Unique Chapter Event: Social Equity in the Built Environment

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


On April 4th, we will be holding a special event focusing on the connections between green building, sustainability, and social equity.

Social Equity is typically conceptualized as the third–and least significant– component of the triple bottom line.  While LEED has equilibrated environmental concerns with economic ones, we are just at the beginning of developing tools that allow us to measure and examine social equity results in a similar fashion. 

New programs from the International Living Future Institute like the Living Building Challenge, and JUST Organizations label, as well as new Social Equity Pilot credits in LEED v4 are beginning to raise the discourse around social equity to allow us to examine the social equity impacts of our organizations, our work, and our communities.


We will have presentations from three panelists-  Francis Janes, director of the JUST Organizations labeling program for ILFI, Shawn Hesse, co-author of the new LEED Social Equity Pilot Credits, and Tony Ransom, Chair of the the Boston chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (BosNOMA).  These distinguished guests will be discussing the importance of a focus on social equity in design, construction, and operations of our buildings, communities, and our organizations.

The event will be April 4th, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at 50 Milk St,15th Floor- “Aristotle” Conference Room, Boston 02109.

Read more about the event and register here!  

 

Educational Opportunity: the WELL Building Standard

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

We are excited to invite the thought leaders and practitioners from our region to join us for a concise introduction to this groundbreaking new building standard, followed by a roundtable discussion. We are excited to welcome professionals from all sectors of the building industry–owners, engineers, builders and occupants interested in the new standard. 

We will be watching a segment from the USGBC's Education platform to bring all in the room up to speed on WELL and then having a moderated discussion on the future, impact and evolution of the standard. Below, find some information on the WELL content that will be convered: 

About


The Introduction to the WELL Building Standard presentation provides an overview of the WELL Building Standard ideology, structure, and certification process. The medical basis for the concept categories is introduced along with design and construction strategies to create healthy buildings. The time has come to elevate human health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvent buildings that are not only better for the planet—but also for people. This presentation will introduce how to do this using the WELL Building Standard as the framework.

Objectives

  1. Articulate the financial, societal, and environmental benefits of WELL certification
  2. Identify the role of the International Well Building Institute and the WELL Building Standard
  3. Recognize the structure of the WELL Building Standard
  4. Explain the 7 concepts of the WELL Building standard, the strategies to achieve them, and the health impacts they address
  5. Summarize the certification process of the WELL Building Standard

The event will be at 50 Milk St, 15th Floor- “Aristotle” Room, Boston, MA 02109. Register here and find more about WELL here!

 

 

 

We Want You- to Join our Volunteer Squad

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Are you passionate about sustainability, efficiency, and the environment?  Do you have familiarity with green building and understand how the built environment affects all of us and the world? 

If yes, then you should consider joining our volunteers!  We have a variety of open positions with different responsibilities, qualifications, and time commitments, and all positions receive some kind of benefit!

With any of the volunteer positions, you will be an integral component of our operations and gain a greater understanding of our organization, its mission and its goals, and how we organize our events, advocate, and conduct outreach.


Volunteer assignments include LEED Study Jam Group Instructor, Webinar Proctor, Green Building Analyst/Reporter, USGBC Ambassador, Green Building Tour Coordinator, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, and Committee Leadership

Each position has its own details and specifics, but with any of these opportunities you will get to know the ins-and-outs of our organization, green building, and more!

If you're interested, you can learn more from our volunteer page or fill out our volunteering questionaire form.  We are very flexible with time commitment, the window of time in which you would want to volunteer, and prior experiences and qualifications.  

Volunteering with the Chapter will qualify for credential maintenance hours for GBCI – up to half of your required hours can be earned through volunteering with us. Usually this is much more engaging than sitting through a webinar late at night!

 

 

One Month Away– BTF 16

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Building Tech:

Buildings are fundamentally about technology. Innovation in the building sector is driving improvements in performance and enhancements to the user experience.

Join us April 21st for this exciting investigation in to the intersection of buildings and innovative technology. 

If you want to attend, please register here.  If you want to display your technologies, learn more here and email us.  If you want to sponsor the event Learn more here and email us

 

Building tech is the intersection of the innovation economy and real estate. The green building industry is right here in the middle of it – creating new ways to increase the value of real estate and improve the sustainability of our building stock and our communities in general. Buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gases globally, and approximately 40% in the US. Recently, at the COP21 negotiations, the UN convened a “Buildings Day” to explore the ways the real estate sector can support improved environmental performance through better buildings. USGBC is committed to the creation of 5 billion square feet of certified green buildings in the next five years: this will require deployment of technology on a massive scale. The results will be better buildings, healthier occupants, more vibrant communities and a thriving industry connecting technology to real estate. 

