As SMMA’s Sustainability Manager, Steven is responsible for LEED administration on various projects, as well as facilitating project teams, clients, and consultants in delivering sustainable design practices, applications, and documentation. Steven balances his time between sustainable corporate and residential projects and advancing green schools, currently working on Waltham and Somerville High Schools as well as Shark Ninja’s Corporate Headquarters. Steven is coleading the team curating the panelists for our upcoming Healthy Materials Summit, and we're excited to be working with him.
After obtaining Master's of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University, Steven became immersed in the built environment, seeking to advance the comprehensive benefits of what he defines as sustainable design: capitalizing on aesthetics, energy and water performance, durability, return on investment, and space functionality. The notion that sustainability is simply buying some materials with recycled content is dated; instead, Steven focuses on the new model of “Net Positive” buildings that give back more than they take.
A thought leader in sustainable design strategies, Steve has chaired discussions at the Building Energy Conference, Architecture Boston Expo, and Building Technology Forum. For his additional work with the USGBC, Steven led the Green Building Bike Tours, presented on LEED v4 for Schools at the NESEA conference – ultimately turning it into a National Webinar – and now acts as a USGBC Board Member and Treasurer.
By Alexander Landa, Outreach and Communications Manager
Take a break from reading books and Google searches, and come join us for a day-long LEED Exam Prep Course instead! On October 19th, our event will help bring you up to speed with LEED practices, to help you prepare for your exam.
For real estate professionals, architects, engineers, students, and anyone else who has a passion for green building practices and LEED, this course is designed for individuals of all knowledge levels, and to cover a vast majority of exam topics.
By Alexander Landa, Outreach and Communications Manager
Contact Information:
Name: Alexander Landa
Phone: 617-752-2422
Email: amlanda@usgbcma.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Balance Headquarters Design by Elkus Manfredi Architects Wins Green Building Showcase Building of the Year Award 2016
[Boston, September 26, 2016] At the 2016 Green Building Showcase awards held on September 22, 2016, at 888 Boylston Street in Boston, MA, Elkus Manfredi Architects was awarded the 2016 Green Building Showcase Building of the Year Award for its design of the New Balance Headquarters located in Brighton, MA. The LEED Platinum-certified design was recognized for its commitment to being environmentally-friendly and healthy for occupants, as well as being a prime example of modern engineering. Standing out among other green buildings in the contest, the new Balance Headquarters signifies the impact that forward-thinking companies – in partnership with designers such as Elkus Manfredi – can have on the built environment.
Completed in September 2015, the five-story, 250,000-square-foot New Balance Headquarters building is the sole LEED v2009 CS Platinum project in the United States to achieve all Indoor Environmental Quality credits, and only the third in the world. New Balance leadership envisioned its new headquarters as a state-of-the-art environment that would not only carry the company into the 21st century as a leading force in its core business, but also embody the corporate commitment to the health and well-being of its employees, its community, and our planet. The LEED Platinum certification of the new Headquarters is testament to that commitment.
Created by the USGBC’s Massachusetts Chapter, the annual Green Building Awards Program acknowledges the achievements of recent green building projects in the Commonwealth. All of the buildings featured in this event have made strides to ensure they are healthy for the environment and are prime examples of modern sustainable architecture.
For the Showcase event, the Chapter was honored to welcome distinguished real estate professionals representing the institutions of Harvard, MIT, BioMed Realty, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Cambridge Redevelopment, who noted that the New Balance Headquarters project outperformed others in the five criteria that were the basis for this distinguished award: social equity, innovation, replicability, and positive environmental and economic impact.
Congratulations to Elkus Manfredi Architects and New Balance on this outstanding achievement.
By Alexander Landa, Outreach and Communications Manager
Are you free this Friday at all? Well, if you want an excuse to begin the weekend early, it's not too late to attend the Second Annual Energy Conference on September 30th at Northeastern University Campus. Organized by the Energy Systems Society, this event will be covering a wide array of topics relating to energy, such as looking at renewable energy from an entrepreneur standpoint, and making connections between big data analytics and energy.
As described on the event's homepage, “The mission of the Northeastern University Energy Systems Society (ESS) is to bridge the gap between industry and academia, as well as development and sustainability. Engaging students and professionals from across the energy spectrum, the conference will establish a solution-based discussion to energy problems. This will not only serve as a knowledge platform, but will also help address serious sustainability issues that the current world faces. Conference registration will be open to the general public, including students, staff and faculty from neighboring colleges and universities, industry and government representatives, and other organizations in the Greater Boston and New England area.
This unique event will be taking place Friday, September 30th, from 8:00AM to 7:00PM at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center (360 Huntington Ave., Boston MA).
By Alexander Landa, Outreach and Communications Manger
Congratulations to all who participated in the biggest and best Showcase ever!
It was amazing and wonderful to see the Chapter community come together to celebrate some really great green buildings.
Green Building Showcase 2016 was a huge success! We want to thank all of you for attending what is one of the most important nights of the year for us. Without you, this event wouldn't happen. All of the speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and the community as a whole all helped bring this night to life, and it came out great.
Of course, one of the best parts of this event was simply being inside the beautiful 888 Boylston building. 888 Boylston proves how far we've come with technology and innovation. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, both inside and outside, it's also environmentally-friendly (otherwise it wouldn't be the best place to hold an event, obviously). With an awesome view of the city, unique lighting, and modern amenities, this is proof that green buildings can be fun as well as incredibly practical. At least one point during the event, everyone in attendance stopped, looked around, and said “This building is beautiful.” They aren't wrong.
The night started with a lot of energy right off the bat. For what was probably the only time this will ever happen, over half of the attendees arrived early. We're going to assume this is proof that everyone was really excited to be there! Once everyone got upstairs and settled in, everyone went straight to networking and enjoying the heavy apps and drinks. Before speakers went on stage, everyone had the chance to check out the boards and vote for their favorite entries in the Green Building Market Leadership Award Series. It wasn't easy to pick favorites with all of the amazing entries.
