a look at modern commercial BAS basics including architecture, networks, controllers, programming tools, and user interface. You will discover how to evaluate and select a BAS that meets your needs. We will also make sure you are up to speed on the latest BAS trends including ASHRAE guide 36, automated fault detection and diagnostics, mobile applications, and even IoT-based BAS. You will leave with an understanding of how a BAS can help your building be greener, more user-friendly, and less expensive to operate.
Objectives:

Describe BAS components, system architecture, and network.
Explain the basic steps in specifying a BAS.
Define basic procedures in comparing and selecting BAS.
Discuss the recent trends and new development in BAS.

Credits: 1 AIA 1 GBCI (LEED General)
https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/get-inside-building-automation-system-your-building%E2%80%99s-brain-12622537

Women in Green: Culture of Courage
2020-03-30 08:00 - 11:00 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Corporate Office, 12th floor Conference Center, 101 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02199, United States
Endurance. Encourage. Empower.
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
101 Huntington Avenue, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, 12th Floor Conference Center
Women are driving the sustainability of the built environment. We are tasked with the most important mission of all: healing the earth.
This event is for professionals to network and connect with leaders in the field, promote women’s leadership across the environmental and built environment industry, and to channel our efforts to build a better world where both genders have equal access to and are involved in leadership and decision-making.
At Women in Green 2019 we will share examples of when we’ve been courageous and hear from a panel of women as they discuss their own journeys and the need to be fearless.
Enjoy breakfast as we center ourselves and envision how together we can heal the planet.
Agenda
8:00 am – Networking Breakfast8:35 am – Welcome and Introductions,8:55 am – Table Activity, with Discussion Led by Table Leaders9:40 am – Moderated Panel Conversation with Q&A11:15 am – (Optional) BCBSMA Office Talk & Tour with Carolyn Manoukian, Design & Construction Manager, BCBSMA, & Monica Nakielski, Director, Sustainability and Environmental Health, BCBSMA

Meet Our Speakers

Carol Gladstone
Commissioner, DCAMM

Carol Gladstone was appointed by Governor Baker to serve as Commissioner of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and started in that role on Feb. 26, 2015. She comes to this position with more than 35 years of experience in both public and private real estate and project management.
Prior to her appointment, Carol was a Principal in project management and real estate at Stantec Consulting, an international architecture and engineering firm, following the acquisition of her firm GLC Development Resources. GLC was co-founded in 2000, and provided real estate development and advisory services to private, public and non-profit clients.
Gladstone’s public sector experience includes three years as the Assistant Receiver for Community and Economic Development for the city of Chelsea during the state receivership. She also spent time in state government as the director of Real Estate for DCPO (the previous name for DCAMM).
Carol began her career as a project manager at the Beacon Companies, where she was responsible for the award winning Rowes Wharf mixed-use waterfront project and the Hotel Meridien (now Langham Hotel).
Gladstone previously served as vice chairwoman of the Massachusetts State College Building Authority and as a Trustee of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. She is currently board president of the Brookline Arts Center.

Laura Keenan
Corporate Sustainability Officer / Vice President, Communications and Change Management

, Fidelity

As an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the corporate, institutional and public sectors, Laura has leveraged her strategic problem-solving skills throughout her career to strengthen the communities that she has had the pleasure of working with. Whether as a public sector architect, manager of a corporate art group, or as a sustainability officer responsible for Fidelity’s environmental footprint, she has worked to establish and implement a long term strategy that best supports each entity’s future needs.

Kimberly Lewis
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development, USGBC
Kimberly Lewis is Senior Vice President for market transformation and development in North America at the U.S. Green Building Council. Kimberly is laser focused on diversity, inclusion, equity, and advancing transparency and excellence within the green building market. She directs all of USGBC’s market development through local communities, members, volunteers and emerging professionals, delivering on the USGBC mission to improve the quality of life for all through more sustainable cities and communities worldwide.
She was the founder of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo and launched the USGBC Women in Green leadership platform events. She serves as the governance chair on the board of directors for Groundswell and was the former chair of the board of trustees for the Green Building Foundation. She has also served on advisory boards in the hospitality industry, city-level convention and visitors bureaus.
Committed to healthy communities and equitable access to green buildings regardless of income level, Kimberly has been recognized with numerous awards. In April 2011, Kimberly received prestigious recognition as the White House Champion of Change for Clean Energy.
Later that year, she was named the inaugural president of the Green Meetings Industry Council’s Greater Washington Area Chapter.
Before joining USGBC in 2003, Kimberly worked as senior meeting & events manager of incentive and recognition at WorldCom Inc. She is a graduate of Hood College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science.

