Sasaki Image
In This Issue
Green Roundtable Events
The Forum Events
The Forum Corner
EGB Corner
Community Events
Feature Article: Boston EGB Team Places Third Nationally
Event Highlight: LEED EBOM Seminar Clarifies Changes
Project Spotlight: Sasaki's Chase Mills in Watertown
Advocacy Alert: New MA Mercury Law in Effect
USGBC News: Closing Date Announced for LEED AP Exam
What's New at GRT? Events Survey, Trainings & More
Conference Highlight: New England Facilities Expo 2009
Your new year's resolution: Green!
 
A donation to NEXUS supports the local green economy and helps to make your city and life greener.

* Donate $25 and make a difference in your green building community.

* Donate $50 or more and be entered in a raffle to win prizes from green retailers and green restaurants.

* Donate $100 or more and be invited to participate in a VIP reception hosted by Executive Director Barbra Batshalom.

* Donate $250 and get a one-hour free consultation with the Green Doctor Program for your building, home or business.

* Donate $1,000 or more and be recognized as an official sponsor of the NEXUS Green Building Resource Center.

Donate to NEXUS now.
The NEXUS Annual Fund Drive has been extended through the end of January.
Thank you for supporting NEXUS!
Green Roundtable Events
 
Saturday, January 10
10am-2pm
 
January 21
12:30-1:45pm
 
January 29
5-7pm
 
*Events above are held at NEXUS. Get directions to NEXUS. Learn more about these events and others on our Events Calendar.
Massachusetts Membership Forum Events
 
January 13
8-9am
January 22
8-9am

 
*Learn more about these events and others on our Events Calendar.
The Forum Corner*
 

As part of GRT, The Forum offers opportunities to get involved

This month we highlight The Forum's Membership Kick-Off event and opportunitieis to join committees.


2009 MEMBERSHIP KICK-OFF


Happy New Year! The USGBC Massachusetts Membership Forum leadership is excited about 2009. We have planned a new year full of exciting events, activities and opportunities for the sustainable building community in Massachusetts.


Are you interested in getting more involved or understanding what becoming a paying member in 2009 entails and how you can benefit? Do you want to enjoy a relaxing evening with food and drink, hear Winston Vaughan from Environment Massachusetts speak about the environmental policy successes in Massachusetts and network with other Forum volunteers, members and participants?
 
Mark your calendars for the 2009 Evening with Members on Thursday, February 26 from 5:30-7pm. Light appetizers will be served.


Where: K&L Gates, State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111
Speaker: Winston Vaughan from Environment Massachusetts


   JOIN A COMMITTEE!

Click on the committee to learn more:

 

-Communications

-Deeper Green

-Regional View

-Education

-Emerging Green Builders

-NEW! Advocacy



*Learn more about how you can get involved.
EGB Corner*

The Forum's Emerging Green Builders Committee offers numerous ways for students and young professionals to get involved with the green building community. This month we highlight upcoming events, EGB Elections and EGB's goals for 2009.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
The 2009 Design Competition Kick-Off is 1/21 at 5:30pm at NEXUS.  Learn about this year's project.  Refreshments provided.
 
The 2009 EGB Kick-Off Meeting is 2/5 at 6pm at NEXUS.  This is an opportunity to get involved, hear about this year's events and socialize.  Refreshments provided. 
 
RUN FOR EGB OFFICE
 
Nominations will start soon for EGB Office.  Learn more about the upcoming election. 
 
- Co-Chair
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Membership Committee Chair

GOALS FOR 2009

EGB leadership met last month to develop goals for 2009. The following are some of their top priority goals for the year.

- 8-10 Green Building Tours
- LEED Study Group
- Community Event- Hands-on EGB event that benefits the community
- Design Competition 2009
- Professional development
- Networking, Job Fair, 'Meet an Expert'.
- Earth Day Event
- Green Film Nights
- And more.


*Learn more about how you can get involved by emailing [email protected].
Community Corner


Several organizations offer green building-related events, grants and job opportunities around Massachusetts.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

NOFA 5-DAY ORGANIC LAND CARE ACCREDITATION COURSE

January 14-21

EBC's Third Annual Regional Construction and Demolition Debris Summit
January 16, 7:30am-4pm
Westborough, MA

Boston Green Building Open Hours
January 16, 1-5pm
Allston, MA

NOFA Winter Conference - Organic Farming: The Roots of a Sustainable Community
January 22
Worcester, MA

College of Green Offices: A Workshop on Improving Recycling and Environmental Programs in the Office
January 27
Fitchburg, MA

The National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions: Suffolk University Forum
February 5
Boston, MA

USGBC Education Provider Courses
Ongoing

Yestermorrow Design/Build School
Spring/Summer 2009
Warren, VT

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Second Nature Hiring

Start a Pilot Residential Retrofit Project
Deadline: January 21

Call for entries: Fix Our Energy Addiction
Deadline: January 30

BSA Sustainable Design Award
Deadline: February 2, 4pm

Designed to Earn the Energy Star
Deadline: March 6

Lowell, MA "Getting to Zero Energy Challenge"
Deadline: March 15

*Find out more about these exciting events on our Community Events webpage. Email Aaron with "Community Events" or "Announcements" in the subject line to submit your event.
Join Our Mailing List
Massachusetts Sustainable Building Community Newsletter
January 2009
 
Greetings!

Welcome to the newsletter for the Massachusetts Sustainable Building Community!

This newsletter brings you news, upcoming events, and opportunities for involvement from three Massachusetts entities affiliated with the US Green Building Council--The Green Roundtable (GRT), The Massachusetts Membership Forum (The Forum) and the Emerging Green Builders Committee (EGB).

