Zipcar Partners With DCR To Outfit 200 Zipcars With Free Annual Passes to Massachusetts State Parks

By USGBC MA Communications


Zipcar and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today announced a unique partnership that equips 200 Zipcars in Massachusetts with annual state park passes, enabling residents and visitors to explore the outdoors. Members of Zipcar can now reserve a vehicle equipped with a pass by visiting http://www.zipcar.com/dcr and park for free throughout the state parks system from now until the end of the year.

“An important element of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s mission is to increase awareness and visitorship at our state parks system, which is one of the best in the world offering natural and historical locations to visit throughout the Commonwealth,” said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. “Whether traversing the summit of Mount Greylock or enjoying a respite from the summer heat at Horseneck Beach, Zipcar vehicles will enable members to discover some of the most breathtaking landscapes Massachusetts state parks has to offer.”

The state parks system offers over 450,000 acres of parks, forests, reservations, reservoirs, and beaches to explore, and include important natural, cultural, and recreational resources. Additionally, the state parks system offers over 4,000 miles of trails, and is home to diverse flora and fauna throughout the Commonwealth. Zipcar is excited to work with DCR to offer our adventure-seeking members an even easier way to enjoy the just in time for summer.

 

International Parking Institute Announces 2017 Awards of Excellence Winners

By USGBCMA Communications


Partners HealthCare‘s $56 million, seven-level garage was an integral part of the 2015 master plan for its new corporate campus, which would consolidate its 15 offices scattered across Boston and create an outdoor space that would be enjoyed by the Somerville community. Sustainability was a major focus. The $56 million garage features an elaborate LED lighting system, a massive solar photovoltaic array that provides power to the garage and an EverSource power grid, and a sophisticated parking guidance system. The solar array is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ameresco.The sustainable features have yielded a 20 percent reduction in search times, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions; a popular community green space; and spaces for more than 100 bicycles. Future plans include electric-vehicle charging stations and vehicle ride-sharing options.

On the Project Team was USGBC MA Chapter sponsor, RDK Engineers, who contributed security/low voltage engineering expertise. RDK has been providing engineering services for over 100 years and delivers total building solutions to leading businesses and institutions nationwide. RDK’s innovative designs incorporate the use of a wide variety of cutting-edge, environmentally conscious technologies, as exemplified in this project. ​

The International Parking Institute (IPI) is the world’s largest and leading association of professionals in parking — professionals who keep all of us moving. Members include everyone from garage owners and operators to architects to city managers to government agencies, health care centers, universities, airports, and convention centers. IPI works to advance the parking profession through professional development, research and data collection, advocacy and outreach, and with experts from around the world in dozens of specialties to make sure parking and transportation function efficiently. So people, businesses, and communities can keep moving.

Eversource Massachusetts ranked top energy efficient utility in nation

By Emily Kingston

Eversource Massachusetts is number one in energy efficiency according to ACEEE’s first-ever scorecard of US utilities! The recently released report ranks the 51 largest energy companies nationwide on their energy efficiency programs, practices and innovations. Also placing in the top five is Eversource Connecticut, coming in at fourth place.  

ACEEE scored utilities based on three categories critical to energy efficiency– quantitative savings and spending performance; program diversity and emerging areas; and targets, business models, and evaluation.

Eversource Massachusetts was recognized as one of only a few utilities taking some of the more forward-thinking energy efficiency approaches, such as promoting smart thermostats, residential geo-targeting, zero net energy buildings, and advanced space-heating heat pumps.

“We're honored to have achieved a number one performance ranking for our work in a state that has been first in the nation in energy efficiency for six years in a row,” said Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner. “Our energy efficiency programs in Massachusetts save an estimated three dollars for every dollar spent, so customers truly benefit when they let us help them to use energy more wisely.” 

The company was rated especially strong in the number of high performing energy-saving initiatives they offer. ACEEE also praised the efficiency programs that are in place for low income residents. In total, Eversource Massachusetts saved more than 28 kWh per residential customer with their low income programs.

“As a utility that serves three states in New England, we’re heartened to have also earned a fourth place performance ranking in Connecticut,” added Conner.  “The dedication of our employees to administering effective, cost-efficient programs clearly crosses state lines.” Utilities in the Northeast, the highest-scoring region, earned, on average, 62% of total points, followed closely by those in the West, which earned 57%.


The Northeast average is more than twice that of utilities in the Southeast, the lowest-scoring region, and nearly twice that of utilities in the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast. For US electricity customers, utilities are the primary providers of energy efficiency programs. These programs benefit both households and businesses. Energy efficiency allows utilities to avoid or defer building new power plants, reduces pollutants associated with electricity generation, and can lower customer bills. 