Penni McLean-Connor
Chair, Eversource | ACEEE

Penni McLean-Conner is the chief customer officer and senior vice president of Customer Group for Eversource Energy. She is responsible for providing Eversource Energy’s 3.5 million electric and gas customers with high-quality customer service and delivering a cost-effective portfolio of electric and gas energy efficiency programs. Ms. McLean-Conner has over 25 years of experience in the utility business and has authored two books, Customer Service: Utility Style, and Energy Efficiency: Principles and Practices, which was published in early 2009.
Ms. McLean-Conner holds a BS in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University and is a registered professional engineer. She is active in the industry and her community, serving on several boards beside ACEEE’s including the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) and the Consortium of Energy Efficiency (CEE).

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If you would like to sponsor Women in Green: Culture of Courage, simply e-mail Meredith Elbaum at meredith@usgbcma.org or call the office directly 617-752-2422.

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POSTPONED | Building Tour: The Smith Campus Center
2020-04-09 18:00 - 20:00 | The Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center, 1350 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, 02138, United States
Photo provided by Harvard University

** In response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19, we are exercising caution by rethinking our events programming. This tour has been postponed until further notice. We thank you for your cooperation and patience. **

You are invited to join the Built Environment + Emerging Professionals of Mass. on a tour of the Harvard University Smith Campus Center on April 9, 2020 at 6pm.
Come hear about the recent updates to the Smith Campus center – the inclusion of living walls irrigated by rainwater, the incorporation of glass and glass bridges to connect spaces, and the addition of outdoor terrace spaces.
Learn how the design and project management teams came together to update this building designed in the brutalist style and sometimes called “Harvard’s first high-rise”.
On the tour we will learn about the project, sustainability in the space and how programming will make use of the updated features.
The tour will be led by Shirin Karanfilogl | Director, Harvard Capital Projects, Julie Crites | Director, Harvard Common Spaces, and Frank Nitti | Project Manager, Harvard Green Building Services.
We hope to see you there!

Boost Organizational Resilience: People, Processes, Places Thriving in a Time of Crisis
2020-04-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Online event
We are now seeing how critical organizational resilience is and how unprepared we are to deal with the human side of a crisis – from business continuity to psychological health. This webinar addresses the three pillars of resilience: People, processes, places, with a focus on the people and people-related processes. We address business processes, single points of failure, data security, managing people in a virtual environment and more. We will record and archive this presentation if you can not join live.

In our industry, we think of resilience predominantly as a physical infrastructure issue – passive survivability, uninterrupted power supply, and managing storm surges and flooding. The other side of resilience is business continuity and the human aspect of organizational function. Our current experience with COVID-19 is truly emphasizing how critical it is to be prepared to address the human dimension and manage operations from that perspective.
This webinar will address the issues of enhancing organizational resilience during times of crisis in general and a pandemic in particular. In the current situation where most people are working remotely, a variety of business processes, and ‘cultural’ norms are adversely affected. We will discuss the three pillars of resilience: People, processes, places, with a focus on the people and people-related processes.
Staff who are in managerial or leadership positions, will need to adapt leadership styles to accommodate the new reality of remote teams, and cultivate a stronger sense of team membership to facilitate productivity. In addition, staff will have the increased burden of balancing work obligations and home responsibilities (especially if they have younger children or others requiring more care).
The webinar will provide answers for the following questions:1. What are the psychological principles that should guide engaging with employees throughout the process of dealing with crisis?2. How can a “single point of failure” be avoided?3. Which of our business processes are vulnerable to disruption?4. How do we avoid burnout and employee turnover?
We will review practical “fixes” addressing issues related to communication; structuring the workday; and maintaining staff engagement. Finally, we will review strategies for self-care, personal resilience, and caring for others (employees, family members, etc.).

