New to the Building Industry? Join the Emerging Professionals Committee!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

The Emerging Professionals Committee of MA (EPMA) meets every month to organize events and programs.

The next meeting is in two weeks:
Monday, July 25 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm
1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108
(Gensler)

RSVP: Email Kristin Malyak (Kristin_Malyak@gensler.com) to be added to the security list. All are welcome.

Example email:
Subject: EPMA Security
Body: Please add my name to the security list. I am looking forward to attending the next meeting. Thanks!

EPMABBQ

More about the Emerging Professionals of Massachusetts (EPMA):

The EPMA Committee is a great venue for becoming more engaged with green building community and forming meaningful connections with colleagues across the industry. Our monthly meetings are open to anyone interested in becoming more involved. 

The USGBC Massachusetts Emerging Professionals (EPMA) is a group of green building professionals who are relatively new to the industry, inclusive of students fresh out of college, young professionals in the industry, graduate students, and more seasoned professionals simply new to the sustainable field.

EPMA strives to become engaged with the greater Boston green community through educational and career development events, networking nights, volunteer programs and other events which promote the conservation, regeneration and stewardship of natural resources through sustainable building practices.

Some of EPMA's Events:

  • Building Tours
  • Sustainable Bike Tour
  • Sustainable Dinner
  • Networking Nights

Check out our calendar for the latest schedule! 

Meeting agendas typically include:

  • Short presentation from one of our members about their work in the green building industry
  • Brainstorming new initiatives and events
  • Updates on broader Chapter initiatives and events
  • Strategy and planning for upcoming EPMA-hosted events

Please reach out to our committee chairs or attend an upcoming meeting if you have a great idea for an EP event that you would like see come to life, or if you are just interested in becoming more involved!

Chair: Jenna Dancewicz
Vice Chair:  Suzy O'Leary

Rick Fedrizzi Starts as Chairman Today at IWBI

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

After co-founding USGBC and serving as its CEO, Rick Fedrizzi will be stepping down and joining the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) as Chairman of its Board of Directors. He will assume the CEO role on November 4.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to take on a leadership role with IWBI and build upon the work we’ve been doing at USGBC,” said Fedrizzi, who announced last summer his plans to leave the organization that he co-founded in 1993. “Our buildings and communities should help humans thrive. Sustainability plus health is a powerful lens through which to view the world, and WELL has approached this goal in a similar way to how we developed the LEED green building program.”

IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL), an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring the performance of building features that impact health and well-being.

“As we continue to grow and expand the adoption of both the WELL Building Standard and the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP™) program globally, we enthusiastically welcome Rick Fedrizzi into this leadership role to help lead IWBI to new heights,” said IWBI Founder Paul Scialla. “I can’t think of a person better suited to lead this process than Rick. His management experience and global vision will be huge assets to IWBI, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him.”

USGBC's board announced last September that Mahesh Ramanujam would succeed Fedrizzi as CEO of USGBC and GBCI. As Fedrizzi writes, “He is a remarkable leader, with a great mind and huge heart. He and I have already seamlessly transitioned the vast majority of my responsibilities, and he has done an amazing job absorbing the many and various roles required of the CEO of these organizations.”

WELL is a close partner of GBCI, so although Fedrizzi is officially stepping away from USGBC and GBCI, he will still be working towards the same goals.

Read the IWBI's press release here: https://www.wellcertified.com/articles/usgbc-ceo-rick-fedrizzi-named-cha…

Read Rick Fedrizzi's farewell letter here: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/rick-fedrizzi-join-international-well-buil…

Keep Up-to-Date with Building Standards: Learn about WELL!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

It seems like the list of building standards is constantly growing, but we're here to help!
Learn about the building standard focused on human health and well-being.

Tuesday, July 19 from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
50 Milk Street, “Aristotle” Room

Register here or below.

The WELL Building Standard was recently created to help design buildings that are better for human health. We anticipate that this building standard will greatly impact the building process and the types of buildings that are constructed in the future.

