All seventy-five 6th grade students participated in the Green Apple Day of Service, which focused on composting. The project was made possible by MassSave, who are eager to support sustainablity education in today's youth. The funding was part of the Green Apple Mini Grant program of the USGBC MA Chapter, based in Boston.
The middle school has been piloting composting in the lunch room for the last month, and this day of service was created to: 1) educate the students on why we compost, 2) educate the rest of the school about the awesome middle school composting pilot, and 3) reward the 6th grade for their efforts.
The day started off with students broken into their learning cohorts. They discussed the meaning of Community Service and then reflected on what the Green Apple Day of Service meant. The students then rotated through 3 different activities:
1. Compost Education & Worm Bins: Students participated in several hands-on, interactive activities that taught them the importance ofcompost (including saving energy!) and then helped reinforce what we can and can’t compost at Boston Green Academy. These activities included a game where students looked at a pie chart detailing total waste from 2014 and discussed ways to reduce it. Students honed in on the fact that 15% was food waste, and were thrilled to learn that we were helping to change that statistic at Boston Green Academy by composting! The activity ended with students observing Red Wigglers and making 2 worm bins, 1 for their class and 1 for a 7th grade class.
2. Art Activity: This activity created signs that will educate the rest of the student body about our Compost Pilot in the middle school. The final product spelled out BGA COMPOSTS in large letters. The top of each letter was a collage of things we CAN compost at BGA (like beans, bread and napkins) and the bottom was a collage of things we CAN’T compost yet at BGA (like meat and cheese). We made three of these signs to spread around the school. It was a great way to reinforce composting and get the students excited about sharing what they are learning and doing everyday in lunch with the rest of the student body.
3. Cooking: This activity helped the students learn how to cook nutritious food all while creating a healthy celebration meal to culminate the Green Apple Day of Service. One group made kale salad, another group hummus dip and the final group green salsa made with green tomatoes and peppers from our garden. It was a great way to talk to about the compost cycle, as the tomatoes had been grown with compost from our worm bins last year.
The Green Apple Day of Service ended with a celebration by eating the food the different groups made. It was a great way to have personal discussions about what they enjoyed and what they learned. All in all it was a wonderful way to introduce our 6th graders to meaningful, green community service!
Did you know it's possible to not only join as a member of our Chapter, but to volunteer your time at events and activities as well? There are opportunities to volunteer as a LEED Study Jam Group Instructor, Webinar Proctor, Green Building Analyst / Reporter, USGBC Ambassador, Green Building Tour Coordinator, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, or any part of Committee Leadership.
For many of these positions you can have little to no LEED experience or knowledge, while other require LEED knowledge and a certification. Any of these positions are helpful to fulfill CE hours to maintain LEED Green Associate or Accredited Professional accreditation. The different positions also allow for a lot of flexibility in scheduling, as they only require a few hours of time per month on average.
DisruptCRE is a conference like no other. They showcase the best and brightest ideas from the most innovative minds in technology and commercial real estate. The goal is to be a catalyst of change by merging the built environment with technological innovation. The presenters will explore how technology is facilitating the changes in the future of investing, developing, managing, leasing, buying, selling, & financing commercial properties.
USGBC MA Chapter is proud to sponsor this event – and help usher in the future of real estate!
It’s these innovators who are disrupting the status quo by bringing new ideas to market.
Hundreds of thought leaders from the Greater Boston area are expected to be in attendance, running from 12:00-6:00 p.m. at the BSA Space at 280 Congress St, Boston.
1:00pm-1:05pm
Conference Opening, Host Intro
CREsource is excited to be hosting this conference in the historic city of Boston. We thank you for attending and participating in this exciting gathering!
1:05pm-1:20pm
The State of Innovation: CRE & Tech w/ Jonathan Schultz, CEO – ONYX Equities
1:45pm-2:30pm
Meet the Exhibitors: Exhibitor Showcase & Dealmaking
2:30pm-3:00pm
Panel 1: Technology, Finance & CRE: The New World of Investing in Income Producing Properties
Technology is unquestionably taking CRE industry by storm. A major question has been, just how much could it actually change the business of CRE?
3:00pm-3:30pm
Panel 2: BuildingTech: Owners & Managers Embracing The New Tenant Culture
From the building systems to the employees, to advanced analysis of key data points, we are more connected and engaged with our buildings via personal technology than ever before.
