Join the Residential Green Building Committee Meeting

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

The Residential Green Building Committee is focused on improving the housing stock of the Commonwealth by championing green building practices in our communities. Join us on the second Monday of each month to be a part of the movement.

Residential Green Building Committee 

The committee’s objectives are to work to raise the awareness of the benefits of residential green building and remodeling and to increase the quantity of projects registering for LEED for Homes. The committee, through education and outreach, will focus on the following:

  • Hold across MA, Lunch and LEED, education sessions and tours on topics such as Zero Net Energy, Deep Energy Retrofits and REGREEN
  • Help the community understand and implement LEED for Homes and residential green building, remodeling and retrofits
  • Ensure that our target markets are aware of available green building tools and resources
  • Partner with other Green Building Programs
  • Establish a collaborative relationship with a professional and/or community organizations
  • Develop case studies and green residential building content for the USGBC MA website

Please contact Kimberly Le (le.kimberly.c@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining this committee or plan on attending an upcoming meeting.

When:

September 12th, 2016 5:45 PM   through   8:00 PM

Location:

50 Milk St, 15th Floor
“Aristotle” Conf Room
Boston, 02109

LEED Exam Prep – Join us!

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Fellow

We are offering an Exam Prep Course for the LEED Green Associate Exam!

Tuesday, September 13 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
50 Milk Street, “Hercules” Room

Register here or below.

The day-long curriculum is designed to cover the segments of the Green Associate Exam and to lightly cover theAP specialty exams. If you have specific questions regarding a specialty exam, feel free to bring these questions to class and have the instructor cover these identified areas. 

Come join us for this session! We have only had positive feedback and success stories from previous classes.

The Green Associate preparation course will cover most of the material on the LEED Green Associate exam. You should plan to spend an additional 10-20 hours of study time outside of this class. This time will be best spent reviewing the reading materials listed below while paying particular attention to concepts and terminology. The LEED Green Associate Handbook references hundreds of pages of reading materials, while this class will focus primarily on the 106-page LEED Core Concepts Guide.  As part of this fast-tracked course, we will skim some reading materials and skip other reading materials.  

Students who have passed the exam have reported that local study partners and/or study groups have been very helpful. This is your chance to meet local professionals in the same boat as you!

Hope to see you there. LEED on!

 

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WELL Exam: Have you started preparing?

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Associate

Don't let your goal of becoming a WELL Accredited Professional get pushed back! There's still time to get ahead of the curve by getting certified with the newest building standard.

Wednesday, September 14 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
50 Milk Street, Boston (“Hemingway” Conference Room , Floor 18)

Register here or below.

In this full-day course, we'll be going over topics you'll see on the AP exam, and you'll meet local professionals with whom you can form study groups. A light breakfast, full lunch, and snacks will be provided throughout the day, and a hard-copy exam study guide will be provided to all students.

We also have other dates for WELL Exam Prep sessions, if this doesn't fit your schedule! Check out our Eventbrite page!

 


Other helpful links:
WELL Intro + Discussion
What is WELL? What does it mean for the building industry? Is it worth your time? Get all your questions answered at our introductory session!

WELL AP Exam Registration

Learn more about WELL

 

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Update on Project Haiti

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Associate

Back in 2012, the USGBC and the architecture firm HOK initiated “Project Haiti” with the goal of replacing an orphanage and children’s center that was severely damaged in the 2010 earthquake. After visiting Haiti with former president Clinton, Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of the USGBC,
thought it was a great opportunity to support the people of this country by building an establishment under the LEED and WELL building standards. However, due to various complications, with the legal system especially, the project was suspended for almost 3 years.


Nonetheless, Roger Limoges, the Project Manager and a Senior VP at USGBC is not giving up. Now with the help of McLennan Design, Miyamoto International, and a few Haitian-owned companies, the project is due to begin in the middle of next month – the establishment will be named “the William Jefferson Clinton Children's Center “. These past few years have helped Roger and the project team learn a lot about the Haitian culture and understand how to deal with various obstacles that they face. The project is aiming to achieve a platinum-level certification and most importantly to show that, with commitment, obtaining such certification is possible in any part of the world. 

Fondation Enfant Jesus (FEJ) is also a major collaborator on this project. FEJ is a non-denominational non-profit organization based in Haiti that aims to break the cycle of poverty by promoting sustainable human development for impoverished children and their families through a robust full-life development program including culturally-sensitive education, child and family advocacy, health services, and community building. Their assistance is gladly appreciated and very important to this project.

Since the introduction of the LEED building standard in Haiti, a few establishments were inspired to achieve a certification. Citi Haiti, a local bank, is the first building on the entire island to obtain a LEED certification. They managed to reduce its use of electricity by 20%. The indoor environment and water system were largely improved, 50% of their parking area in now covered, and the collection and storage of recycles was implemented. This is a proud accomplishment for Haiti and for the USGBC.