To bring as many people up to speed with this new standard, we have organized an introductory session at our headquarters. This session will be beneficial for professionals from all sectors of the building industry: owners, engineers, builders and occupants interested in the new standard are encouraged to attend!

Invite Your Friends: Building Tour + Networking Night for the Price of One!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

Come to our joint building tour and networking night! Free for Members and $25 for Non-Members.

Thursday, July 21 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
75 State Street, Boston

Register here or below.

During the tour, we’ll explore the building, including tenant spaces and the roof deck. After the event, we'll be discussing all things sustainable!

Schedule:

5:30 PM – Initial Gathering in Lobby
5:45 PM – Project Presentation
6:00 PM – Building Tour
7:30 PM – Chapter Networking

About the Venue:

75 State Street, Boston, MA (Brookfield Properties)
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Gold Certification in 2009
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Platinum Re-Certification in 2014

The building is also Energy Star Certified.

EnerNOC, PwC, and Winston Eco-Strategies Release New Strategy Brief

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

We're proud of the work our sponsors have been doing! Congrats, EnerNOC!

BOSTON, June 08, 2016 — EnerNOC, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENOC), a leading provider of energy intelligence software (EIS) and demand response solutions, PwC, one of the world's largest providers of business consulting services, and Winston Eco-Strategies, a sustainability consulting firm spearheaded by author and strategist Andrew Winston, today announced the release of a new strategy brief, Energy Strategy for the C-Suite: From Cost Center to Competitive Advantage.” 

The brief outlines a series of emerging leading practices—the Unified Approach to Energy Transformation—that connect energy strategy to broader global megatrends, and discusses value creation opportunities created by major transformations in the energy market.

“There are many frameworks and standards for energy management that focus on operational best practices within the four walls of an office or plant, but few adequately connect energy strategy to the global trends that keep executives up at night. As a result, energy is typically delegated down to facility-level managers, where it is disconnected from broader corporate strategy,” said Tim Healy, Chairman and CEO of EnerNOC. “We're at the beginning of a new era where an effective energy strategy is essential to remaining competitive in the marketplace. Too many executives lack an understanding of their organization's energy maturity or where they are trailing their peers. The Unified Approach to Energy Transformationseeks to solve this imbalance, and outlines a roadmap for proactive energy strategy that positions businesses to remain competitive and thrive in the years ahead.”

“This new approach crystallizes insights gleaned from the collective experience that EnerNOC, Winston Eco-Strategies, and PwC have gained by working with senior executives at some of the world's largest businesses who are grappling with a new set of energy challenges,” said George Favaloro, Managing Director, Sustainable Business Solutions at PwC. “The strategy brief explores how businesses can capitalize on energy strategy to deliver short-, medium-, and longer-term business value, and provides an actionable set of emerging practices that can raise business performance to a new level.”

“As the world moves quickly to reduce carbon emissions and change how energy is produced and used, companies are facing unavoidable demands—from governments, employees, and customers—to manage their energy footprints closely,” said Andrew Winston, Founder of Winston Eco-Strategies and author of The Big Pivot. “The businesses that view energy more strategically will lower their costs and risks, but also drive innovation and build their brands in a world of rising expectations. The risks and opportunities surrounding energy are enormous, so with this strategy guide, we hope to move energy issues into the C-suite where they belong.”

Advisory council members that contributed to this strategy brief include thought leaders, executives, and faculty members from Black Coral Capital, Boston Properties, Cargill, Eaton, Goby, Harvard University, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, SunPower, United States Environmental Protection Agency/ENERGY STAR, University of Massachusetts Boston, and WeSpire.

To learn more about the Unified Approach to Energy Transformation, go to: https://www.enernoc.com/unified-approach-energy-strategy

Read the original article here: http://investor.enernoc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=974844

Add “WELL Accredited Professional” to Your List of Achievements

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

WELL is the newest building standard to arrive in the building industry! Get ahead of the curve by getting your Accredited Professional (AP) certification. 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.


We currently have two upcoming workshops scheduled– pick the one that works best with your schedule!