From there, the stars of the night took the stage to deliver some enlightening and energetic speeches. Bryan Koop, Liyang Wang, Mark Stafford, Austin Blackmon, and Grey Lee all showed why the room was packed, and why the Green Building industry deserves to be in the spotlight. These are the people changing Boston for the better, modernizing our wonderful city and giving an already-historical city more landmarks to stick out. Also thanks to Rick Fedrizzi for attending!
After a short pause for more food and mingling, it was time for the final votes to be cast for the winners of the night.
To wrap up the night on a good note, the winners were announced. The winners of all 8 categories went up to the stage to claim their awards, ending with the Green Building of the Year Award. The winners were:
Water Efficiency: HDR, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Energy Efficiency: Columbia Construction Company, Fisheries & Wildlife New Field Headquarters
Site: HDR, Thea & James M. Stoneman Centennial Park at Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Health and Wellness: Elkus Manfredi, New Balance Headquarters
Social Equity: The Green Engineer, Boston Public Library Johnson Building Renovation
Resilience: The Green Engineer, Smuttynose Brewery
The judges created a Green Building of the Year Special Merit Award for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Fisheries & Wildlife Headquarters building due to it's exemplary performance as a large net zero energy building that they felt needs to be seen more often.
And in the end, the 2016 Green Building of the Year went to Elkus Manfredi for their entry of the LEED Platinum New Balance Headquarters in Allson!
The night didn't end there, of course. What would an event be without with more networking, exchanging business cards, meeting new people, and of course, desserts and drinks. No one was seen with a frown at the end – the entire floor was filled with laughter, handshakes, hugs, and smiles all around. Who wouldn't have fun in the wonderful 888 Boylston and free food/drinks?
Again, we want to thank everyone for coming. Without all of your support, this night wouldn't have happened. Thanks to the major sponsors, the host Boston Properties, the awards committee, judges, the various volunteer teams from Turner, Elkus Manfredi, Duplessy, the bartending staff, and especially the many speakers for creating contributing to a great time.
We can't wait for next year's event, and for everything else in-between now and then.
If you didn't get the chance to see September 2016's newsletter, you can catch up with everything going on here.
Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you soon!
The green building bike tour had another successful year, with beautiful weather to boot! Our tour of the East Boston Greenway was an excellent excuse to explore and cycle the up-and-coming neighborhood of East Boston. The tour was lead by Alison Richardson, Principal at Brown, Richardson & Rowe, Inc., and prime designer of the East Boston Greenway, with supplemental help from Katie Davis of Harvard Green Building Services, and Steven Burke of SMMA and the USGBC MA Board.
We gathered at Maverick T station on Saturday morning to kick off our adventure. Some highlight stops included Bremen Street & Memorial Stadium Parks, the East Boston Public Library, the Logan Greenway Connector and the Consolidated Rental Car Facility for Logan Airport. Alison Richardson walked us through the complex history of the Greenway, sharing stories about land acquisition, community input and the design process. Since its opening in 2007, the Greenway has helped transform the communities of East Boston by providing safe and cared-for spaces of refuge, exercise, gathering and play.
We concluded our tour at KO Pies, a delicious local icon where we enjoyed views of the HarborArts Shipyard Gallery and the sounds of the Marina.
Woah! A change is in the air – it's good to get a little rain too! Green Buildng Showcase is what everyone is talking about but there are some other things happening at the Chapter. If you have not reserved your seat, get one quick – only a few left, over 250 sold.
On the horizon we have the Healthy Materials Summit, October 26, 2016 at Google. Join us for a technical discussion on the development of materials, and the challenges that we face on the supply and demand side to getting to a healthy material future. Several leaders in the international materials commuity will be sharing their insights here.
What's new? Massachusetts is adopting the 2015 IECC code and this means things are changing. Join Chris Schaffner for a morning seminar on these changes and how to be code compliant. More info here!
WELL and LEED v4 are changing discussions around town, if you need a refresher or to be accredited, join us for a day session to get you up to speed. Learn more on LEED and WELL here.
Emerging Professionals unite, join us for a panel discussion on careers in sustainability at Northeastern. Reserve a seat here.
We have a lot of good stories curated on our twitter feed and Facebook. And have you seen our blog lately?
Need a refresher on Renewable Energy Terms and Markets? Join us with EnerNOC, learn more here.
We are still cranking up our advocacy activities, so check our advocacy update below or go directly to our advocacy suite at our website.
Are you ready for Greenbuild 2016? Join us if you need a resonably priced room. Reserve a spot here.
Thank you for your hard work which enacts our mission,
Grey
Everyone is making it to the Showcase, even Rick Fedrizzi, Founding CEO of the USGBC, is changing his travel itinerary to make it to the big day. Fact is that Rick's been excited about the Showcase since Grey mentioned it to him at USGBC Convergence.
We hope that you can make it too. We already have 80+ projects on display and 250+ attendees. We have had a great reception from the real estate industry as well as the design community. From the Real Estate side we have Boston Properties, Equity Office, DCAMM, Biogen, Boston University, New England Labs, Gerding Edlen, BioMed, Cambridge Redevelopment, Boston Redevelopment, Harvard, MIT, Massport and many more.
The Design community is well represented as well with: Arrowstreet, Atelier Ten, A.W. Hastings, Bergmeyer, , Bruner Cott, Cadmus Group, CannonDesign, Columbia Construction, Commodore Builders, Design Lab Architecture, Dimella Shaffer, Edison Energy, EYPAE, FAA Inc, Flow Tech Inc,
Goody Clancy, Green Engineer, Grey Star, GRL Architects, HDR
ICFI, ICONarch, Jacobs, JDL Construction, LDA Architects, Linnean Solutions, LISC, Menck Windows, MOSES, Margulies Perruzzi Architects, My Total Green, National Grid, Opterra Energy, Sustainable Real Estate Solutions, Payette, Perkins Eastman, Perkins & Will, RDK Engineers, Revision Energy, Spacework, StudioG Architects, Turner Construction, The Green Project Manager, Thornton Tomasetti, Touloukian Touloukian, Urban Habitat Initiatives, Vanderweil Engineers, Veritiv, Vidaris, Wegowise, Winn Companies, WSP Group to name a few.
