David Bliss, AIA and LEED BD+C, is a Senior Project Manager at Simpson Gumpertz and Heger (SGH) where he helps clients solve problems through his work in design and rehabilitation of new and existing buildings.
He has been involved in the Chapter for about 5 years. As a member of the (now retired) Regional and Statewide Outreach Committee (RaSOC), he developed maps and associated lists of our energy sources and environmental organizations and contributed to the establishment of chapters in Western Massachusetts and Worcester. About a year ago he decided to join the Advocacy Committee and soon volunteered to fill the open role of secretary. He proceeded to delve into proposed legislation on revenue neutral carbon fees and net metering.
The USGBC-MA has enriched his understanding of green building issues from the perspectives of the varied professional backgrounds of other members. It is a great forum for networking with other green building professionals where he enjoys both the work and contagious enthusiasm he finds at chapter events.
Every year the Trotter Parent Council, in conjunction with community partners, holds a School Beautification Day because “where children learn matters!” With a very high prevalence of asthma in the Trotter school population, air quality and the cleanliness of the school is extremely important to our students. Having a clean and orderly school sends the right message to children–that they are valued and safe. The Trotter Community sends a warm thank you to Boston Properties for sponsoring the event and supporting the community on this Day of Service.
The importance of green, clean schools is not a new concept to the Trotter as they were awarded the American Lung Association Award for Asthma Management in 2013 for their education and proactive actions to reduce asthma triggers throughout the school. The Trotter recognizes that the work of asthma prevention is constant work and so every year it is a focus of the annual Green Apple Clutter Cleanout Event. During the 2015 Green Apple Day, parents, students, staff and community partners gathered on aSaturday to help “green up” the school by steam cleaning carpets, cleaning all classroom and hallway surfaces using school district approved green cleaners, and helping teachers clean up their clutter by providing “clutter bins” for storing materials and reducing places for pests to call home.
Not only is the Green Apple Day a day of action, it’s an educational opportunity for all involved. Attendees come to understand the importance of asthma management; they learn why it’s important to reduce chemicals in our schools, keep classrooms clutter free, maintain clean recycling and trash systems and generally clean up after ourselves in every area of the building. And in the end the school building is a greener, healthier and cleaner place for all Trotter students!
Now that the state legislature is back in session, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) is eager to address Massachusetts' notoriously high electricity costs. Also on the docket are the issues of modernizing the power grid, using electricity investments to ensure lower carbon intensity, and ensuring fairness to all parties in bearing the costs of the grid. Fortunately, Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of solar panel installation growth, with nearly 900 MW of capacity in place today–enough to power at least 140,000 homes. A spotlight has been cast on this rapidly-growing industry, as lawmakers consider their options for striking a balance in how the grid evolves, and as utilities must follow increasingly strict requirements to buy a portion of their power from renewable sources.
Net-metering, which enables solar panel owners to sell the excess energy that they generate back to the grid, is one of the biggest incentives for businesses and individuals to use solar power. However, the legislature limits total amount of projects that are eligible for reimbursement that solar panel owners notionally should receive. Once those limits are met, no further solar PV projects in a particular service territory will be able to take advantage of the net-metering process. Hitting the caps means no more projects will be undertaken, as their primary return on investment, through selling power back to the grid, no longer applies. Many clean energy advocates, including the USGBC MA Chapter, are calling for an immediate end to the net metering caps, which limit the ability of solar supporters to develop both community and commercial solar PV projects.
On Tuesday afternoon at the State House, the Joint Committee on TUE heard dozens of testimonies at a packed public hearing. One of those testimonies was from Governor Baker (seen above, with Sec. of Energy & Environment Matt Beaton), who spoke in favor of Bill H. 3724. This bill would raise private and public net-metering caps–capped at 4% and 5% of the installed production capacity in a given utility service territory, respectively–by a modest 2% each.
Proposing to raise these caps is a step in the right direction, especially considering that 171 communities in Massachusetts have already reached the existing cap. But the positive provisions in H. 3724 are outweighed by the lack of comprehensive components that would allow the state's solar industry to grow sustainably in the long-term.