For more information on Eversource Massachusetts’s energy efficiency initiatives, or to learn more about saving energy at home, visit Eversource.comand MassSave.com

Registration Now Open for Greenbuild 2017!

By USGBC


Registration is now open for the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Greenbuild is presented by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and owned by Informa Exhibitions. Taking place this year in Boston, Mass. at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. An attendance of 25,000 is anticipated from across the green building sector, spanning commercial and residential professionals, architects, building owners and operators, students, advocates and educators.

“Greenbuild offers a forum for the green building community to unite, change lives, revolutionize business and address pressing issues in the built environment,” said Kate Hurst, SVP of Conference & Events, U.S. Green Building Council. “Important topics covered through this year’s line up include air quality, human health, energy and water use, indoor environmental quality, human health, land development, materials selection and reducing CO2 emissions, to name a few.”

Greenbuild Boston will feature:

  • Inspiring keynote speakers
  • Opening plenary
  • Greenbuild Celebration
  • Master series
  • LEED workshops
  • A packed exhibit hall with groundbreaking green building products and services
  • Local green building tours
  • 150+ educational sessions for all of your credentialing maintenance needs
  • USGBC Leadership Awards
  • The Women in Green Power Breakfast
  • USGBC Leadership Luncheon

Greenbuild will also hold three separate summits including the Communities & Affordable Homes Summit, Waterbuild – the water summit at Greenbuild, and the popular International Summit. Greenbuild will feature sessions on LEED, GRESB, Parksmart, PEER, SITES, WELL, Zero Waste and Investor Confidence Project.

Greenbuild has become the go-to place for the green building industry to convene, and it is where the future of the green building movement is shaped. The ideas and passions of the green building community come alive each year at Greenbuild. It’s where inspiration happens, business relationships are cultivated, innovation is recognized and celebrated and where people from around the globe come to reconnect and remind each other why they do what they do – and why they work hard every day to better the built environment.

For more information on Greenbuild 2017 and to register, visit http://greenbuild.usgbc.org, follow @Greenbuild on Twitter and tweet hashtag #Greenbuild to join the conversation.

Program offerings are now live for Greenbuild India and Greenbuild China, two new shows that were added this year to serve as a platform for green building knowledge and shared expertise across continents—while scaling the breadth and reach of global market transformation for the built environment. For information on Greenbuild India and Greenbuild China visit: http://greenbuild.usgbc.org.

Original press release by Greenbuild/Informa here.

Greening Greenbuild: Supporting Sustainability in Hospitality

By Brandon Dervishian


USGBC MA is All In for a wicked green Greenbuild 2017! As the three-time top ranked city in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s annual City Energy Efficiency Scorecard, Boston not only talks the sustainability talk, it walks the walk. The Greening Committee for Greenbuild 2017 is convening conversations around sustainable operations in Boston’s hospitality and service industries and encouraging Greenbuild attendees (you all!) to support local green businesses during your visit to Boston.

We expect 30,000 green building advocates and practitioners to visit Boston this fall to learn and collaborate at Greenbuild ’17. Most of those attendees will be booking hotel rooms, navigating Boston’s streets and public transit networks, and eating out along the way. Greenbuild itself always strives to be a sustainable and environmentally responsible conference, with particular attention to hospitality and waste management…So what are some ways we can practice what we preach during Greenbuild?

Let’s start with hotels, which are typically large consumers of energy and water with a median EUI of 187 kBtu/ft2. Energy is the second largest operating expense for a typical hotel after employee payroll.  Utilities usually account for 4 – 6 percent of revenue, but can be as high as 10 percent.  The excessive use of energy is extremely costly for a hotel’s bottom line. As large energy and water consumers, even minor adjustments in behavior and operations can lead to massive cost savings and environmental benefits.

TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Program is a five-tier rating system developed with input from national and international green industry experts, including the USGBC’s LEED Certification Program.  GreenLeaders must achieve numerous minimum requirements to be qualified, including linen and towel reuse plans, energy benchmarking and tracking, recycling plans, energy efficient lighting, staff and guest outreach and education, and properly treated waste water (on-site or municipal sewage system).  TripAdvisor offers different certification tiers, including Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, based on numerous performance and prescriptive criteria. Upon proving their commitment to sustainability and high-performance operations, GreenLeaders earn a badge – TripAdvisor’s green leaf logo – on their property’s listing page. Hotels must renew their GreenLeader surveys annually, driving long-term commitments to sustainable operations in the industry.