Meet the Presenter

Dr. Guy Sapirstein
Resilience Consulting
With a PhD in Clinical Psychology, Guy has been on the cutting edge of applied social science for the past 20 years. Following the events of September 11, 2001 he began collaborating on the development of models for enhancing resilience through individual, community and organizational preparedness and response. Those models have been successfully implemented across the United States and internationally. Currently he splits his time between coaching clients on personal and organizational resilience, helping leaders implement strategies for resilience in their organizations, and providing resilience focused psychotherapy for individuals and couples.

An experienced speaker, Guy has presented at numerous conferences including the first UN sponsored International Strategy for Disaster Reduction conference in Davos, Switzerland. His articles have appeared in academic journals, trade publications and textbooks. Additionally, he co-authored several manuals (on crisis response and interventions) that have been translated into several languages and widely distributed by IBM Corporation as part of their crisis response following disasters in the USA, Pakistan, China, the Philippines and Haiti. Guy holds a PhD from the University of Connecticut and a BA in Social Studies from Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Site and Sustainable Water: Native and Adaptive Vegetation
2020-04-15 09:00 - 11:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, 16th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** “Sites and Sustainable Water” will now be hosted virtually in response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. Registered attendees will receive their Zoom meeting link a few days before April 15th. **

We realize many people have been financially impacted by COVID-19, which is why we changed the price of our webinar to a pay what you can model! Our webinars are typically $35, but you can pay however much you want (Eventbrite’s minimum payment is $1.00).

This course will be an introduction to the SITES rating system, along with a deeper discussion on certain site strategies including low impact development techniques and planting with native and drought tolerant plans. It will focus on understanding water use on site, its natural cycle as well as the larger context and impact of water locally. In addition, it will cover the importance of soil and plant management, with strategies that are specific to the project site and location.
Techniques that will be discussed will include: reducing water use for landscape irrigation, low impact development techniques, choosing native and drought tolerant plans, providing pollinator and bird habitat, restoring native plant communities, managing invasive plants, and creating soil management and pest management plans.
Both the LEED rating system and SITES rating system will be used for this course.
Meet the Presenters
Carrie Havey, LEED Fellow, SITES AP, is a Senior Sustainability Consultant with The Green Engineer. She works collaboratively with project teams to provide sustainable design advice and LEED guidance throughout all project phases. She has been the sustainability consultant on over 50 projects, including: higher education facilities, k-12 schools, healthcare, labs, municipal buildings, and commercial interiors. Carrie has over 20 years of experience, initially working in the fields of urban planning and landscape architecture. Carrie is a member of the USGBC’s Sustainable Sites Technical Advisory Group (SS TAG) and previously served for four years on the Location and Planning TAG.
Sandy Brock has over 30 years of experience in the civil engineering field. A registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a Certified Floodplain Manager, Sandy has developed an expertise in sustainable site design.
Sandy graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. She spent two years designing and constructing rural water supplies in Malawi, Africa for the Peace Corps. She is a member of the USGBC Sustainable Site Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and is chair of the Grafton Conservation Commission. Sandy has presented at various industry events on topics such as site development permitting and stormwater management best management practices.

CANCELLED | Presinar: The Process for Zero Energy Office Buildings: The Next ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide
2020-04-15 16:30 - 18:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, 16th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** In response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19, we are exercising caution by rethinking our events programming. For the time being, all presinars up until June will be cancelled until further notice. We thank you for your cooperation and patience. **

GBCI: 0920020734
ASHRAE has just released the next Advanced Energy Design Guide. This zero energy guide focuses on what is needed to achieve zero energy in office buildings. The session will focus on the EUI targets focusing on the selection and design of the HVAC systems. It will also cover lighting, plug loads, and envelope design as it applies to the HVAC system to ensure that the office building can be built to the zero energy target. How-to tips and practical advice will be presented as well as successful zero energy case studies.
Learning Objectives:

Describe a process for creating a zero energy office building
Apply a set of Energy Use Intensity targets to achieve a zero energy office building
Provide an overview of the Advanced Energy Design guide for Zero Energy office buildings
Describe the interactions between envelope, lighting, plug loads, and HVAC design and the integrated roles that architects and engineers should follow to achieve low-energy design.