3:30pm-4:00pm
Panel 3: Data, Analytics & CRE: Building Transparency
With the amount of data being generated and shared every day, commercial real estate professionals have an incredible opportunity to make better use of information.
4:00pm-4:30pm
Panel 4: Tech Tools: New Products & Services Transforming Today’s CRE Professional
Oh how times have changed…The days of the rolodex and “knocking on doors” is over! Today’s CRE landscape demands that you manage a variety of tools.
Come network with the disruptors behind the companies who are at the forefront of our fast paced and ever changing industry. Join us for our thought provoking panels with industry leaders who will be discussing disruptive new models and technologies that are changing the dynamics of commercial real estate.
Attendees will learn about the wide gap between commercial real estate and technology, and how technology is and will continue to dramatically change the business of real estate. We look forward to helping connect our USGBC MA Chapter stakeholders to other leaders in the real estate industry to explore how we can continue to disrupt the industry for improved outcomes for all.
Alana is a Sustainability Project Manager at Vanderweil Engineers focusing on LEED, Sustainable Design, and Energy Efficiency in the C+D and built environments. Vanderweil is primarily a MEP engineering firm and she works on the Sustainability Team within the firm. They offer integrated MEP/Sustainability services for their projects.
Currently, she co-chairs the Events Committee at the USGBC-MA chapter. This Committee organizes green building events throughout the year in the Boston area. Their goal is to raise awareness on all the amazing achievements in green building projects and products (LEED, Energy Star, Living Building Challenge, etc…) here in Massachusetts while educating those who attend our chapter’s events to inspire the continual growth of sustainability in the building community. If you have an idea for an event or on how they can enhance an event, your feedback is vital, feel free to reach out to them. This is a great community to be involved with, feel free to join the committee as well.
In her spare time, Alana works with various sustainability groups in the Boston area, continues to expand her sustainability knowledge base, and travels as often as she can. She's looking ahead to getting more involved in improved Resiliency efforts here in Boston and also learning more about the WELL Building Standard. On the Myers-Brigg test, she's an INTJ which translated into Star Wars characters, is the equivalent of Palpatine – so you know she is serious about sustainability with such a personality.
At our 2015 Green Building Showcase, we were able to share a lot of information with the assembled guests.
Our Sponsors were able to talk with folks about their various solutions to the challenges of green buildings. Thank you, again, to Kim Cullinane and Eversource for serving as our Platinum Sponsor, and to Joel McKellar of Harvard Green Building Services for being our Venue Sponsor.
We saw all sorts of projects through their display boards and many of those project principals were able to explain the details.
Congratulations to The Green Engineer, who performed essential services for their submission for the Green Building of the Year of 2015: the Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston MA.
The Green Engineer, Inc. is a sustainable design consulting firm, led by Chris Schaffner, P.E., LEED Fellow, a nationally recognized expert in cost-effective, high-performance design. They work with architects, builders, commercial owners, nonprofits and the government sector to provide consulting services which include LEED Certification Project Management, Life Cycle Analysis, and Energy & Daylight Performance Analysis and Modeling.
The Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary was The Green Engineer's 91st LEED project and boasts a 52% energy savings. Summer Star's Trail Head House houses an Art Gallery, Studio Space, an A/V Cave, and the grand-scale glazed Sanctuary Room for story-telling and small performances. Inspired by old pioneers like Malcolm Wells, and new initiatives like the Living Building Challenge, Summer Star’s values manifest themselves in the building’s photovoltaic arrays, thermal shutters, composting toilets, rain-water pool, and elsewhere. Landscape elements include permeable parking, defined pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems, meadow planting within an existing clearing, new woodland gardens and reforestation plantings. Partially within the 100 foot setback of a river flowing to the reservoir, a number of bioretention features are located to infiltrate stormwater runoff.
Thank you to The Green Engineer for being a great firm with a mission so well-aligned with ours, and thank you for being a sponsor. Thank you also to Shalin Liu, the Summer Star benefactor, for your vision and positive energy to make this project really shine!
The Massachusetts Chapter would like to say a big thank you to Eversource for their support with the following project. If you would like to see more on Eversource's commitment to community and schools, check out our blog!