An open bar and hors d’oeuvres will support great networking at Boston Properties' new and distinctly sustainable location, 888 Boylston. Views of the city are spectacular and part of Fenway park is visible so, you won't even miss the game!
OurChapter's premier fall event to showcase and celebrate exceptional green buildings conceived, designed, built & operated by our community of practitioners over the past year.
Come together with event sponsors Boston Properties, National Grid, Eversource, Turner Construction, Elkus Manfredi, Arup, View Glass, AHA Consulting Engineers and others!
W.T. Rich Company, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Modernization project received LEED® Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
W.T. Rich constructed at the Mass Maritime Academy an $18.7 million, 43,000 sq. ft. library, known as the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons, with unique architectural features including limestone veneer, glass flooring at stair landings, a rooftop skylight that runs the entire length of the building, a large rotunda encased in architectural woodwork, a rooftop solar photovoltaic array, and much more. The project also includes over 50 geothermal wells for heating and air conditioning.
Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification. A building must receive at least 80 out of 110 points to achieve this status. A large number of sustainable design features were evaluated and incorporated into the final design, including water conservation, light sensors, chilled beams, geothermal energy system, radiant floor heating, rapidly renewable materials, and materials with a high recycled content.
According to the US Green Building Council's website, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification system that “provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: Sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.”
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) funded and managed the project, and Perry Dean Rogers was the architect who designed the American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons building.
“W.T. Rich Company is very proud of the partnership we had with the Academy, DCAMM and Perry Dean Rogers in achieving this goal. Our firm is committed to sustainable design and construction, and the achievement of LEED Platinum is a great milestone signifying that commitment,” said Jonathan Rich, CEO of W.T. Rich Company, Inc.
“Achieving LEED Platinum status for the new library is a major milestone in our modernization program. With the new state of the art library Mass Maritime can better prepare our cadets for careers at sea,” said Rear Admiral Francis McDonald, President of Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that Boston Properties’ Atlantic Wharf, Boston’s first green skyscraper has been designated LEED Platinum under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Core & Shell program. Roger Platt, Senior Vice President, Global Policy & Law for the USGBC presented the LEED Platinum plaque to Bryan Koop, Senior Vice President & Regional Manager of Boston Properties and Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino at a ceremony at Atlantic Wharf located on the Fort Point Channel near Boston’s Innovation District.
“This LEED Platinum designation marks not only a great milestone for Boston Properties, but also for the City of Boston and our innovative work in green building and development,” said Mayor Menino, “The City of Boston has long been a champion of greening our built environment, from first-in-the-nation green building zoning to the Building Energy Disclosure Ordinance announced today. I look forward to continuing our great work with partners such as Boston Properties to ensure a greener, more sustainable, and more prosperous future for Boston.”
A collaborative development between the City of Boston and Boston Properties, Atlantic Wharf is located on Boston's Waterfront, bordering Boston’s Innovation District and Fort Point Channel. A shining example of the Mayor’s transformative green building policies in Boston, sustainable design was applied throughout the development, including innovative rainwater storage and reuse systems, energy conserving mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, green roofs and daylighting design.
“We are thrilled to have achieved the LEED Platinum designation at Atlantic Wharf,” stated Bryan Koop of Boston Properties. “We have been inspired by the Mayor’s vision to make Boston the greenest city in the country and our customers’ commitment to a sustainable workplace. Atlantic Wharf is a model proving that development can be done with a conscious regard for the environment.”
Atlantic Wharf received the USGBC LEED Platinum rating for Core and Shell which is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers, and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core and shell construction, covering base building elements such as structure, envelope and HVAC systems.
“Atlantic Wharf is a prime example of community sustainability, and evidence of just how much mixed-use projects can achieve in the realm of green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “With a LEED Platinum rating, Atlantic Wharf is a real-life model that other mixed-use and neighborhood projects can learn from.”
At the event, Mayor Menino also announced the City’s steps to create the ‘Next Generation Green Building Policy,” that will include a Building Energy Disclosure Ordinance that will have all large commercial and residential buildings (above 50,000 square feet) report energy use annually, with the results published online. In the coming summer months, City staff and key sector leaders and stakeholders will work draft an ordinance to be reviewed by Mayor Menino in the fall.
Annie is widely regarded within the marketplace as an expert in third-party verification and sustainable program development. She previously held positions like Vice President of Certification Services at GreenCircle Certified, LLC until starting her own independent organization in 2017. She sits as a technical advisor to: the US Green Building Council’s Materials and Resources TAG, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), Clean Production Action and the GreenScreen Program, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, the ASTM E 60 Committee, and the Collaborative for High Performing Schools National Technical Committee.
LAUREN HILDEBRAND
Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates
Lauren Hildebrand is a Sustainability Director at SWA. Her work focuses on sustainable and high performance residential and commercial building design, construction, renovation, and operation. Ms. Hildebrand’s expertise includes: sustainable design integration; indoor air quality and energy performance testing; and implementing project certification for both commercial and residential programs, such as LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, NYSERDA, NJ Clean Energy, and Enterprise Green Communities. Awards presented to her clients include the 2013 USGBC NJ Urban Green Project Award. Ms. Hildebrand works as a LEED® for Homes Green Rater and verifies implementation of the LEED® for Homes criteria. She is an integral part of the initial strategic planning sessions and workshops with builders, architects, and homeowners based on the LEED for Homes program. She also partners with and implements criteria for Enterprise Green Communities (EGCC), NYSERDA’s Multi-Family Performance Program, and the ENERGY STAR® Multi-Family High-Rise Program Certification. Ms. Hildebrand also has experience with a variety of commercial and mixed use projects, including LEED® for New Construction, Commercial Interior, Core and Shell, and Schools. In addition to her project experience and program guidance, Ms. Hildebrand manages classroom training and curriculum development for architects, owners, developers and building management staff on green and high performance building design strategies, cost effective building system operation, and energy-saving maintenance practices.