This experience had taught the project team of USGBC how communities around the world can be very different and how we can collaborate with local organizations and foundations through the methods of LEED to change the built environment. As of future LEED projects in Haiti, nothing is yet planned, but it is impossible to go to Haiti and not fall in love with the people, the culture, and the idea to build more sustainable sites. You can count on the USGBC to bring many other projects to Haiti and across the globe.

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS END IN TWO DAYS!

By Rachael Berry, Graphics Associate




Want to go to the Green Building Showcase, but haven't bought your ticket yet? Well get off that procrastinating bottom, ignite that mouse clicking right hand and start talking to your firm because EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS END IN TWO DAYS!

If you haven't heard about the Green Building Showcase by now, then you have no idea what you've been missing out on. We provided you with a video testimonal from our Board to get you excited about the upcoming event- and don't worry if you're already up to date on all things Showcase then get inspired and go buy your ticket! Ticket discounts are ending this Friday!

Firstly, a little Showcase Recap (just in case you're one of those stealthy people who have immpresively been able to avoid it)

Why do you want to go?

  • Check out Boston Propertie's fancy new- and highly sustainable, LEED certified building at 888 Boylston St. 
  • To celebrate Green Buildings!

Why do you NEED to go? 

  • Open Bar. Do I need to say more?
  • Network- We assemble a large collection of green building professionals, so come and make some business connections! 
  • Your work has the potential to inspire others, and keep the conversation about green building happening.
  • Recognition- Your project could be good enough to earn an award, and as an attendee you can vote for other incredible and innovative projects.

When will it be?

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016
5:30 – 8:00 PM

Where will it be?

Address: 888 Boylston Street, Back Bay, Boston, MA 02116

For more information and details check our Showcase page, and get moving! Early Bird Discounts will soon be over! 

 

 

Green Apple Day of Service!

By Rachael Berry, Graphics Associate

Don't forget about the Green Apple Day of Service! 


Get involved and host a project at your school or place of learning! Or support this movement and sponsor one of the inspiring projects that will be taking place. 

The Green Schools Committee and USGBC MA Chapter will again participate in Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) to advance healthy, sustainable schools in 2016! Examples of service projects include indoor or outdoor clean ups, preparing a garden, creating signage that helps to reduce waste, or any other project that promotes healthy schools and community service. See below under resources for a link to more project ideas.

Looking back at last year,

On Sept. 26, 2015, the Green Apple Day of Service brought together thousands of students, teachers, parents and community leaders from around the globe to improve our school environments through service projects, education, community events and more. Our vast network of champions demonstrated the strength and breadth of our movement, leaving a meaningful and lasting local impact on our world’s schools. In the Commonwealth, more than 38 locations showed their dedication to making their schools a better place to learn. On a larger scale, hundreds of thousands of volunteers participated in more than 3,700 events and projects—and took meaningful steps to change where students learn, in all 50 U.S. states and in 42 countries.

Program Overview


The USGBC MA Chapter and the National Center for Green Schools is inviting communities to take action on campuses around the world for the fourth annual Green Apple Day of Service, September 26, 2015. On this day, we are encouraging K-12 and College/University students, teachers, and administrators to devise a school sustainability project, and work with community volunteers, to create positive environmental change. USGBC MA is also inviting professional members of the green building community to serve as volunteer mentors for each project. Mentors will provide planning support, and work with schools to prepare successful one day or a year long project through the Green YOUR School competition.

 

For more information check out our website,

https://usgbcma.org/green-apple-day-service

Green Building (Bike) Tour; Emerging Professionals

By Ritchie Lafaille, Office Associate

Join us for another year of green buildings by bike tour.  Biking is one of the best ways to see the city in all its varietal wonder, and this tour is a unique opportunity to hear insights into recent sustainable building and development projects. 

This year we are taking the tour through the East Boston Greenway, as we hit a diverse spread of sights and scenes. 

East Boston is very much a place in transition with various climate exposure risks that need to be considered in the development process.  Come view how some projects are getting that right, and be prepared for an atypical and highly informative exploration of landscape architecture along our bike tour stops.

 Bring your helmet for safety, bike lock for when you go in the buildings and good vibes for this fun event. Sign up now!

 

WHEN:      Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM 

WHERE:   East Boston Greenway – East Boston – meeting point TBD 

GreenFest Recap!

By Rachael Berry, Graphics Associate




The 9th annual GreenFest was another one for the books this year!