This month we have two great Webinars: California Schools Connect the Drops and BIMagination: From 3D to 5D.
For California Schools Connect the Drops three Bay Area firms will share the stories of how a few forward-thinking leaders and local K-12 schools challenged the system and their organizations and overcame regulatory and behavioral barriers in order to change minds, redefine values, and impact behavior around water – for themselves, the students, and their communities.The target audience for this course is school administrators, LEED consultants, teachers, parents, school boards and any others interested in making change at their schools regarding water usage. LEED experience is not required but could be helpful.
At BIMagination: From 3D to 5D you can learn about Building Information Modeling (BIM) which enables designers and project teams to model various building elements, components, and configurations to achieve optimal energy usage and green building functionality. Many believe BIM will become standard practice for building green at some point in the future. It produces the greatest advantages when the entire project team is involved at the design phase by enabling team members to assess inputs and outputs as modeling intelligence grows with each modeling iteration.
What an amazing group! What amazing project stories to share! What a lovely time together. Thank you to everyone for coming out – for producing boards and for entering our awards program. Also, thank you to our Platinum Event Sponsor: Eversource, and our Gold Sponsors: View Glass, Suffolk Construction and National Grid.
The weather was a little iffy, but we managed to welcome over 150 people and 45 project story boards to the Green Building Showcase at Harvard's newly LEED Gold art museum facility at 32 Quincy Street – the Calderwood Courtyard.
Thank you to our excellent Silver Event Sponsors: Chapman Design/Construction, HDR, PCA, Sasaki, Skanska, Solect, The Green Engineer, Touloukian Touloukian, and Tsoi/Kobus.
This was our special annual gathering to meet, re-connect, and share how are are all a part of this green building movement.
Each of the professional disciplines represented are always striving for excellence. As a community we celebrate the achievements of exemplary green buildings. Through the USGBC MA Chapter, we participate as colleagues across roles – as integrated project teams and potential teams. The Chapter provides ways for people to learn about new techniques, to meet new colleagues, and to maintain goodwill even if you haven't worked on a project together in a long time. USGBC MA provides places and ways for our people to connect. Who knows? Maybe, in one of the many laughter-filled conversations, the seeds for the next great green buildings were planted last night!
[The next eight photos are courtesy John Picard and the New England Real Estate Journal – from their Facebook page]
And yet, it wasn't all just networking and schmoozing.
We had some speeches to hear. I took the liberty of making a few remarks about our community, our industry, and our progress as a movement. Some mentioned I got a little “meta” – but when do I otherwise get to preach it? Thank you for listening. We will be posting the presentation slides here soon.
Key Points:
1) We are on a mission to transform our communities toward sustainability within a generation.
2) We do this by promoting high-performance green buildings as the most practical and large-scale thing we can do to improve environmental and social justice outcomes
3) We are advocating for a market transformation by recognizing andcelebrating leaders in green building and creating a synergistic community of professionals who can answer the call for better buildings
4) We are advocating for legislative and regulatory changes to ensure everyone comes around; right now our legislative priorities are:
—a) Asserting the Stretch Code and advocating for net zero construction policies
—b) Ensuring PACE financing is available for renewables, e. efficiency, and resiliency projects in MA
—c) Reforming the State's net metering regulations to ensure continued aggressive deployment of renewables in a safe & fair energy grid
5) We also help our community of professionals with green building education, GBCI and AIA credential maintenance, mentoring and networkingopportunities.
6) We also serve our broader communities with service projects, pro bono work for non-profits, help improve sustainability education in schools, and support our peer environmental organizations with advocacy work that overlaps with our agenda.
7) Each individual in the green building industry can improve their professional practice, build their network, serve their community and benefit from volunteer leadership opportunities with the Chapter.
8) Let us know if you there is an aspect of green building that you are fired up about – we can help you help find a place & a role with us to turn that into a positive impact for Massachusetts and the world beyond!
One of the Chapter's major sponsors, Eversource, was able to provide significant funding for the event as the Platinum Sponsor, and Kim Cullinane (above, center left) was able to address the crowd to talk about their Energy Efficiency programs where designers can get grants from Eversource to help model & design better performing buildings. If you haven't checked it out lately, their program is constantly improving based on user feedback – please contact Kim to learn more.