Thursday, July 28 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Register here or below.

Thursday, August 18 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Register here.

If neither of these work, check back on our Eventbrite page in a month or two!


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

Are you a LEED-er in the Building Industry? Make it official: Take the GA Exam!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

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

Wednesday, July 27 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
50 Milk Street, “Hemingway” Room

Register here or below.

The day long curriculum is designed to cover the segments of the Green Associate Exam and to lightly cover the AP 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!

Meet the Summer Interns!

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

We have a full house this summer, with THREE interns keeping things running smoothly at USGBC MA. Read their profiles below!


Rachael Berry

University of Connecticut, Class of 2018
Digital Media and Design

As a lover of the outdoors, I knew I wanted to use my design background and skills to support an meaningful environmental project. I am currently pursuing a degree in Digital Media and Design at the University of Connecticut, and I'm fascinated with emerging technologies and all aspects of Design.

I hope to bring a unique skill set to USGBC MA and an energetic attitude to the team this summer. I enjoy surfing, running, painting and traveling. 

 


Ritchie Lafaille

University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Class of 2019
Civil Engineering

Growing up in Haiti, I have always been amazed by innovation. I observed people making great things and solving many problems with very little resources. However, like many other countries, Haiti needs improvements in the construction and maintenance of buildings, bridges, roads, and water supply systems. The need of such renovation around the globe inspires me to pursue a career in Civil Engineering. I dream of travelling the world and bringing an impact where needed.

I am very excited to be working as an intern at USGBC MA where I constantly learn about green buildings and sustainability and get to meet people. This experience is very beneficial for both my learning and career goals. This summer will be great!

 


Belinda Xian

Tufts University, Class of 2018
Civil Engineering

I grew up reading Ranger Rick and spending time outdoors, so I've always been interested in making society more sustainable and environmentally-friendly. In high school, I chose Civil Engineering so I could impact the world in the physically largest way possible, and I haven't looked back since! Working with USGBC to spread interest in green building and sustainability is definitely something I'm looking forward to.

In my free time, I enjoy painting, reading, and nagging friends and family members to recycle properly. I look forward to an exciting summer here!

The Old Oak Dojo: the Perfect Place to Spend a Summer Sunday

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!


Experience a living building! FREE for members and $10 for non-members.

Sunday, July 24 from 3:00pm to 4:30pm
14 Chestnut Place, Boston, MA 02130
(Jamaica Plain)

Register here or below.

Come join us for an intimate tour of this very special facility. The Old Oak Dojo is the first living building in Boston and we will gather the Collaborative for a summer meeting to connect and celebrate this special achievement.

The Living Building Challenge is a building certification program, advocacy tool and philosophy that challenges us to ask the question, What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?

In April 2016, the Old Oak Dojo became one of the first 11 buildings in the world to be LBC-certified. On the fourth Sundays of the month, we can tour the space. We’ll be able to see all the salvaged materials, rainwater harvesting, indoor compost toilet, urban permaculture gardens, and more.


Learn more about the Old Oak Dojo on its website. We hope to see you there in a few weeks!

image sources: http://trimtab.living-future.org/case-study/old-oak-dojo/ and http://oldoakdojo.com/living-building-challenge/

 

BREEAM in the USA

By USGBCMA Communications, More Green Buildings!

All these new building standards making your head spin? Learn about LEED's British cousin, BREEAM!

Register here or below.

Wednesday, July 20 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
50 Milk Street, “Aristotle” Room

BREEAM is the world's leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It addresses a number of lifecycle stages such as New Construction and Refurbishment with a special emphasis on In-Use structures.

With a focus on sustainable value and efficiency, BREEAM certified developments make attractive property investments and create environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them. The core technical standards and processes of BREEAM USA will be discussed as well as its comprehensive, scientific approach to building sustainability. 

BREEAM USA is a partnership between BuildingWise, the award-winning US-based LEED certification consultancy, and BRE Group, the international provider of robust, independent, third party certification of fire, security and environmental products and services.