We at the Massachusetts Chapter are here to champion that effort in our Commonwealth and we need to bring all the parties together.  You can read more about the ambitions of global leaders and recent agreements here. It is an exciting time to be a part of the high performance segment of the building industry!

Agenda:

5:30 – Orienting Remarks

6:00 – First Program begins; Keynote & Industry Observations

6:20 – First Program ends; games ensue

7:20 – Second Program begins: Panel

7:40 – Second Program ends

8:15 – Final Remarks and Appreciations

8:30 – End

At the Building Tech Forum you will:

  • meet people who will help you on your next high performance building project
  • encounter inspiring new technologies and solution strategies
  • hear from industry leaders about where things are going
  • connect your business to the innovations going on in the building sector

​The event will fill up quick, so register now!

National– World green building trends in 2016: More nations, more projects

By Heather Benjamin, Content Marketing Specialist (USGBC National)


Last month, USGBC announced the results of research by Dodge Data and Analytics, with which USGBC has partnered, in the World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report. In a brief series, USGBC will highlight specific aspects of the report.

A wider sample

The first striking detail from the World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report is the increase in the sample studied. With 1,026 people from 69 countries responding to the survey, the report offers detailed data on 27 percent more green building professionals than its last iteration did, in 2012. This expanded coverage increases the breadth and value of the insights within the study. Also, a higher proportion of architects and contractors responding to the survey means that members of green building councils are no longer the top category sharing information in the study—in 2016, there is more data from direct industry practice. 

Where we are now

The graph below breaks out the current overall share of green construction among all building projects, by nation. Countries with green building activity above the global average of 24 percent include South Africa, Singapore, India, Germany and Mexico. Many of the countries with lower levels of current green activity, however, are the same ones anticipating rapid growth in the area, as seen in the next graph.

High growth in developing nations

According to the study, the highest growth in green building is anticipated in developing markets. Moderate levels are reported in mature markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Poland and Germany, but those surveyed from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Chile and India indicated far higher expectations for the percentage of projects that will be certified green.

For example, Brazil estimates that in 2018, their green building activity will have grown sixfold from 2015 levels. China expects five times as many green building projects, and Saudi Arabia four times as many.

Commercial, industrial or retrofit

New commercial construction was the top sector for expected green building projects in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, China and India. The United States shared the lowest expected levels of green commercial building with Australia.

However, 46 percent of U.S. respondents indicated they expected to embark on new institutional green projects in the next three years—making institutional building the top area for green in the United States. This may be due to certification requirements for public buildings on federal and state levels and for schools on a municipal level.

Retrofit projects were ranked first by the United Kingdom, South Africa and Singapore among sectors expected to support green building in the next three years. In addition, over 40 percent of respondents in the United States, Mexico and Brazil listed retrofitting as a major area for projects.

 

COP21 Unconference–2 Weeks Away

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


Two Tuesdays from now, March 29th, the USGBC MA chapter will be hosting a special COP21 Paris Climate Talks Unconference to revisit 2015's important climate discussions.

This is a unique opportunity to discuss the historic 2015 United Nations Congress of the Parties (COP21), in a green building context.  The provisions and commitments reached in the agreement have global implications for sustainability, climate change, and the future of our planet and certainly warrant a closer examination, extensive analysis, and more discussion.

For this reason, we have put together a half-day event featuring a community of experts from a variety of organzations and firms. Panelists who attended the Paris climate talks will be present, with break-out groups led by local issue experts.

SIGN UP NOW

Partnering Organizations: 

  • Sierra Club
  • CABA, Climate Action Business Association
  • Foundation for a Green Future
  • ELM, Envoronmental League of Massachusetts

Our Paris Panelists:

  • Michael Green, Climate Action Business Association
  • Christopher Mackey, Payette
  • Professor John Sterman, MIT System Dynamics Group

Our unConference Discussion Leaders:

  • Josh Craft, Environmental League of Massachusetts
  • Henrietta Davis, former Mayor of the City of Cambridge
  • Elizabeth Saunders, Clean Water Action


More about the Event:

More than 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are buildings-related, and emissions could double
 by 2050 if we carry on business as 
usual. Inaction increases risks and vulnerability of countries, regions and local communities from climate change. Yet:

  • The buildings sector offers one of the most cost-effective and economically beneficial paths for reducing energy demand and associated emissions while at the same time supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change.
  • Many low-energy, renewable and deep- renovation solutions are available. Proven policy, finance and technology actions exist.
  • The economic, health, and social benefits of sustainable buildings are significant. Buildings provide shelter, places to live, work, learn and socialize, directly affecting our daily lives.
  • Buildings are long-term ventures. Today’s new buildings are tomorrow’s existing stock. Failure to act now will lock in growth in GHG emissions for decades.