We also heard from Joel McKellar, Associate Director of Harvard Green Building Services, who have managed more LEED projects on their campus than any other institution in the world.
He was emphatic about the benefits of certified LEED buildings on their campus:
“Thanks to the energy efficiency improvements in our LEED facilities alone, every year Harvard saves $4.7 million dollars in utility savings, and more importantly avoids over 11,000 tons of carbon. Over 15,000 students, faculty, and staff spend at least part of their day in an efficient, healthy, and productive LEED certified space. In less than a decade we reduced our total emissions more than 20%, and that’s after accounting for nearly 3 million square feet of growth on campus; however, this progress is just one step on the path to much greater reductions that are required if we’re going to tackle climate change.
“In the past year, Harvard has launched updated Green Building Standards and a new University-wide Sustainability Plan. These documents, the former a set of requirements for today and the latter a vision for our future, advance our emissions reduction goals, investigate net-zero and Living Building Challenge possibilities, and expand our definition of sustainability to a more holistic concept… one that sets the overall well-being of our students, faculty, and staff as critically important to our sustainability mission. It is clear from the significant changes surrounding material ingredient disclosure and optimization in LEED Version 4 that the USGBC is aligned with Harvard in continually evolving to develop healthier, more productive buildings. Since last December, we are proud to have a standard that requires LEED Version 4 for all of our major projects on campus, and we see this as a key measure in reducing harmful chemicals of concern from being installed in our dorms, classrooms, and labs. Harvard, like the USGBC and LEED, have been able to evolve and improve over the past decade, and we look forward to continuing with these efforts.”
Thank you Joel, and thank you Harvard University for sponsoring the event in your awesome new museum space.
And then it was time for the Awards!
Congratulations to Architerra for winning the 2015 Innovation in Green Design award, for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters in Westborough MA. This is an amazing net zero energy building which demonstrates the Commonwealth's commitment to these better buildings.
And then, the Green Building of the Year Award, which went to The Green Engineer for their work on the Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston MA. Congrats to the team, and to the project's driving force, Shalin Liu who was there to participate in the ceremony.
We want to thank all the award entries, it was difficult for the judges as we have so many great buildings in Massachusetts. Thank you to members of the Events Committee for helping with the Awards Program and of course Mark Richey Woodworking for donating the actual awards.
The event would not have been possible without the help of our committee and the staff team who helped bring it all together. Also, thank you to the Harvard Art Museums staff, especially Shawna Plummer, and The Catered Affair, esp. Bryanne Pepin, Neil and King, and all the team members, who made the event come off without a hitch.
Below: Tiffany King, Chris Meier, [me, Grey Lee], John Picard, Floyd Sipe, Alana Spencer, and Brice Hereford. Not shown here are Carrie Havey, and Jim Newman, and staff Celis Brisbin, Allison Maynard and Maria Vietz.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon!
See more photos from the Showcase on our Flickr album here!
United Technologies Corp. (UTC), a founding sponsor of the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools, encouraged their employees worldwide to lead events for the Green Apple Day of Service this past weekend. UTC's 2015 Service events for the fall season were kicked off in Shanghai by employees from Carrier, Otis, Sigma, Chubb, GST and UTC Aerospace Systems. The volunteers renovated classrooms at the Qingpu Yinxian Primary School and created a library corner with learning materials emphasizing environmental stewardship. Projects in the United States included working with students to build bird feeders using recycled materials in Connecticut to planting a garden and teaching students the benefits of healthy eating and sustainable food production in Florida.
“UTC's steadfast commitment to the green schools movement is best exemplified by their annual participation in Green Apple Day of Service,” said Rachel Gutter, director, Center for Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council. “Since we launched the event in 2012, hundreds of UTC employees have dedicated their time to organize and lead high-impact school transformation projects throughout the communities in which they live and serve. By acting on the shared belief that where our students learn matters, UTC leadership on Green Apple Day of Service has accelerated our progress toward providing safer, healthier, more efficient learning environments for all students within this generation.”
This coming week NORESCO, a part of UTC, will lead students in an energy audit at Boston Public School's Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, as part of the USGBC's Massachusetts chapter's largest Green Apple Day of Service event in our chapter's history.
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.