Progress on PACE Legislation
By Grey Lee
The USGBC MA Chapter is thrilled that this legislation has moved this far this year.
Now it's time to push it to the House – we want a vote in the next two weeks before the session closes.
Please send a letter as soon as possible, using the language below to
- Your Representative in the Massachusetts House – https://malegislature.gov/People/Search
- Chair of the Ways & Means Committee of the House, Brian Dempsey – Brian.Dempsey@mahouse.gov
- Speaker of the House Robert B. DeLeo – Robert.DeLeo@mahouse.gov
The Weekly Bulletin to 7/11/14
By Grey Lee
First of all, big news is that the property-assessed clean energy (PACE) finance legislation we have been working on with Senator Brian A. Joyce has PASSED yesterday at the Statehouse. Senate Bill 2255 (replaced S.177) earned unanimous approval on a roll call 38-0 vote. The bill goes to the House – so we still have work to do but it is looking like the rejuvenation of PACE in Massachusetts is moving forward. We can expect to see a lot more renewable energy, energy retrofits and resiliency investments in the coming years. I haven't found any news item on this yet, but we will report to you all as soon as we see something.
Newly LEED Certified Buildings since the beginning of July include:
- 300 Concord Road in Billerica MA, certified LEED EB:OM v2009. This is a 378ksf office building. Congrats to Gary Thomas (LEED Project Admin) at CBRE and the entire team.
- UMass Amherst – Hampshire Dining Commons (40,000sf) just attained Gold in LEED NC v2009. Congrats to Dee Spiro at Bergmeyer and that team on a great job.
The UMass Amherst Hampshire Dining Commons |
Upcoming events for the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter:
- 7/16 (Wednesday) at 4:30pm – Credential-maintenance webinar on Green Schools (and new construction) in Boston. The story of the Hood River Middle School.
- 7/17 (Thursday) at 5:30pm – Healthcare Focus Networking Night at Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Charlestown. Join our sponsor, AtSite, to hear about the facility, designed for resiliency, with our tour guides from the architects, Perkins+Will.
- 7/23 (Wednesday) at 6pm – our Oceanview Summer Social in Boston – put on by our Emerging Professionals and open to all. Come for free appetizers from our event sponsor Forbo Flooring. It will be a great time!
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Another picture at UMass Amherst: any guesses? |
To Net Meter or Not to Net Meter…
By Craig Foley, ReMax Leading Edge
H. 4185 “An Act relative to net metering and solar power” is a compromise between Massachusetts utility companies, the solar power industry, and the state regulating bodies that administer the SREC program, MA DOER, as well the state body that regulates utility rates, the DPU.
- Net metering would be unaltered and its cap eliminated.
- Virtual net metering customers would be reimbursed at a lower rate to cover their use of the distribution system.
- The solar renewable energy credit (SREC) incentive system would be replaced by a performance-based, declining tariff incentive.
- All utility customers would be subject to a minimum bill.
- Governor Deval Patrick’s ambitious target of 1,600 megawatts of installed solar capacity would become a legally binding mandate. (The 2007 goal of 250 MW of solar capacity, originally set for 2017, was reached in 2013; we now have over 500 MW of installed solar capacity in MA).
Residential Committee Presentation on LEED v4 Changes from Will D'Arrigo
By Peter Sun, Residential Green Building Committee
On June 9th, USGBC meeting Will D’Arrigo from Conservation Services Group gave members a comprehensive review of LEED for Homes v4. Many changes were made to the latest version of LEED for Homes and members had an opportunity to discuss these changes.
Mini Grants Available for Green Apple Day of Service Projects
By Grey Lee
Note that Green Apple Day of Service projects don't need to happen on September 27th – there is flexibility in choosing a day for your event. More GADOS information and resources can be found by visiting the USGBC MA Green Apple Day of Service webpage.