MICHAEL GRYNIUK
PE | Associate, LeMessurier
Michael Gryniuk, PE is a Structural Engineer at LeMessurier in Boston. As the leader of LeMessurier’s Sustainability practice, he is responsible for strategy, project consulting, and education for LeMessurier. He is currently on the Steering Committee of Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Sustainability Committee of ASCE and currently serves as Chair of the Structural Engineers (SE 2050) Commitment Program Working Group whose aim to establish a national commitment program for structural engineers for the purpose of achieving net zero embodied carbon in structural systems by 2050. Mike taught for many years at the Boston Architectural College. His current projects include the 2 million square foot Hub on Causeway development as well as upcoming developments of Kenmore Square. Mike has also led several other projects for institutions including Boston College, Holy Cross, RISD and UNH. Mike attended Syracuse University and Tufts University.
ANNE PECK
Vice President, AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group
As Vice President in AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group, Ms. Peck is responsible for physical property inspections, engineering and mechanical system evaluations and environmental audits on potential investments for all commercial property types. She is also responsible for the review and analysis of energy audits and LEED gap analysis with respect to acquisitions, and oversees the scope and results of third-party due diligence reports on property acquisitions. For development projects, Ms. Peck is responsible for the evaluation of construction documents to assess the constructability and recommend sustainable products and practices. She is responsible for overseeing the construction of new development projects from AEW’s initial involvement through closeout and warranty completions. Ms. Peck assists asset managers with large capital improvement projects or physical problems at various properties. In addition, Ms. Peck Co-Chairs AEW’s Sustainability Committee and provides guidance and assistance with most sustainability initiatives with the objective of reducing operating costs, improving indoor air quality and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. She sits on the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark Committee in North America and assists with all sustainability reporting for AEW. Ms. Peck is a licensed Massachusetts Construction Supervisor with LEED AP Certification, and passed her FE exam towards a mechanical engineer/registered professional engineering license.
ANDREA ALAOWNIS
Interior Designer, Jacobs, Boston
Andrea Alaownis is an Interior Designer with the Jacobs, Boston, MA office. After graduating from Radford University, she has concentrated on commercial projects through all phases of design and construction. As a WELL Accredited Professional, she participated in assisting the Jacobs Boston office to achieve WELL V1 Gold, Fitwel 3 Stars, and LEED V4 Gold certifications and continues to educate the design community and clients on wellness through design.
KIMBERLY LEWIS
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development U.S. Green Building Council
As Senior Vice President for Market Transformation and Development in North America, Kimberly Lewis knows better than anyone that market transformation begins with community. Kimberly is laser focused on diversity, inclusion, equity and advancing transparency and excellence. By honing our community’s focus on collaborative impact, Kimberly incorporates people‐centric strategies to provide the organization and movement with a strong foundation of stakeholder based support.
Kimberly’s efforts encourage innovation in the market and challenge all of our community members to go above and beyond what was possible yesterday, to define the built environment of tomorrow. Kimberly knows that when we celebrate our leaders and advocate for growth across sectors, regions, and programs, taking care to bring our best to underserved populations and communities, we achieve real and lasting market transformation of the highest order.
To this end, Kimberly directs all of USGBC’s local communities, volunteers, and emerging professionals around the world, delivering on the USGBC mission to improve the quality of life for all through more sustainable cities and communities worldwide.
Kimberly was the founder of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, which is now globally represented in five international markets. She has served on the advisory boards of Starwood Hotels, Marriott International Hotels and the convention and visitors bureaus in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Denver. She is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), where she has served on the CSR task force.
Kimberly serves on the board of directors for Groundswell and is the former chair of the board of trustees of the Green Building Foundation. 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. She was also named Glamour Magazine 70th Anniversary 70 Women Leaders to Know in Sustainability. Most recently Kimberly was recognized with GB&D Magazine’s 2018 Women in Sustainability Leadership Award.
JIM STANISLASKI
AIA LEED AP BD+C | Senior Associate, Gensler Boston
Jim Stanislaski, AIA LEED AP BD+C is an Architect at Gensler in Boston. As co-leader of Gensler’s northeast region Design Resilience practice, he is responsible for strategy, project consulting, and education for over 1,000 staff in four offices. He is currently a Director on the Board of USGBC MA and a member of the Architecture Boston Magazine Editorial Board. Jim is a former President of AIA MA and has served on two National Academies research panels for renewable energy and energy efficiency at airports. As a past co-chair of the Boston Society of Architects Committee on the Environment (BSA/COTE), Jim led the AIA 2030 Professional Series at the BSA, serving to educate local designers on strategies to achieve net positive energy goals for buildings. Jim has also testified before state and city government committees to advocate for environmental legislation and regulation. Jim started his career as a US Air Force officer and attended Syracuse University.
CARLIE BULLOCK-JONES
LEED Fellow, WELL AP | Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
Carlie Bullock-Jones, LEED Fellow, WELL AP, is the founder and managing Principal of Ecoworks Studio and has dedicated her entire career to bringing about a greener, healthier built environment. As a nationally known expert in sustainability, Carlie has facilitated on numerous award-winning projects. With a passion for green sports, Carlie has spearheaded LEED certification efforts for several stadiums, arenas, and training facilities for the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS and higher education projects. Most notably, Carlie was the LEED consultant for the new home of the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz stadium, which achieved the highest LEED Platinum score of any sports facility in the world.