Here is how the morning will pan out:

8:30 – 9 Registration and networking
9 – 9:15 Keynote and opening
9:15 – 10:30 Breakout (unconference)
10:30 – 10:40 Break + Networking
10:40 – 12:00 Paris Panel with questions from audience

Both the panel and breakout sessions will focus on the following topics and will provide perspectives from various professional backgrounds:

  • Value Chain Transformation: is the building sector capable of massive deployment of low emitting buildings and deep renovations? How will building sector stakeholders better work together to scale up solutions adapted to local circumstances?
  • Bridging the investment gap: how ready is the finance sector to increase investment in building efficiency?  How will we address the critical need to scale up the public and private financing of EE and sustainable buildings. We will explore how buildings and EE can contribute to realizing MA's carbon goals and how the financial sector can help support that.
  • Public Policies: what is the readiness to implement long term action plans to address the key role of local jurisdictions to organize and facilitate integrated policy packages and collaborative approaches that shift to a low carbon and resilient built environment. 
  • Building rating & reporting systems: how do they support the COP21 momentum?  

Please join us as a community of advocates and practitioners as we explore how to leverage the public awareness and policy momentum generated by COP21 to drive policy gains in Massachusetts.

SIGN UP NOW

Sponsor Highlight: LDa Architecture

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow


LDa is a bronze-level sponsor that provides award-winning design solutions for a wide range of clients throughout New England, practicing in the residential, interior design, commercial, cultural and academic sectors. Whether guiding a homeowner through the complex design and construction process, or managing a large-scale commercial project, LDa's work does not represent a definable style; rather it represents a consistent and definable approach that embraces user needs, context and technology. 

LDa offers sustainable architecture and interior design services for new builds and renovations of all sizes. As clients increasingly desire more energy and resource efficient design, they have successfully demonstrated that they can create cost effective and elegant solutions that balance your design goals with the larger environment. They are committed to sustainable design and have completed over a dozen projects to LEED standards, with many employees being LEED Accredited Professionals.


A Sample of LDa's work, taken from their site.

LDa completed a book celebrating its 20th-year anniversary. Founding Partners Douglas Dick & Treff LaFleche described the project saying: “As we completed our 20th year as a firm, we felt it would be meaningful to look back at the depth and breadth of our portfolio and reflect on the creativity and craftsmanship of the projects we have embarked on with our clients. This book is intended as a record of our contributions to the New England architectural fabric, but also as our way of sharing what we've learned-our 'ideas for dwelling.'” The first two chapters are viewable here

Master LEED this Friday with Our Green Associate Exam Prep!

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

Come to our Green Associate course this Friday, March 18th, in Boston!


Are you serious about your dedication to sustainable building? Then you should definitely have your LEED Green Associate accreditation! And we'd be happy to help you prepare for your Green Associate Exam. In fact, we're hosting an exam preparation course which would be perfect for you next month! This is also the perfect opportunity because we will be transitioning to an updated version of LEED next year, and this will give you a better grasp of the updated certification information for the new version. 

Already a LEED Green Associate or Accredited Professional? Invite a friend or colleague who still needs their accreditation!

Register here

The full day comprehensive course covers the following topics:

Chapter #1 – Introduction

This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED Green Associate credentialing process and serve as an introduction to LEED, sustainability, the USGBC, the GBCI and the LEED rating system.

Chapter #2 – Location and Transportation / Sustainable Sites

This 1-hour chapter will focus on site issues such as connectivity, transportation, erosion, landscaping, and heat island effect.

Chapter #3 – Water Efficiency / Energy and Atmosphere

This 1-hour chapter will focus on water issues (plumbing efficiency, irrigation, process water, etc.) and energy and atmosphere issues (demand, efficiency, renewable energy, ozone depleting substances, etc.)

Chapter #4 – Materials and Resources

This 1-hour chapter will focus on procurement and waste diversion.

Chapter #5 – Indoor Environmental Quality

This 1-hour chapter will focus on indoor environmental quality issues such as indoor air quality, occupant comfort and green cleaning.

Chapter #6 – Innovation / Regional Priority / Certification Process

This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED certification process and the Innovation and Regional Priority categories.

Chapter #7 – Exam Review

This 1-hour chapter will focus on exam format and registration and strategies to pass the exam.

Chapter #8 – Exam Review

This 1-hour chapter will focus on sample exam questions.

When: March 18th, 8:30 AM through 5:00 PM
Where: 50 Milk St, 17th floor, “Milky Way” conference room, Boston, MA- 02109.

Register here!