Led by the Acadia Center, the USGBC MA Chapter and nearly 50 other local and regional organizations signed a letter to the Joint Committee on TUE. These organizations support a more far-reaching, comprehensive solar policy framework than the currently proposed legislation, which limits net-metering and restricts the growth and sustainability of the solar industry in Massachusetts.
The signatories of the letter agree that solar policy legislation must minimally accomplish the following four objectives:
Set an ambitious solar target to ensure substantial contribution to environmental and public health requirements, as well as regional energy resource needs;
Maintain or expand equitable access to solar on fair terms with the mechanisms of net metering and virtual net metering;
Provide fair compensation to solar where any changes to rate structures must be based on a rigorous and public value of solar study; and
Suspend and then eliminate net metering caps which are no longer relevant with appropriate reforms.
While there are some constructive aspects of H. 3724, on the whole, this bill does not meet these criteria. One of the issues with the existing bill is that despite a proposed 2% increase, these net-metering caps would likely be hit in National Grid territory in 2016. This would require prompt action from the Department of Public Utilities.
Secondly, this bill would drastically limit net-metering credit values for many solar projects. These cuts on credit values ignore the myriad values that solar provides to the energy grid and MA customers in both the short- and long-term. Furthermore, limiting credit values could disproportionately affect community-shared and low-income solar projects, which derive their benefits from this credit value.
The legislature could ensure that the full value of solar projects are taken into account by taking the advice of their own Net-Metering Task Group. In a report issued last spring, the task group recommended a comprehensive study to determine the financial costs and benefits of solar PV, so that prices could be set accordingly.
As an alternative to Bill H. 3724, the USGBC MA Chapter has endorsed the Next Generation Solar Policy Framework, a proposal for more comprehensive and sustainable legislation on solar policy. Our Chapter supports this framework along with 67 other diverse organizations, including clean energy and environmental advocates, clean energy business groups, community groups, and solar businesses. It would effectively function as a legislative roadmap by outlining how to:
Fairly compensate solar projects after the solar goal of 1600 MW is met,
Cost-effectively incentivize solar development to achieve an ambitious solar electricity target, and
Address any legitimate utility concerns about paying for use of the electricity grid.
This progressive proposal, outlined in the Acadia Center's letter to the TUE Committee, strives for aggressive solar goals, provides fair payments for use of the distribution grid, and strongly supports community and low-income solar. (Read more about the Next Generation Solar Policy Frameworkhere).
Without raising caps on net-metering beyond what H. 3724 proposes–or eliminating these caps entirely–the sun could set on many of the state's solar energy projects.
Stay tuned for net-metering updates, as our Advocacy Committee continues to address this issue that is critical to the green building industry. Send us your feedback about Bill H. 3724, or thoughts about net-metering caps, to: advocacy@usgbcma.org.
The fall season brings many new and exciting changes to many of us here on the south shore. And as we all settle in to our new routines, the students at the Jacobs Elementary School here in Hull have begun a new routine of their own: fall planting. With the help of Holly Hill Farm, the students have eight raised gardens located next to their playground. The children have enjoyed watching their gardens grow! The gardens are a joint effort throughout the school. Each grade participates in a different, but co-dependent way. For example, the entire student body separates their compostable material from their trash at their lunch hour, and the fourth graders are responsible for adding this to the compost bins along with dry leaves. We are also installing a rain barrel to use to water the beds and teach water conservation. This will be one gradesʼ job and the students will all share the chore. During their time at the Jacobʼs, the students will learn the importance of each job. The second grade students have started their fall planting season beginning with spinach. First, the students discussed what these plants will need to grow: soil, sunlight, water, and space. Then each class gathered around the schoolʼs compost bins to collect humus (the composed product) for the gardens. They were eager to see how their apple cores, banana peels, ect. decomposed into nutrient rich soil. They were also eager to see the worms! The students then added the humus to their classʼs garden and turned it with the existing soil. After creating rows in the garden, each student added a few spinach seeds, covered them gently with soil, and wished them all “Good Luck.” With the help of our cafeteria staff, we will pair this seasonʼs spinach with our garlic from last season and create a delicious meal for the students and staff. The students are enthusiastic about their gardens and eager to reap itʼs harvest.