As a LEED Faculty mentor for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the first external WELL Faculty for the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Carlie is a highly sought-after speaker and writer for national events and publications. She has been extensively involved in the development of LEED standards over the years, serving as a Subject Matter Expert for USGBC and GBCI, assisting in course curriculum, exam development and reference guide creation. In 2012, Carlie was inducted by USGBC as a LEED Fellow, one of 77 in the world at that time. Carlie is also one of the first WELL Accredited Professionals on the planet, demonstrating expertise and extensive knowledge of human health and wellness in the built environment. As an early adopter of the WELL Building Standard, Carlie facilitated WELL certification efforts for the 27th, 37th and 100th WELL certified projects in the world (Silver, Gold and Platinum respectively). Most recently, Carlie was the recipient of the 2018 Inaugural IWBI WELL Leadership Recognition Award.
KOMAL KOTWAL
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
Komal Kotwal is a Sustainable Design Leader and Project Manager at HOK with over 13 years of experience. Komal has led sustainable design and LEED Certification efforts for over 2M square feet including 1+M sf. of LEED Platinum projects and two Net-Zero projects. With the intent of bringing the human connection to sustainability, Komal currently focuses on intentional design to address human behavior and foster physical, mental, and emotional health. As a WELL AP, Komal is one of HOK’s leads in promoting and practicing health and wellness in architecture. Komal has served on the AIA Houston Chapter’s Board of Directors, Texas USGBC Regional Council and on USGBC’s Greenbuild Program Committee among others. A strong advocate for equity and inclusivity, Komal serves on HOK’s firm-wide Diversity Advisory Council and is a recent addition to HOK’s Management Board.
Speaking Engagements
TSA Convention 2016: Design for Healthy & Livable Communities
Gulf Coast Green Conference 2015: Integrating LEED ND Communities
CSI Chapter Annual Meeting 2014 : 2030 Commitment and how to get there
American Society of Indian Engineers ( ASIE) 2016: Getting to LEED Platinum
University of Houston, 2018: Staying Ahead of the Commercial Energy Code
Texas A&M University, 2016: Integrating Sustainability: A path to Net-zero
ANITA SNADER
LEED AP BD+C | Environmental Sustainability Manager, Armstrong World Industries
Anita Snader is the Environmental Sustainability Manager of Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster, PA. She manages the sustainability strategy for Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Solutions, and serves as an internal environmental advocate, and environmental spokesperson. She is a LEED accredited professional, and well versed in the LEED rating systems and USGBC initiatives. As co-chair of Armstrong’s LEED EB team, she led the corporation to a LEED EB Platinum for their Headquarters building in Lancaster, PA in June 2007, and served on the team obtaining LEED EB recertification in 2014.
Recently, Anita has led Armstrong in a new initiative focusing on the Health and Wellbeing of occupants called Better Spaces. She drives the material health and transparency efforts, and created and manages Armstrong’s commitment through our SUSTAIN™ portfolio of high performance ceiling systems.
Anita joined Armstrong in 1997. Her experience is in Marketing, Research, Product Development and Customer Satisfaction both in the consumer goods, hospitality, building products and advertising industries. Her passion centers in developing strategies for reducing our impact on the environment through product and process innovation, and is always looking at opportunities to share knowledge and innovation with others.
Speaking Engagements: • Mindful Materials Series (2018 – NYC, Chicago)
• USGBC Central PA – 2017 – Green Con – Healthier Buildings
• USGBC GreenBuild – 2016 – Los Angeles, CA – LEEDv4 and Material transparency
• Living Future – Seattle 2016 – Declare and Living Building Challenge
• Costa Rica Green Building Congress – May 2015 – Materials and LEEDv4
• Canada Green Building Conference – June 2015 – Panel on Material Transparency
• USGBC GreenBuild – 2014 New Orleans, PA – two sessions
• State of Green Business – 2011
• PA Green Growth Partnerships, Pittsburgh, PA 2009
• PennTap, Green Workshop, Harrisburg, PA 2008
• Central PA USGBC Chapter Construction Waste Workshop, 2008
• LEED for Existing Building Workshop, Lancaster, PA, November 2007
• NeoCon East, Green Building Workshop, Baltimore, MD, October 2007
• ICA International Conference – Madrid- Acoustics and Green Building, September 2007
• ASHRAE ‘007 Conference – Long Beach, CA – Acoustics and Green Building, May 2007
• GreenBuild 2006 – Got LCA?, November 2006
• Local Green Building Council of PA –LEED for Schools Workshop, October 2006
• Various Recycling Summits throughout the nation
• Customer and sales presentations each month
Tune in:
Listen to a podcast interview with Anita Snader here.
DR. JOSEPH ALLEN
Assistant Professor of Exposure Science | Director of the Healthy Buildings program
Dr. Allen researches community and occupational exposures and health risks related to a broad range of chemical, biological, physical and radiological stressors. In particular, he focuses on the built environment, emissions from building materials and consumer products, and building system performance, each of which has the potential for both positive and negative impacts on human health, well-being and productivity. He is the Director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and faculty director of the Harvard Sensors for Health research group. Dr. Allen teaches a class on the Impact of Buildings on Human Health, and is the faculty advisor for a new initiative out of Harvard’s Office for Sustainability – the Harvard Healthier Building Materials Academy.
HEATHER HENRIKSEN
Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
Heather Henriksen has served as Harvard University’s chief sustainability officer since 2008, advising the President and senior leadership on strategy and building an organizational change enterprise. Heather leads the Office for Sustainability which oversees the implementation of the Harvard’s comprehensive Sustainability Plan (co-created with faculty and students in 2014) and the University’s ambitious new Climate Action Plan (to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 and fossil fuel-neutral by 2026) which builds upon the 2016 achievement of Harvard’s initial science-based climate goal.