Greenbuild is proud to partner with seventeen Boston hotels that are leaders in environmentally responsible business practices, as demonstrated by their TripAdvisor GreenLeader certification. The USGBC Massachusetts’ Greening Greenbuild committee is developing strategies to help promote and support these green leaders by coordinating educational meetings to share best practices and resources related to energy efficiency and climate resiliency. We will help you determine your hotel’s own energy and water performance, encourage hotel leaders to excel in their GreenLeader certification, and promote resources and opportunities for investing in energy efficiency and sustainability in Boston. Stay tuned for additional resources and information collected to help inform you about your hotel options during Greenbuild, and to make this year’s Greenbuild the biggest and greenest yet!

 

Brandon Dervishian CxA, CEM, LEED AP

Commissioning

R.W. Sullivan Engineering

The Schrafft Center . 529 Main Street, Suite 203 . Boston, MA 02129
main 617.523.8227 . direct 617.337.9348 . cell 617.543.7869

bld@rwsullivan.com. www.rwsullivan.com

Madison Park High School Green Building Tech Club

By Jen Cole

As part of the Road to Greenbuild, the USGBC MA has begun a legacy project at Madison Park High School called the Green Building Tech Club. The after school program starting in September will run 3-5pm once a week and introduce and prepare the underrepresented community at the vocational high school to “green economy” careers in facilities management. Students involved will be engaged with presentations from various local professionals, a trip to the Expo Hall at Greenbuild 2017, tours of high-performance green buildings in our area, as well as mentorship from Wentworth Institute of Technology Environmental Collaborative. 

Over 30 students came out to the informational session last week and 15 signed up to be apart of the club when they return to school in the Fall. Almost 50% of the interested students were female and 90% of all students at the high school are people of color. All of the students were interested in the jobs and internships that will come from the participation in this program. It is our hope that the legacy of this club at Madison Park will be a catalyst for developing green building programs in curriculums of vocational schools throughout the Commonwealth. 


The idea for the Green Building Tech Club came from a need to build awareness of the 'green economy' career opportunities and to encourage young people to explore these options that they might not have otherwise considered. The USGBC Massachusettes Chapter wants students to be interested in pursuing careers in the trades with a specific eye towards sustainability. We cannot thank Madison Park High School administration and faculty enough for being excited and in full support of this new club for their students. 

Throwback Thursday to the 2015 Green Building Showcase

By Jen Cole


With the 2017 Annual Green Building Showcase coming up on June 15th, we want to look back and reflect on our past achievements. In 2015, we changed the name of the annual event from the LEED Building Showcase to the Green Building Showcase we all know it as today in order to welcome all building certifications like WELL or the Living Building Challenge.

Our Green Building Showcase from 2015 was such a memorable night of celebrating our community! Over 150 people and 45 project boards filled at our 2015 Showcase hosted at Harvard's LEED Gold art museum facility at 32 Quincy Street – the Calderwood Courtyard.

We are always impressed with the award winners each and every year! In 2015, Architerra won the Innovation in Green Design award, for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters in Westborough MA. This was an outstanding net-zero energy building that to this day demonstrates the Commonwealth's commitment to these better buildings. The big Green Building of the Year Award went to The Green Engineer for their work on the Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston MA. 

We hope to see everyone that is a part of our community on June 15th at Northeastern University's ISEC building for the biggest Showcase yet!

 

Vive Le Vert

By USGBC MA Communications


We’re not champions for green because of international agreements – although we’ve put our name to paper in support of them on more than one occasion. We’re not champions for green because it’s what the vast majority of our customers and employees want – though they do.

We’re champions for sustainability because sustainability is core to our values.  We are a construction and development company.  We like to say we build what matters.  The schools, bridges, homes, hospitals, office buildings, airports and countless other forms of social and civil infrastructure we build have immediate and lasting effects on the communities where we work.

Think back to 1995. There was no such thing as LEED®.  “Green” defined a color, not a high-performing building.  “Renewables” probably had more to do with magazine subscriptions than how your electricity was generated.

That same year, Skanska joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. A year later, the first of our business units achieved ISO 14001 certification (today, our entire business carries this environmental certification). The point is, Skanska is all in on sustainability and has been for more than two decades.