Guest blog post: Policy Podium with Senator Downing and Solar Industry Professionals

By Anthony Lucivero, Advocacy Fellow

Hello again, USGBC MA readers. We have another guest blog post, this time by Molly Cox of CivicSolar! She attended our Policy Podium with Senator Downing and solar pros this past Monday, and worked up this terrific write-up of the event. 


USGBC MA hosted the “Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros” on March 14th, 2016. Members of various USGBC committees were in attendance, along with newcomers including architects, realtors, engineers, solar advocates and more. Our panel included Senator Benjamin B. Downing, Betsy Glynn of Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, Steve Cowell of E4TheFuture, and Peter Shattuck of Acadia Center.

Each speaker gave a brief introduction: Downing currently chairs the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, while Glynn works to promote energy efficiency programs through her work with utilities across the state. Cowell also serves as a strong advocate for energy efficiency programs for businesses and homeowners through his partnerships with utilities on a national level. Shattuck has concentrated his attention on reducing carbon levels in our environment through regulation such as cap and trade, and carbon pricing.

As all of our panelists are avid supporters of energy efficiency in the Commonwealth, Dana Anderson of the Residential Green Building Committee, began with some exciting news. First, MA is the leader in energy efficiency in the US, and has a high ranking with the abundance of clean tech jobs and increasing implementation of renewable energy.

Given these important milestones, which we can definitely celebrate, we cannot stop here and dwell in this moment of success. Anderson addressed the room with some crucial questions: Why have GHG emissions leveled off, instead of continuing to decrease as historic trends have shown? What can we do to change this, and are our current behaviors acting as barriers to achieving such change? What combination of measures is needed at the technology-policy-economy-market-systems levels to achieve more energy efficiency goals?

For starters, Glynn recommended taking a holistic approach when addressing any policy change. Downing continued to suggest specific policy change such as carbon pricing, which will prompt the adoption of renewable energy sources to follow suit. Shattuck agreed, but added that we need to be more directive with our policy implementation and ensure we are targeting issues with appropriate regulation. He continued to say that transportation and buildings are a great place to focus our efforts with energy efficiency.

When asked about the transportation sector, Glynn highlighted the fact that 8 states have now signed a zero-emission vehicle program which includes an effort to have 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025, and MA is one of them. While this is a great stride in the right direction, Downing followed up by also emphasizing the importance of public transportation. He said the place to start is by fixing the imperfections first. This will encourage people to use these systems, which will sequentially decrease cars on the road, which will lead to a reduction in GHG. To further that point, Cowell suggested that focusing on climate change as the main driver for change may not be the best option. Rather, framing the issue differently as Downing suggests, and focusing on practicality and economic feasibility for the general public, is the way to initiate interest.

When asked if people are thinking about climate change in the right way, Shattuck explained that while people may like the idea of increasing their own energy efficiency to better the environment, it may take some nudging. For example, a natural disaster close to home will allow someone to see the effects of climate change, and consequently encourages one to act upon it. Downing agrees there needs to be additional motivating factors, such as economic incentives, for people to take action. Energy Labeling, which provides grades of appliances based on how efficient they are, was introduced as a viable option. This will aid in the selection of appliances we choose to use in our daily lives, and show us the high value of those that are more energy efficient than others.

So, the question we have all been waiting for. How can USGBC help?

Cowell highly recommends we use the expertise of committee members, and share our skill sets with one another. On top of that, Downing strongly encourages all of us to call/write to our local representatives, echoing Glynn who stressed that public comment matters. Committees can continue their work on PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, which incentivizes people to improve their building/home by implementing more energy efficient systems.

As Anderson concluded the questions for panelists, Downing closed by saying the real worry is not about coming in first by being the most energy efficient state, but rather that we won’t be able to act quickly enough to solve these problems as they contribute to climate change.

Thanks to Molly for contributing to our community, and thanks to everyone who attended! Our next Policy Podium is on Thursday, April 14th and will be about greening the real-estate MLS with Craig Foley and Carolyn Goldthwaite.

Tomorrow- Quarterly Gathering & St. Patrick's Day Celebration

By Ryan Duffy, Communications Fellow

LEED tree

Each season, we convene representatives from all corners of the USGBC MA Chapter to focus on our strategy. As an organization, we attend to a lot of different initiatives collectively. At the Quarterly Gathering, we reconnect to synergize, share, and coordinate plans for the coming months.

We have a lot of events and campaigns in process and each committee will report briefly on what they are working on. This includes:

  • Large Event Lookout
  • Advocacy campaigns for green building policies
  • Our educational programming
  • Committee Bandwidth Development and Volunteer Appreciation

The meeting will be immediatly followed by a networking and St. Patrick's celebration opportunity at a local establishment. 

Register here