We would like to thank the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter and their support from Triumph Modular for making this day happen. It was a great opportunity to share this lesson with our students. Thank you!
The Green Building Showcase is today! We're excited to see everyone this evening at 6:30pm at our beautiful venue: the Calderwood Courtyard of the newly-renovated, LEED Gold-certified Harvard Art Museums (Sign up here if you haven't already).
Harvard University has consistently demonstrated its commitment to sustainability. Their campus currently boasts about 100 LEED certified and registered projects, more than any other higher education institution in the world. Besides hosting this USGBC event, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Green Building Services will be showcasing their recent green building achievements.
The project that will be featured by Harvard Business School is Tata Hall, a LEED Platinum building completed in 2014. Home to the HBS Executive Education Program, the project team incorporated environmental strategies in all stages of the design of this 7-story, 153,700 square foot building.
The Harvard Office for Sustainability will also feature three of their recently LEED-certified projects:
Stone Hall: This LEED Platinum renovation of a 59,100 square foot existing home headlines a larger, long-term renovation project to renovate each of the twelve undergraduate houses at Harvard. Formerly known as “Old Quincy,” this project's goals included: minimizing energy demand and loss, eliminating acoustics issues, and improving occupant comfort.
Nocera Laboratory: Although laboratories are typically regarded as energy intensive buildings, Nocera achieved LEED Gold status in 2013. Progressive, innovative design strategies were used to meet the high energy targets in a space that optimized its indoor environment and minimized its resource consumption.
Cronkhite Center: The 2013 renovation of this 75,000 square foot residence hall achieved LEED Gold certification. A remarkably fast-track renovation over 11 weeks helped keep this Graduate Center in alignment with Harvard University's sustainable housing mission.
We're looking forward to learning more about these and dozens of other innovative green buildings at this evening's event. Thank you to Harvard University for hosting our Showcase, and to Harvard Business School and the Harvard Office for Sustainability for their ongoing commitment to green buildings!
I'm Allison Maynard, the new Communications Associate here at the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter. It's been exciting to join the dynamic team here and learn about all the great sustainability work that's being done in Massachusetts.
This past spring I graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor of science in Environmental Science with a focus on Ecological Design and a Green Building minor. Having an Environmental Science background has given me an interesting perspective on the sustainable building industry and broadened my scope for green design. This summer I was able to work with a Passive House consultant to learn more about that building standard, and now I'm delving more into the LEED standard here at USGBC. I was also able to gain an international perspective on sustainable building when I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia during my spring semester in 2014. I'm working towards a career in sustainable building design but have slowly been realizing just how much that encompasses. My experiences and internships so far have been helping me figure out more specifically what I would like to do, and so far I'm most interested in urban and commercial scale sustainable building.
I've met some of you already, know many of you through outreach and social media, and can't wait to meet more of you during my time here!
Thank you to HMFH for their Grove-Level sponsorship of the Green Apple Day of Service!
Our chapter is comprised of many of the best leaders in the sustainability field and we are always excited to see what new strides they have made in their work. Their ingenuity and tireless commitment to sustainability are what make our chapter such a wonderful community of professionals. HMFH has used High Performance as a guiding design principle from their earliest work with passive solar design in the 1970s to 21st century buildings that meet or exceed LEED or CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) standards. Through a collaborative, integrated design process, they provide their clients with innovative, energy-efficient, high performance buildings and systems.
Energy conservation
HMFH’s comprehensive energy modeling allows owners to systematically explore energy-related design alternatives that can result in significant utility rebates and energy cost savings, such as at the Capuano Early Childhood Center, which saves the owner 40% in energy costs.
Optimal indoor environments
Because people learn and work more readily in effectively day-lit spaces, they develop optimal daylighting strategies that combine enhancement features like light shelves and borrowed lights with classroom dimming sensors to reduce artificial lighting usage and cost. Their research also sets performance guidelines for other environmental characteristics that are critical to effective learning, such as acoustics, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort.
Materials and resources
At HMFH they have long been sensitive to the impacts of building material selection on the overall environment, both in terms of occupant health and well-being, as well as long-term environmental effects. They continually evaluate and incorporate rapidly renewable and recycled materials into the design of our buildings, and have developed detailed specifications and life-cycle analysis to select reliable, economical, and low-maintenance materials and systems.