While we can build virtually anything, we endeavor to build the best, most sustainable projects.  That is not only the right thing to do; it is the most responsible business strategy supporting our investors, our customers and our communities. When we put our resources to work in support of research like the Living Building Financial Study, we lay the groundwork that, over the past 10 years, has seen deep green net-zero energy and water buildings go from dream, to reality. When we are good stewards of the environment surrounding our projects, we ensure that construction activities don’t foul the water that our communities depend on. When we develop projects to achieve LEED Gold certification or better, we help make sure our growing cities can accommodate more people and a larger built environment by conserving resources. If we help save the planet in the process, all the better. We’ll continue to push the boundaries to get to the next level of sustainable performance like we always have.

The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music in Miami was awarded LEED Platinum earlier this year and features rooftop solar panels that provide about 16% of the building’s electricity needs.

Today, we join hundreds of like-minded businesses universities, municipal and state governments to say that Skanska’s commitment to sustainability isn’t affected by whether or not our federal government joins the chorus in support of the Paris Accord.

We will stay the course because regardless of the compelling science regarding global warming, it is smart to build buildings and infrastructure projects that pump less pollution into the atmosphere.

West Riverfront Park in Nashville achieved LEED Gold certification and features over one mile of multi-use greenway trails.

It is smart to build projects that are so efficient that they save tenants and owners millions of dollars in utility costs.

It is smart to build highways that are lit by lights that are a fraction of the cost to operate and safer to maintain.

It is smart to build schools and hospitals that use designs proven to improve educational and health outcomes.

Simply: It is always smart to seek new and innovative ways to deliver better value. And a lot of those happen to correlate with the greenest ways to deliver value, too.

Capitol Tower is the first Houston development to reach LEED v4 Platinum precertification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and was one of only three core and shell projects nationally pre-certified under the standard. The building will use 25 percent less energy than typical facilities.Carbon is a useful common denominator in doing the math on delivering valuable assets that will endure over time.  Using carbon values, it is possible to tally the cost of dissimilar things like utilities, materials, transportation of materials and people, so the total life cycle benefit of different solutions can be compared.  Owners and project teams can then pick the smartest solution.  That is smart business, Paris Accord or not.

We look forward to exploring ways to drive a low-carbon economy and a more sustainable future with our partners and clients because it’s in our blood. We made our decision on the Paris Accord long before it was ratified and the decision was easy: we are all in.

 

Historical Renovation: Former School Turned Affordable Senior Housing

By USGBC Communications

Can you imagine a historical renovation of a former middle school to be redesigned to offer affordable senior housing?


That's what the Keith Construction project team has done in Albany, NY. The project consisted of a historically sensitive renovation of the 230,000-square-foot, former Philip Livingston Magnet Academy. This vacant and underutilized landmark structure was transformed into a mixed-income senior living community with 103 rental units, including studio, one and two-bedroom apartments. The historic fabric of the original building has been maintained through the renovation process. Classrooms were converted into apartment homes, and large open areas that once housed the administrative offices, auditorium and two-story school library were converted into amenity areas for the residents. Additionally, the proposed development provides quality affordable housing to residents, creating a true mix of incomes within the community.

The renovation has been redesigned to include the following: 

  • Business Center;
  • Community Room;
  • Expansive Green Space;
  • Fitness Center;
  • On-Site Recycling Program; and
  • Wireless Café

USGBC Massachusetts Statement on the Paris Climate Agreement

By Celis Brisbin and the Board of Directors


USGBC Massachusetts stands together with Governor BakerMayor Walsh, and the more than 80 other Governors and Mayors across the region and across the country who have committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and to pushing forward despite the failure of Federal leadership.

We condemn the decision of the current Administration to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, and we redouble our commitment to drive sustainable and regenerative design, construction, and operation of the built environment!  As professionals, practitioners, and builders responsible for the construction and operation of our buildings, infrastructure, and communities, we can and will continue to lead the climate change fight! We can and will build carbon neutral cities and communities.

Now more than ever, our vision of thriving and diverse communities that are creating net positive buildings and neighborhoods provides a path forward.  Together, we are showing that positive environmental and social outcomes are not at odds with economics, but are actually drivers of new economic growth and new job creation. Today, Massachusetts and Boston lead the nation in energy efficiency and green building construction. We are a hub of innovation and economic growth and we are committed to a thriving and inclusive society.

We are confident that even in the face of an antagonistic Administration,  we can demonstrate leadership and we can work together towards a positive future for everyone.  
Join us in this!  

Become a member, or a sponsor, or attend our upcoming Showcase of projects demonstrating this work, and together we will help fulfill on the Paris Climate Agreement.

Sincerely,
The Board of Directors and Celis Brisbin, Acting Executive Director