The Office for Sustainability has expanded a multi-disciplinary living laboratory research program that partners with faculty and students to use the campus as a test bed for piloting and sharing innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges. A nationally recognized leader in healthier building materials, Heather is leading an effort with faculty within Harvard to translate research into practice related to heath in the built environment including a focus on addressing the use of chemicals of concern in common building products. Through this work, Harvard is partnering with business and non-profit leaders as they strive to transform the marketplace for a healthier built environment. Heather also advises courses throughout Harvard College and the professional graduate schools and speaks nationally and internationally on sustainability.
Heather is on the Board of Directors of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Heather serves as Advisory Committee Co-chair of the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), and she is a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). Heather holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
LAUREN M. WALLACE
Principal & Director of Certifications and Consulting, Epsten Group, Inc.
Lauren M. Wallace is a Principal and the Director of Certifications and Consulting at Epsten Group, Inc., where she has helped facilitate sustainability and wellness measures for thousands of projects around the globe. Ms. Wallace is a USGBC and WELL Faculty member, WELL AP, LFA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED Project Reviewer, BREEAM USA In-Use Assessor, Fitwel Ambassador, Parksmart Advisor, and TRUE Advisor. With a background in Architecture, Ms. Wallace has more than ten years of experience in sustainability. She speaks regularly to audiences with varying expertise about implementing change in the building industry, focusing on technical information and application.
BECCA RUSHIN
Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Jamestown
Becca Rushin is the Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Jamestown where she leads ESG initiatives through the Jamestown Green program and the Jamestown Charitable Foundation. Prior to joining Jamestown in 2012, Ms. Rushin worked as a local government consultant for Clark Patterson Lee, where she served as Community Development Coordinator and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison for the City of Dunwoody. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and holds a LEED AP O+M credential. Ms. Rushin is an active volunteer with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Environmental Policy from Sewanee: the University of the South and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development: Environmental Policy and Management from Utrecht University.
JODI SMITS ANDERSON
Director of Sustainability Programs, DASNY | LEED AP BD+C
Jodi Smits Anderson is the Director of Sustainability Programs for DASNY, an architect, LEED AP BD+C, AIA member, lifetime member of NESEA, past regional and national U.S. Green Building Council committee member, wife, mom, hiker, kayaker, knitter, and storyteller. She has spoken at the ILFI unconference in Seattle, WA, at the NACUBO conference in Austin, TX, at the first Wellness in Design conference in San Diego, CA, and several times each at Greenbuild, NESEA’s Building Energy Boston, and the NYS Green Building Conference, and has been a guest teacher at SUNY ESF, RPI, Ithaca College, NYU, Cornell, and SUNY Albany. She is a NY Energy Code trainer, the 2018 recipient of the Green Building Advocate award, and has assisted in research and writing for Project Drawdown, which cites the 100 market-proven ways we already have in our toolkit to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere. She has a featured article appearing in the Journal of Green Building’s V14 N3 in July of 2019, on Excellence in Building Envelopes, and is currently working on a ZNE renovation to an existing residence hall, a project intended to change how we do renovation projects in New York state. Jodi’s goal is to understand and incorporate informed sustainable practices into design, construction, and living, and to share whatever she has learned and learn still more from whomever will talk with her.
JIM NEWMAN
Founder and Principal, Linnean Solutions | LEED AP, O+M; EcoDistrict AP
Jim is the Founder and Principal at Linnean Solutions, a mission-driven firm that helps local governments, organizations, and communities reach sustainability and resilience goals. Jim’s twenty years of experience includes carbon mitigation planning and life cycle assessment; sustainability and resilience building certification; climate action and adaptation planning for municipalities, agencies, and organizations; resilience analysis, policy, and design standard development; EcoDistrict planning and management; and stakeholder engagement processes to strengthen communities. As a Living Environments in Natural, Social, and Economic Systems (LENSES) Facilitator and Trainer, Jim regularly leads community planning workshops, and trains others in becoming effective facilitators.
Previous to Linnean, Jim worked with BuildingGreen as the Director of Strategy, where he led the development and introduction of most of BuildingGreen’s online products including LEEDuser.com, BuildingGreen Suite, and the High Performance Buildings Database. Jim is a founding board member of the Resilient Design Institute, and a key author of several influential resilience reports and tools—including the Building Resilience in Boston report and
the Enterprise Community Partners’ Ready to Respond: Strategies for Multifamily Building Resilience manual. He is a member of the RELi/USGBC Steering Committee, where he has worked to bring a social equity lens to the development of the new certification standard for resilient buildings.
JULIE JANISKI
Associate Principal, BuroHappold Engineering
Julie Janiski leads integrated teams of engineers, designers, analysts, and subject-matter experts at BuroHappold Engineering for projects with ambitious goals related to design innovation, building performance, and the health, wellbeing and experience of building occupants and community. Julie’s recent work includes: Cornell Tech’s new Verizon Executive Education Center with Snohetta; Glenstone Museum with Thomas Phifer and Partners, St. Ann’s Warehouse theatre in Brookyln with Marvel Architects; a number of U.S. Embassy projects internationally for the U.S. State Department; a new corporate headquarters campus in Baltimore for Under Armour; an integrated “roadmap” plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by the year 2050 (80×50) for the City of New York; and The House at Cornell Tech – a residential high-rise in New York City which is certified Passive House. Julie also teaches at Columbia University’s GSAPP in the first-year core studio, and has been a guest critic/lecturer at other universities including MIT, Tulane, and NYU.
SARA NEFF
Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
Sara Neff is Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Sara took Kilroy from having no sustainability program to being named the #1 publicly traded real estate company on sustainability in North America by GRESB, and under her leadership the company recently committed to becoming the first carbon neutral real estate company in North America by the end of 2020.