For questions about the GADOS Mini-Grants contact Steve Muzzy, Green Schools Program Manager at smuzzy@usgbcma.org
Many thanks to our GADOS Mini-Grant Sponsors
Losing Ground: Planning for Resilience (5th Edition) by Mass Audubon – Report Released
By Grey Lee
Take a look at this great resource (download the full report).
Congratulations to Mass Audubon for producing this valuable document and maintaining the ongoing survey! We hope to continue in partnering to advocate for sustainable communities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
We have more resources regarding sustainable neighborhood development at our main website.
Fast Facts
Losing Ground: Planning for Resilience (Fifth Edition)
Patterns of Development and Their Impact on the Nature of Massachusetts
2005 – 2013
- From April 2005 to April 2013, approximately 38,000 acres of forest or other undeveloped land were converted to development in Massachusetts, translating to a pace of 13 acres per day through this 8-year period. Nearly 50,000 acres of forest were lost during this time period, with some developed and some cleared. Open land, including bare land, low vegetation, and agriculture, increased by approximately 10,000 acres.
- The rate of development is down from the rate of 20 acres/day reported in the fourth edition of Losing Ground (1999-2005) and 40 acres/day reported in the third edition (1985-1999). However, the current period of analysis includes the years of the Great Recession when development slowed dramatically. New housing permit data suggest that development will be trending back up towards previous rates.
- Nearly 41 acres/day were protected in the same time frame, totaling 120,389 acres or nearly 10% of all land that has ever been protected in MA.
- More than 3 acres of land were protected for every acre developed between 2005 and 2013. This is up from a 2:1 ratio from 1999-2005.
- 1.1 million acres of the state are now developed, or roughly 22% of the state. Over 1,250,000 acres are now permanently protected in MA, or just over 25% of the land area of the state. More than 2.8 million acres, or 53% of the land in the state, is neither developed nor protected. Of this, over 1.5 million acres (30% of the state) have been identified as being of high conservation value inBioMap2.
Envelope Renovation Energy Modeling Comparison Presentation
By Mark Dunn, USGBC MA West Branch
Stay tuned to the USGBC MA as we bring you more presentations of academic research into the science of building performance.
Green Building Tour at UMass Amherst
By Grey Lee
UMass has seen a major investment in new buildings in the past few years.
The tour focused on 3 facilities: 1) the new Integrated Learning Center 2) the scholars center residential complex and 3) the Hampshire Dining Commons.
Thank you to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department and members of the USGBC MA West Branch, especially Ludmilla Pavlova and Lorin Starr of the Western MA AIA for organizing this tour.
Below: the Integrated Learning Center – which will hold 20% of the campus' classes next year. It is on track to meet LEED NC Gold and correspond with the state's LEED Plus program.
The ILC has a great green roof – very well established plantings already.
Next we went to the Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex. This will be a landmark component of UMass Amherst welcoming ambitious students from the entire state university system.
The Honors Complex has numerous sustainability features and you can read more about it at Sustainable UMass.
We ended the tour with a dinner at the Hampshire Dining Commons which has recently been renovated to be a state-of-the-art facility linking local food production to the dining experience on campus. We heard a few brief presentations and enjoyed a great meal. This place takes the concept of a college cafeteria to a whole new level!
Thank you again to to the UMass Amherst Campus Planning Department, members of the USGBC MA West Branch, and Western MA AIA for organizing this tour!
Climate Co-Lab Contest is Open
By Javier Burgos
Proposals are due July 20th, 2014
- How can we inspire the public to think about the spaces they inhabit, things they would like in these spaces and voice their suggestions?
- How can we empower communities to enter the conversation about the design of buildings that are being built and designed for them?
- How can we create a mainstream conversation that will ultimately lead to greater demand for green buildings by communities and the public?
- How can we convert the values and desires of the public into real changes in the global building stock?
How can you and your community take a lead role on the green building conversation and increase your access to greener, healthier, more efficient buildings? Visit contest page