Credits: 1 AIA 1 GBCI (LEED General)
https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/process-zero-energy-office-buildings-next-ashrae-advanced-energy-design-guide

Managing Change in Crisis
2020-04-21 13:00 - 14:00 | Online event
Managing change is a constant in business, but in these times, we are faced with more and faster changes with no way to predict what will happen from day to day. Pervasive uncertainty kills productivity and morale. Successful change management results from a combination of effective leadership, clear and targeted communication, team building, emotional intelligence and appropriate levels of transparency. Leaders need to create for employees as much safety and predictability as they can, as well as some level of perceived control in their lives. The practical tools and approaches shared in this webinar are useful all the time, and especially valuable during this pandemic and attendees will leave with immediately applicable strategies.

This course is also available through the Workforce Training grant.

Meet the Presenter

Barbra Batshalom
Sustainable Performance Institute, Founder
Barbra has been a leader in the green building movement since 1998 when she left 12 years of traditional architecture practice to found The Green Roundtable (GRT) a nonprofit whose mission was making green building mainstream. GRT was the USGBC’s Affiliate in MA for 9 years and supported the growth of the LEED program.
Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI), originally a program of GRT, focuses on high-level interventions to institutionalize sustainability at the organizational level in processes, systems and policies nationally, working with companies to implement change management strategies and achieve measurable improvements in performance and profitability across their portfolios. SPI’s SMARTsustainability ™ program provides a framework to evaluate the capability of A/E/C firms to deliver consistent, high quality sustainability services and was adopted by HUD for affordable housing developers.
SPI’s transformative workshop programs have been delivered to hundreds of organizations nation-wide to help raise the bar on professional practice in the industry. Barbra is an adjunct professor teaching Sustainable Real Estate Development in Brandeis University’s International Business School. She has served on numerous boards, government task forces and committees to help develop public and corporate policies for sustainability and teaches courses on change management for sustainability for professionals around the world.
Her work focuses on the intersection of systems, processes and culture. With a diverse background of fine arts, social psychology and 20+ years in architecture and sustainability consulting, she brings a variety of skills to her work and a unique perspective engaging the human dynamics of decision-making and creative collaboration to technical work.

Built Environment Plus Virtual Town Hall
2020-04-21 16:00 - 17:00 | Online event
Join us on April 21st for a virtual town hall! As a member-based organization, we’re reaching out to our community for input as we re-examine our programming and efforts in light of COVID-19–this meeting will give you an opportunity to share your opinions about the direction Built Environment Plus is moving towards. We’re exploring ways to expand our educational opportunities, keep our community connected, progress our advocacy efforts, and provide resources as needed.

LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation | Green Building Training Program
2020-04-22 09:00 - 17:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, 16th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** “LEED Green Associate Exam Prep” will now be hosted virtually in response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. Registered attendees will receive their Zoom meeting link a few days before April 22nd. **

About the Class
You and your business may be eligible to take this training for FREE! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

The LEED Exam Prep Course is a comprehensive course which will prepare attendees for the LEED Green Associate. This eight-hour course is designed to cover the segments of the Green Associate Exam. If you have specific questions regarding a specialty exam, feel free to bring these questions to class and the instructor will cover these identified areas.
This is a fast-paced class for real estate professionals, architects, engineers, students, and anyone interested in green building practices and LEED. The majority of attendees have little previous knowledge of the LEED rating system, green building operations, and green building construction. Upon completion of the class, employees will be eligible to sit for the LEED Green Associate exam at a local testing center. Please note that the national office has lowered their student rate to $100–read more at usbgc.org. By passing the exam, employees will earn the LEED Green Associate credential.
The course is divided into the following, one-hour long sessions:

Introduction – This section will explain the LEED Green Associate credentialing process and serve as an introduction to LEED, sustainability, the USGBC, the GBCI, and the LEED rating system.
Location and Transportation / Sustainable Sites – Topics include site issues such as connectivity, transportation, erosion, landscaping, and heat island effect.
Water Efficiency / Energy and Atmosphere – Topics include water issues (plumbing efficiency, irrigation, process water, etc.) and energy and atmosphere issues (demand, efficiency, renewable energy, ozone-depleting substances, etc.).
Materials and Resources – Topics include procurement and waste diversion.
Indoor Environmental Quality – Topics include indoor environmental quality issues such as occupant comfort and green cleaning.
Innovation / Regional Priority / Certification Process – This section will explain the LEED certification process, as well as the Innovation and Regional Priority categories.
Exam Review – Discussion of exam format and registration and sample exam questions.
Exam Review – Reviewing sample exam questions.