At Kilroy, she oversees all sustainability initiatives such as solar and battery deal-making, the implementation of energy and water efficiency initiatives throughout the existing and development portfolios, the integration of sustainability standards into annual financial reports, the launch of the Kilroy Innovation Lab, and the award-winning green leasing program. She holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
TRISTAN ROBERTS
Co-Founder, Facilitator at The Laurentia Project | LEED AP BD+C, LFA
Tristan Roberts is responsible for leading staff support for HPDC’s Technical Committee, education programs, and the evolution of the HPD Open Standard. Mr. Roberts is a leader in the advancement of green building practices. Prior to joining HPDC in May 2018, he was part of BuildingGreen, Inc. for eleven years, where he most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer, moderating and leading the community development of LEEDuser forum which supports over 10,000 users. He is the author of hundreds of articles and in-depth reports on building industry trends and technologies, and is a frequent speaker and educator in the areas of green building and sustainable design. His objective stance and focus on practical tools has earned him the trust of a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the industry, including architects, sustainability professionals, manufacturers, and nonprofit groups. Mr. Roberts has taught sustainability and building science at the Boston Architectural College.
TIM CONWAY
Vice President of Sustainable Development, Shaw
As a flooring industry expert, Tim Conway is focused on the positive affects that sustainable flooring products have on our buildings, and more importantly, the people that occupy and live in the spaces we design. Tim has worked closely with Bill McDonough and the internal team at Shaw for the past twelve years developing and maintaining Shaw’s Cradle to Cradle certifications, HPDs and EPDs. His unique role at Shaw enables him to drive the communication between clients’ requirements and the product development team at Shaw. He has presented at GreenBuild, Living Future, and Design Future Council and has been an integral part in the development of healthy carpet specifications for clients all over the world. Tim is passionate about collaborating with clients to develop flooring specifications that are safe throughout a product’s entire supply chain, from raw material chemical building blocks to end of life replication. He has a unique ability to translate complex systems like Cradle to Cradle and HPDs into simple stories that empower change and deliver buildings that have positive intent for the future of our people and our planet.
BILL WALSH
Founder and President, Board of the Healthy Building Network
Bill Walsh is the Founder and President of the Board of the Healthy Building Network (HBN). Since 2000 HBN has been defining the leading edge of healthy building practices that increase transparency in the building products industry, reduce human exposures to chemicals in building materials, and create market incentives for healthier innovations in manufacturing. He has been Visiting Professor at Parsons The New School for Design, is a Fellow of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, and a founding board member of the Health Product Declaration (HPD) Collaborative. Bill and HBN have been awarded the Design for Humanity Award by the American Society of Interior Designers (2019); WEACT for Environmental Justice Leadership Award (2018); Healthy Schools Network Hero (2013); US Green Building Council’s Leadership In Advocacy Award (2012). Previously he served as a national campaign director at Greenpeace USA, and held staff attorney positions with the US Public Interest Research Group and the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and LLM in Public Interest Advocacy from Georgetown University.
BRENT TRENGA
Building Technology Director, Kingspan North America
Brent has truly run the construction industry gamut serving in various roles including Architect, Construction Manager, Developer and even project owner, allowing him to fully understand the sustainability ecosystem. As Building Technology Director for Kingspan North America, Brent is committed to reducing the environmental impact of business operations, products and services through continuous improvement and environmental transparency.
JENNIFER TARANTO
LEED® AP ID+C, BD+C, USGBC Faculty, WELL® AP, WELL Faculty and Fitwel Ambassador Structure Tone, Director of Sustainability
Jennifer Taranto ensures the principals of sustainability, wellbeing, and Lean construction are incorporated into client projects and everyday work practices throughout the STO Building Group.
Jenn is a passionate advocate for reducing environmental impact of the built environment and enabling organizations to improve people’s health and wellbeing while reducing the construction and operating costs of facilities. She gets involved in the early stages of client projects to define the needs and the overall sustainability goals in order to create an internal road map to team success.
Jennifer brings more than eighteen years of experience in the commercial real estate and construction industry, and joined Structure Tone in 2001. Her previous roles included superintendent and project manager prior to becoming Structure Tone’s Director of Sustainability in 2008.
As a founder of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter and the former Chair of the Chapter’s Board of Directors she is recognized as a leader in the sustainable built environment. She has lectured at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Boston University and spoken at Labs21 Conference (I2SL), Delaware Valley Green Building Council’s Sustainability Symposium, Living Futures and Greenbuild. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Jennifer has a Bacon number of 2.
LEIGH STRINGER
Workplace Strategy Expert and Researcher, EYP
Leigh Stringer is a workplace strategy expert and researcher whose work has been covered recently by BBC News, The Globe and Mail, Fortune, CNN and Good Morning America. She works for EYP, an architecture and engineering firm. She is the author of two best-selling books, The Green Workplace and The Healthy Workplace. Leigh is currently collaborating with Harvard University’s School of Public Health on a new Health and Human Performance Index and the Center for Active Design in New York on their Fitwel building certification program to create new tools, connect like minds and blur the boundaries across industries in order to advance our improve our well-being at work. Leigh is on the board of directors of a new non-profit, Global Women for Wellbeing, an organization that aims to give women a voice to create better health and wellbeing for themselves, their businesses, and their communities.
CHARLEY STEVENSON
Principal, Integrated Ecostrategy
Charley Stevenson has been delving deeper and deeper into healthier building materials since beginning work on his first Living Building Challenge project in 2011. With the team at IES, he has developed process and software to integrate better materials selections into all project types and to transform the market as quickly and easily as possible. The Red2Green platform has reduced Red List research and documentation effort by a factor of three while building up a library of over 10,000 products screened for compliance.