The festival's  “Showcase of Innovation” allowed people to hang out, share ideas and educate each other on how to make our lives not just greener, but easier. With beautiful weather all weekend, events were able to happen without a hitch. USGBC MA took part in the festivities by partaking in a GreenFest Talks series to  showcase some of the latest and greatest environmental innovators. These stimulating presentations told the stories of breakthroughs that are changing the way we use the resources around us. These talks ( available online), led by Grey Lee and organized by Derrick Duplessy included;

How a Baby Turkey Changed My Life– Derrick Duplessy felt anxiety and stress so great that he considered suicide. He's now on a mission to help other entrepreneurs deal with stress and anxiety. In this talk, he explored how a chance meeting with a baby turkey helped him see life differently and what we can learn from it.

Wastewater can create Beautiful Things– Ugly can beautiful. Imagine all the waste from our buildings being turned into beautiful greenhouses. Lauren Valle on Nu Ecological focused on how transforming waste water can save money, time, and create remarkable resources that improve our buildings.

Biomimicry: Mother Nature's solutions to Human Problems– Peter Lawrence from Biomimicry New England talked about the possibilities of learning from microbes, plants, and animals who have been engineering solutions to biological problems for centuries

The event was free and included music, inspirational speakers, an eco-fashion show with upcycled fashions and opportunities to drive an electric car. Be sure to check out some of the aweosome pictures from the event, and to mark you calenders for next year's 10th GreenFest! Big thanks to GreenFest for hosting an amazing, innovative and flatout fun weekend! 

Get excited, Greenbuild LA is a few months away!

By Rachael Berry, Graphics Associate


Why should you attend the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo?

Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. The green building community gathers to share ideals and mutual passion at Greenbuild, sparking a contagious buzz throughout the week. 

When industry leaders, experts and frontline professionals dedicated to sustainable building in their everyday work come together, the result is a unique and palpable energy. Participants are invigorated and inspired. They find themselves equipped to return to their jobs with a renewed sense of purpose.

Greenbuild features three groundbreaking days of inspiring speakers, invaluable networking opportunities, industry showcases, LEED workshops and tours of the host city's green buildings. Join thousands of other people who agree that green building is a good idea and good for business. 

What to Expect at Greenbuild 2016


Greenbuild provides the opportunity to visit with more than 600 suppliers and top manufacturers of the latest green building equipment, products, services and technology available in today's market.

Thousands of building professionals from all over the world will come together at Greenbuild 2016 for three days of outstanding educational sessions, renowned speakers and special seminars. Greenbuild education sessions are eligible for continuing education credits for a number of professional credentials and organizations. Click here to find out more about the renowned Greenbuild education program.

Show Dates, Hours & Location

2016 SHOW DATES:

Expo: Oct. 5-6 | Conference: Oct. 5-7

LA convention center 

We will be renting a house for Greenbuild, If you would like to stay with us look at our event page for more information! 

Regsiter here, and form more information visit https://greenbuildexpo.com/Attendee/ShowInfo


Boston as Green Build 2017 Host!

By Rachael Berry, Graphics Associate


Get ready for the largest networking event in Green Building worldwide: right here in Boston! 

The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, launched in 2002, is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Greenbuild features several days of inspiring speakers, industry showcases, specialty workshops, tours of the host city’s green buildings, and invaluable networking opportunities. The event has been hosted in major cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

Boston hosted Greenbuild 2008, which brought in 28,224 registered guests, 807 exhibitors, and people from 85 different countries. In November 2017, Greenbuild is coming to Boston for the second time, and USGBC MA Chapter is serving as the host chapter!

Reasons to get excited:

 

It will be hosted in a newly-certified LEED Silver building!
The Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC) just got certified LEED Silver on May 25th of this year for Existing Buildings Operations + Maintenance (EB O+M). 
Congratulations to Vanderweil and SGH (a Bronze sponsor of ours) on this terrific feat! Read more about the BCEC here.
(Bonus: SGH designed the marquee structure at the Summer Street entrance)

It will bring visitors and business to Boston!
We had over 28,000 guests last time, so this is a great opportunity to showcase our city's committment to green building and design.

image source

How you can get involved:

Join the Host Committee (apply here!)
The Host Committee is led by two Co-Chairs who are the primary leaders of our Greenbuild efforts.  The Host Committee Chairs help to plot our overall vision and work with subcommittees to set and ensure they are meeting their goals and timelines. This Committee will also be populated by the Co-Chairs of each subcommittee, the USGBC MA Executive Director, and a board liaison. Read more about the Host Committee and the subcommittees here.
Apply now to be a member of the Host Committee.

Can't wait for Greenbuild? Register for 2016!

Greenbuild 2016 is in Los Angeles! (October 5 – 7) Register now.

We also have housing accommodations! Reserve your spot now.