This course is now funded through the Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund’s Massachusetts Training Exchange. If you are a small, Massachusetts-based business that employs 100 people or less, you and your employees may be eligible to take this training session for free! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

2020 Virtual Earth Day Cleanup
2020-04-25 - 2020-04-26 | Virtual Event
Since The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup will now be held this autumn, celebrate Earth Day by joining the EMPA in a virtual cleanup! Grab a pair of gloves and a trash bag and cleanup some litter in your own neighborhood. We encourage you to participate in this cleanup in the safest possible way: maintain six feet from others, wear appropriate protective equipment such as a mask, and only pick up trash in areas where you feel safe and comfortable. If you don’t currently have the proper protective gear, simply document the trash with pictures and come back when you’re prepared to remove it.
Even though you might not be right on the Charles River, everyone’s neighborhood is part of a watershed! Check out the maps below to figure out which watershed you are benefiting and tell us in your social media post.
We are on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag us and include the hashtags #trashtag and #EPMAcleanup. After you post, search the hashtags to connect with others who are cleaning up as part of the same community!
The virtual event will be held all weekend, April 25th & 26th

Find Your Watershed Below:

Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts Meeting
2020-04-27 18:00 - 19:30, 2020-05-18 18:00 - 19:30, 2020-06-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Online event
** This month’s EPMA meeting will now be hosted virtually. A Zoom invite will be sent through the EPMA newsletter and to registered attendees on Eventbrite. **

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS OF MASSACHUSETTS (EPMA)
The EPMA Committee is a great venue for becoming more engaged with green building community and forming meaningful connections with colleagues across the industry. Our monthly meetings are open to anyone interested in becoming more involved.
MEETING AGENDAS TYPICALLY INCLUDE: The meeting starts with a 45 minute discussion with the committee leaders regarding planning for upcoming EPMA events and USGBC MA Chapter updates. All are welcome to this portion of the meeting as we look for volunteers to help plan events. Please join us at 6:45pm for the presentation and networking. Below is the breakdown of the meeting agenda:

6:00-6:40pm: Committee Meeting
6:40-6:45pm: Break/Introductions
6:45-7:20pm: Presentation
7:20-7:30pm: Networking

THIS MONTH’S FEATURE PRESENTATION:
Stay tuned for an update on the presentation!
A BIT MORE ABOUT EPMA:
Chairs: Lindsey Machamer, Jasmine Abdollahi
The Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts (EPMA) Committee is a community of ascending professionals across the green building industry and allied fields that provides professional support, development and advocacy tools through active networking, monthly programming and community events. To learn more about EPMA, join the mailing list by following this link (select the Emerging Professionals e-mail list), visit our EPMA facebook group page (USGBC Emerging Professionals – MA) or send an email to emergingprofessionals@usgbcma.org.
EPMA Events Include:

Building Tours
Sustainable Bike Tour
Networking Nights
Neighborhood Clean-Ups
Student Programming

Check out our calendar for the latest schedule!

Against the Grain: Designing and Building with Cross Laminated Timber
2020-05-01 09:00 - 10:30 | Online event
Participants will gain an understanding of the general properties, design, engineering, project financing considerations, and carbon impacts of Cross Laminated Timber construction.

Architects, engineers, state, and local climate leaders face substantial challenges with regard to meeting increasingly aggressive climate goals in the built environment. Interest in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is beginning to expand in the United States, due to a combination of technology improvements, emerging acceptance among building code officials, local economic development potential, carbon sequestration, construction waste reduction and other benefits. An expert panel will explore the potential to harvest native northeast tree species for CLT production, and examine design, engineering and CLT project finance considerations. The panel will conclude with a Q&A segment, and a brief joint exercise to help identify CLT market development priorities.