PETER SMITH
Senior Vice President, International WELL Building Institute
Peter is engaged with leading organizations and institutions seeking to transform their real estate portfolios to enhance health and business metrics. As Senior Vice President at IWBI, he leads a team driving the global growth and adoption of the WELL Building Standard, the first performance-based building standard to exclusively focus on human health. Peter is also an active speaker and educator, promoting health in the built environment through industry events and technical workshops. Previously, Peter served as Vice President of Delos Solutions, a team of consultants and subject matter experts incorporating health and wellness strategies into the pioneering WELL Certification projects. Working closely with Delos Labs, an internal research group, he identified best-in-class design solutions, products and technologies to improve the built environment and optimize for human health, well-being and environmentally sustainability. Peter has an extensive background in building science and energy efficiency. Prior to joining Delos and IWBI, he worked as a Sustainability Consultant at Steven Winter Associates, an industry leading green building consulting firm. Focusing on affordable housing in the greater New York City area, Peter worked with multifamily developers to implement sustainable design principles and energy efficiency measures into new construction projects and validate high-performance building criteria. Peter holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in Environmental Economics. He also maintains accreditations for WELL AP™ and WELL Faculty™.
JASON JEWHURST
Principal, Bruner/Cott
Jason’s passion for reconnecting with the natural environment informs all of his work as a specialist in sustainable and high-performance building design. With a strong technical background in building systems, technology, and sustainability, Jason is driven by a deep respect for craftsmanship and the art of making and by the possibilities created by merging tested traditions of construction with new fabrication technologies and material production. He leads design teams to explore possibilities inspired by a shared set of values and goals to create high-performance contemporary architecture that is beautiful and inspiring. He is a recipient of a 2017 Living Hero Award.
BLAKE JACKSON
Architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader, Stantec Architecture and Engineering
Blake Jackson is an architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader with Stantec Architecture and Engineering in Boston, Massachusetts. His work focuses on the nexus between sustainability, wellness, and resiliency, and he has over fifteen years’ experience in planning, retail, hospitality, labs, healthcare, commercial, higher-education, and multifamily projects. Blake is a prolific author and speaker on his three main areas of focus, is an adjunct faculty at the Boston Architectural College and at Mount Ida College, and he currently serves as the Vice President for Advocacy for the Boston Society of Architects. He was named a national top “40 Under 40” built environment professional by Building Design and Construction Magazine in 2015.
ANNE HARNEY
FAIA, LEED Fellow, Long Green Specs
Anne Hicks Harney has over 30 years of experience, focusing on high quality design imbued with a solid technical and sustainable foundation. Formed in 2016, Long Green Specs provides sustainability focused construction specifications and building science material expertise to Architectural firms across the country. She is a member of the AIA COTE Advisory Group. She was a founding co-chair of the Baltimore – Building Enclosure Council, chair of the AIA Materials Knowledge Working Group, and a member of the USGBC Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group. In 2016, Ms. Harney was awarded fellowship by the AIA and became a LEED Fellow.
Speaking Engagements
Living Future unconference 2019 – Using the AIA COTE Toolkit to Elevate Every Project –
Living Future unconference 2019 – Entering the material pool – deep end jump or shallow slide?
2019 AIA Women’s Leadership Summit – Go Forth and Prosper, While Changing the World
Greenbuild 2018: Chicago IL, November 2018 – Closing the Transparency Loop: Collaboration in Action
AIA Conference on Architecture 2018, New York NY: Holding Ourselves to Higher Standards – Healthy Materials Every Time
BRENT EHRLICH
Products & Materials Specialist, BuildingGreen
Brent is the products & materials specialist at BuildingGreen, where he has been researching and writing about green building products, materials, and their health and environmental impacts for more than a decade. He brings a nuanced understanding of materials, their constituents, and lifecycles to his work as a consultant and speaker and leads a team of editors that selects products for the company’s BuildingGreen Approved database and annual Top 10 Products Award.
Speaking Engagements
• Annual BuildingGreen’s Top 10 Products award at Greenbuild (8 years as presenter)
• Northeast Sustainable Energy Association: NESEA 2014: The Forest and the Trees
• NESEA 2011: Materials Track Chair + Cool New Products presentation
MATT EDLEN
Director of Acquisitions and Development
Matt Edlen oversees acquisitions and development in the Midwest and East Coast for Gerding Edlen’s various investment funds. Matt is responsible for sourcing, negotiating and executing on investment opportunities across key urban markets within those regions.
Prior to his role in acquisitions, Matt was focused on the development and management of the firms internal multifamily marketing and sales platform. His efforts have helped the firm invest over $1 billion worth of real estate across the country in cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago.
Matt currently serves as national chair of the board for Design Museum Foundation and as a board member for Boston’s NOAH (Neighborhood of Affordable Housing), and The Oregon Sports Authority. He has also served as board member and chair of the site selection committee for PHAME Academy, board member and co-chair of the Arts Connector Program of Business for Culture and the Arts, and alumni board member of Young People’s Theater Project. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago.
MIKHAIL DAVIS
Director of Restorative Enterprise, Interface
Mikhail Davis is Director of Restorative Enterprise at Interface, a world-leading modular flooring company with a fully integrated collection of hard and soft flooring. Interface’s mission, Climate Take Back™, invites industry to commit to making a profit in a way that is restorative to the planet and creates a climate fit for life. Mikhail is responsible for advancing Interface’s mission in the Americas by building internal leadership capacity, facilitating strategic alignment of efforts, and creating external partnerships that shift the marketplace toward sustainability. He leads Interface’s product transparency efforts in the Americas and was lead author and editor of Interface’s Radical Industrialists column at GreenBiz.com for two years.
An expert in sustainable materials and NGO collaborations, he represents Interface in many organizations focused on sustainability innovation, closed-loop systems, recycling, and chemicals of concern, including serving as 2016-18 Chair of the US Green Building Council’s Technical Advisory Group on Materials and Resources (MR TAG), Co-Chair of the Materials Working Group of BizNGO and Program Advisor to the Next Generation Bio-based and Sustainable Chemicals Summit.
STEVEN BURKE
Sustainability Manager, Consigli Construction Company
Steven is a Sustainability Manager at Consigli Construction Co., Inc., an 800+ person construction firm based in Massachusetts. His position involves management of company sustainability processes and sustainable construction projects at Consigli. He has a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and has delivered many presentations on how to integrate health and wellness into the design and construction of the built environment.