We especially recognize Chapter Member and regular volunteer Stephanie MacNeil – she has been co-chair of our Emerging Professionals Committee for a few years now and is a Chapter All-Star!
Here are some projects where HMFH has put their sustainability principles into action:
This past Saturday was the international Green Apple Day of Service, but for the Hingham High School Green Team it was just another normal day of sustainability work, albeit with sponsorship by HMFH Architects.
HHS's Green Team is composed of around 50 dedicated students who do everything from energy saving advocacy projects to maintaining a composting program on site. It was their composting program that they focused on during their service day Saturday. The team cleaned out and rotated their 12 compost piles to keep them working efficiently to process the 50 pounds of food waste from the cafeteria that is added during each school day. They took the finished compost to the garden beds near the greenhouse which will soon house spinach seeds.
The Team cleans out and refills the compost bins and transfers the finished compost to wheelbarrows.
Assistant Principal Rick Swanson does some edging work around the garden beds near the greenhouse.
Students fill the garden beds with finished compost in preparation for seed planting.
Thank you to Wednesday's Green Breakfast Club presenters Alyson Fletcher and Carrie Havey, who shared perspectives on sustainable transportation design to a receptive audience mixed with new and familiar faces.
Alyson Fletcher, an Associate at Nelson/Nygaard, discussed best practices for sustainable transportation, and prompted the audience to think of the vested interests of people using each mode of transportation. Alyson detailed the best (and worst) practices in the Boston area and nation-wide. These myriad concepts include complete streets, sustainable parking policies, downtown and regional mobility, transit-oriented development and transportation demand management.
Carrie Harvey, Project Manager with The Green Engineer, Inc., elaborated on the LEED v4 Location and Transportation (LT) credits. She walked us through these new credit categories, shared helpful tips for documenting credits and gave creative options for developers. The audience followed up the presentations by brainstorming about potential improvements in future LEED versions…and then had a chuckle about not wanting to go through a LEED updating process any time soon!
Next month: Go Green to Save Green!
Our next Green Breakfast will be on 10/22 at 8:30am, featuring Jerome Garciano, a USGBC Board Member and attorney in the Robinson & Cole LLP's Real Estate Group. He will explain tax rebates and incentives for renewable and energy efficiency projects. Register today and join the Club!
Green Breakfast Club is always a great way to meet fellow professionals in our industry and learn about an important aspect of green building.
More About the Presenters:
Carrie Havey is a Project Manager with The Green Engineer, Inc. (one our USGBC MA's Sponsoring Partners), and has over fourteen years of experience in the fields of planning, landscape architecture, and sustainable design. As a project manager, she works with development and design teams from the visioning stage through construction completion, managing the LEED certification process and providing sustainable design guidance. Carrie is on the USGBC Massachusetts Board of Directors, is a member of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools Operations and Metrics Subcommittee, and is a member of the USGBC Location and Transportation Technical Advisory Group.
With a background in landscape architecture and architecture, Alyson Fletcher brings an interdisciplinary approach to transportation planning. She has specific expertise in multimodal, parking, and transportation demand projects as well as drafting designs for improved intersections and streetscape facilities. Before joining NelsonNygaard as a transportation planner, Alyson was an intern on the Neighborhood Bikeways Campaign at the Active Transportation Alliance in Chicago and a Public Landscape Design and Management Intern at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in Philadelphia.
Congratulations to Elkus Manfredi Architects for the grand opening of their New Balance World Headquarters project last week! The 250,000-square-foot facility is positioned within the 15-acre Boston Landing development and features an open, communal-style layout with high ceilings and integrated digital media elements. Its glass-clad, streamlined exterior was designed to resemble a ship.
See the full article showing the interior design here.
At Elkus Manfredi their collective wealth of design and planning experience, built across a rich diversity of project and building types, energizes all of their work. They are well-versed in the ways that connectivity, location, market pressures, sustainability, and other elements play into the unique matrix that each project represents. They have gained insight into what has historically worked and what hasn’t, and can take an educated look into the future to anticipate needs not yet evident. This adds enormous substance to their work.
Check out some of the sustainable projects that they have completed:
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.