Meet the Panelists

Galen Nelson, Chief Program Officer at MassCEC, will moderate the panel.
Dr. Peggi Clouston is a Professor of timber engineering and wood mechanics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her current research involves engineering cross laminated timber panels from northeastern species. A registered professional engineer since 1992, she also serves as Associate Editor of the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.
Colin Booth is the Strategic Director of Placetailor, a Boston-based design-build-develop cooperative focused exclusively on Passive House and Zero Emissions workforce housing. With 20 years in design, Colin’s expertise is in the integrated design process and integrated delivery models necessary for the rapid adoption of more sustainable technologies.
Jennifer Hardy AIA is a Senior Associate at Payette and a 2020 AIA Young Architect Award recipient. Jennifer is currently leading a team designing a hybrid mass timber structure and exploring different ways to integrate carbon reduction into a project while enhancing design goals.
Patrick McCafferty, PE is the Structural Engineering Leader and a Project Director of Arup in Boston. Patrick specializes in the design of architecturally expressed structural engineering solutions across a wide spectrum of building typologies. He and his teams regularly employ mass timber design solutions on their many projects, including for the design of the MADOT Aeronautics Division’s Regional Airport facilities recently deployed throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

POSTPONED: Two-Part GPRO Operations and Maintenance Course
2020-05-05 09:00 - 17:00 | 5th Floor “Meridian” Conf Room, 50 Milk St, 5th Floor "Meridian" Conf Room, Boston, MA, 02109
About the Course
You and your business may be eligible to take this training for FREE! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website. NOTE: This course is a two-part series.

Schedule:
Class 1: May 5th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Class 2: May 12th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Qualifies for 12 AIA, GBCI, and PDH (Health, Safety, and Welfare Including Core Technical) CE Credits.
GPRO: Green Professional Building Skills Training is a comprehensive national training and certificate program that teaches the principles of sustainability and trade-specific green construction knowledge to people who build, renovate, and maintain buildings. GPRO is owned and managed by Urban Green Council and brought to you USGBC MA through expert local certified instructors. Learn more about the GPRO certificate at the official GPRO website.
Certificate holders will be prepared to work in accordance with new regulations and to meet the expectations of owners and tenants who want healthier, environmentally sustainable, and energy-efficient homes and offices.
The GPRO Operations & Maintenance Essentials (O&M) course provides building professionals with strategies to reduce energy use while improving tenant comfort and health. This course is ideal for property managers and building staff in both residential and high-rise commercial buildings, including building superintendents, operators, facility and property managers, operating engineers, and stationary engineers. Learn more about the Operations & Maintenance Essentials Course.
Learning Objectives
1) Take a systemic approach to operating and maintaining a building.
2) Evaluate building performance.
3) Identify measures that will improve building health, energy or water efficiency of your building, as well as the next steps needed to achieve them.
4) Explain the costs and benefits of those measures.
Registration comes with…

a course workbook
exam session; GPRO Certificates are awarded to those who pass this exam (80% or higher). The exam is open book.

This now funded through the Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund’s Massachusetts Training Exchange. If you are a small, Massachusetts-based business that employs 100 people or less, you and your employees may be eligible to take this training session for free! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

POSTPONED: Two-Part GPRO Operations and Maintenance Course
2020-05-12 09:00 - 15:00 | 5th Floor “Meridian” Conf Room, 50 Milk St, 5th Floor "Meridian" Conf Room, Boston, MA, 02109
About the Course
You and your business may be eligible to take this training for FREE! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website. NOTE: This course is a two-part series.

Schedule:
Class 1: May 5th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM | Class 2: May 12th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

GPRO: Green Professional Building Skills Training is a comprehensive national training and certificate program that teaches the principles of sustainability and trade-specific green construction knowledge to people who build, renovate, and maintain buildings. GPRO is owned and managed by Urban Green Council and brought to you USGBC MA through expert local certified instructors. Learn more about the GPRO certificate at the official GPRO website.
Certificate holders will be prepared to work in accordance with new regulations and to meet the expectations of owners and tenants who want healthier, environmentally sustainable, and energy-efficient homes and offices.
The GPRO Operations & Maintenance Essentials (O&M) course provides building professionals with strategies to reduce energy use while improving tenant comfort and health. This course is ideal for property managers and building staff in both residential and high-rise commercial buildings, including building superintendents, operators, facility and property managers, operating engineers, and stationary engineers. Learn more about the Operations & Maintenance Essentials Course.
Learning Objectives
1) Take a systemic approach to operating and maintaining a building.
2) Evaluate building performance.
3) Identify measures that will improve building health, energy or water efficiency of your building, as well as the next steps needed to achieve them.
4) Explain the costs and benefits of those measures.

This now funded through the Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund’s Massachusetts Training Exchange. If you are a small, Massachusetts-based business that employs 100 people or less, you and your employees may be eligible to take this training session for free! Learn more about this opportunity at our Green Building Training Program website.

Building Tech Forum: Roadmap to 2050
2020-05-20 16:00 - 17:30 | Online event
** UPDATE: Building Tech Forum has been rescheduled for May 20th and will now be hosted virtually. **
This event will be the first of a series of “Tech Forums,” each featuring a different theme and lineup of expert speakers. A new session will be scheduled every couple of months and will feature 10-15 speakers. Unlike prior Building Tech Forums, this new iteration will feature an online web forum that will host discussions and recordings of the sessions. The forum will serve as a place for folks to make connections and keep up-to-date with major innovations in the industry. While we love hosting Building Tech Forum in person, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the virtual Tech Forums bring the same level of excitement and energy!

Location: Remote Web Conference
Date: Wednesday, May 20th, 2020 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM (EDT)
Governor Baker has increased the Commonwealth’s commitment to carbon neutral by 2050. In order to achieve this, Massachusetts is developing a roadmap to reduce emissions by 80% 100%. At the same time, the BBRS is drafting a Net Zero Stretch Code. The City of Boston is developing performance standards for existing residential and commercial buildings, Brookline residents voted in favor of a natural gas ban, and the City of Somerville just passed carbon neutral zoning. The landscape is changing quickly, the Building Tech Forum will provide the context for how we get there.
How we manage and consume energy, design and build our cities, and understand our carbon footprint will change over the next thirty years.
Join us at Building Tech Forum 2020 to share your roadmap to ’50. Through five minute lightning presentations, experts will speak about innovations that are changing the way we design, construct and operate the built environment. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn and to connect with the people behind the amazing innovations happening within our community!
Curious about what last year was like? See some photos, stats, and presentations.

CANCELLED | Presinar: Speech Privacy & Sound Masking in Modern Architecture
2020-05-20 16:30 - 18:00 | “Edison” Conference Room, 16th Floor, 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
** In response to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19, we are exercising caution by rethinking our events programming. For the time being, all presinars up until June will be cancelled until further notice. We thank you for your cooperation and patience. **

GBCI: 0920020745
This course will review the importance of workplace speech privacy in relation to health, safety, and welfare along with solutions in sound masking technology.
Learning Objectives:

Understand the importance of acoustic privacy in the workplace
Describe the principles involved in the ABC’s of good acoustical design
Understand what speech privacy is and how it is measured
Understand what sound masking is and what role it plays in speech privacy
Identify some of the major design issues related to speech privacy in open offices, private offices, and health facilities.

Credits: 1 AIA 1 GBCI (LEED General)
https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/speech-privacy-sound-masking-modern-architecture-12784705

Conversation Series: New Perspectives on Health & Well-being | Air Filtration
2020-06-09 08:00 - 08:45 | Online event
Join our community for a series of early morning conversations with coffee in hand. Each discussion will be led by an expert who will dive deep into one aspect of health and well-being in the built environment with a sustainability overlay. As we adapt our built environment to address virus mitigation we must ensure that the solutions are sustainable. We are stronger and wiser together. Please add your voice to the conversation.
Our goal is to summarize the conversations in a series of brief white papers that will help inform the building industry.
This first session will focus on “air filtration” and will feature guest speaker John Swift of Buro Happold – many more sessions will follow!

White Paper Coming Soon

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Conversation Series: New Perspectives on Health & Well-being | Fresh Air
2020-06-16 08:00 - 08:45 | Online event
Join our community for a series of early morning conversations with coffee in hand. Each discussion will be led by an expert who will dive deep into one aspect of health and well-being in the built environment with a sustainability overlay. As we adapt our built environment to address virus mitigation we must ensure that the solutions are sustainable. We are stronger and wiser together. Please add your voice to the conversation.
Our goal is to summarize the conversations in a series of brief white papers that will help inform the building industry.
This session will focus on “fresh air” and will feature facilitator Jacob Knowles of BR+A and guest speaker Patrick Murphy of Vanderweil Engineers.

White Paper Coming Soon

Registration

Comments

MenuHome
How Sustainable Are COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies for Buildings?
Antimicrobials
Air Filtration
Air Monitoring
Cleaning Practices
Fresh Air
Humidity Control
Pressurization
UV Light

Have Questions or Conversation Topics? Reach out below:

Name

Email Address

Message

6 + 2 =

Submit