This edition features news from the Greenbuild Conference & Expo, USGBC's revamped LEED 2009 Rating System, new Green Roundtable and NEXUS resources and services, and President-Elect Obama's plan for a new energy economy and five million green jobs.

LEED APs most likely to...
 
A study was recently released by a researcher at Missouri State to learn about general perceptions of LEED APs. His preliminary findings are:

- Most LEED-AP's felt the credential provided more recognition, job responsibilities, and prestige.
- Most felt more knowledgeable and more confident in their ability to do their work.
- Most use the credential on their business cards, correspondence, etc.
- The largest age categories of LEED-APs were 30-39.
- The largest education level was bachelor's degree holders.
- Most LEED-AP's worked for architects/engineer firms.

Stay tuned for more detailed analyses.

(Courtesy Richard Bruce, Missouri State)
Feature Article
Boston EGB Places Third in National Design Competition

2009 Design Competition Image
Carrie Havey, EGB Outreach Chair

The Natural Talent Design Competition was started six years ago by USGBC's Emerging Green Builders.  This annual contest is an opportunity for students and young professionals to practice sustainable design concepts around local community projects.  Participating USGBC chapters, affiliates and host committees hold local competitions and each group's winning project team participates in the national competition. 

Winners are selected at Greenbuild by a jury of distinguished design professionals and awards are presented during the closing plenary. This year, seventeen chapters hosted local competitions and sent their winning project teams to Boston to compete for the national prize.  The 2008 winner, Cascadia EGB's Team Webber Thompson, used Living Building Challenge standards to design an urban, high-rise, multi-use residence for a site in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Team Redo Rudolph from Massachusetts placed third with their design of the Erich Lindemann Building.

Read more about the EGB Natural Talent Design Competition Winners.

(Pictured: Dana Ozik, Team Redo Rudolph, and Rick Fedrizzi, CEO USGBC)
Event Highlight
LEED EBOM Seminar Clarifies Changes to Rating System

Last month, GRT offered an 'Introduction to LEED EBOM' seminar. We covered the new LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance, the differences between LEED EBOM and other rating systems and a walk-through of the credits. LEED EBOM, developed for existing commercial and institutional buildings, is a rating system for building operations, processes, systems upgrades and minor space use changes.  The rating system is targeted towards building owners and operators of existing buildings and requires recertification at least every five years. Learn more about the LEED EBOM Rating System from the US Green Building Council website.

If you missed it you can view the presentation from our Archived Events webpage. GRT will also offer a LEED-EBOM AP Test Prep Training in the spring when the exam goes public. Email Aaron Desatnik with "LEED-EBOM AP Test Prep Training" in the subject line to receive priority attendance in this training.

Learn more about upcoming GRT events.
Project Spotlight
Sasaki's Chase Mills in Watertown
 
Sasaki Image
Chase Mills in Watertown, MA is a riverfront assemblage of buildings, some of which date to the 1850s. It is the place where the paper bag was invented just prior to the Civil War. Now this complex along the banks of the Charles River is home to another kind of innovation -- green design thinking.

Sasaki Associates' Chase Mills headquarters was recently certified LEED EB v2.0 Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The process of certification took more than two years and involved a major renovation of the building as well as incorporation of numerous sustainability components.
 
Read the full Chase Mills Spotlight.
 
(Photo credit: James McCown for Sasaki Associates.)
Advocacy Alert 
New Massachusetts Mercury Law in Effect
 
grt
Mark Kohorst, National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Did you know that you can't throw fluorescent and CFL bulbs in the trash?  A law passed last year makes trashing these light bulbs unlawful.

Effective last spring, the law states that "no person, household, business, school, healthcare facility or state or municipal government shall knowingly dispose of a mercury-added product in any manner other than by recycling, disposing as hazardous waste or using a method approved by the department."

Learn more about the Massachusetts Mercury Law.

(Photo Credit: dbtechno.com)
USGBC News
Closing Date Announced for LEED AP Exam Registration

LEED AP Image
By Tristan Korthals Altes

BuildingGreen.com-
Since the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) announced big changes to the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) program, a few other key items have come out.

First, the final date to register for the LEED AP exam in its current form has been set at March 31, 2009. The final date for "exam retirement" has not been set (meaning you can take the exam after that date, as long as you're registered), but is expected to be late May or June 2009.

Continuing reading 'Closing Date Announced by LEED AP Exam Registration.'

Learn about upcoming events on LEED 2009.

Read previous posts from BuildingGreen.com about changes to the LEED Rating System.

(Photo credit: BuildingGreen.com)
What's New at GRT?
Event Survey, Trainings & More
 
NEXUS Showroom Image
The Green Roundtable and its NEXUS Green Building Resource Center provide you with services and resources to green your projects, firms, homes, communities and lifestyles. 'What's New at GRT' keeps you up to date about the innovative services and resources we offer.

Support Your Green Building Resource Center

A donation to NEXUS supports the local green economy and helps to make your city and life greener. Support NEXUS and our free resources and programming. The NEXUS Annual Fund Drive has been extended through the end of January. Thank you for supporting NEXUS!

NEXUS Second Saturday: Green Living!
Have you wanted to visit NEXUS but can't come during the week? Are you involved with a community group that wants to learn more about green building, sustainable design and green living? We've got the solution for you with NEXUS Second Saturdays! Tomorrow's NEXUS Second Saturday event is featuring our Low Impact Living Seminar. Invite your friends and neighbors to learn how you can green your home and life even on a tight budget!

We Want to Learn What You Want to Learn

Each year GRT provides educational programming to help you learn about green building as well as to build capacity to green your projects. What new green technology are you excited about? What challenges do you want help with on your project? Fill out our Educational Events Survey and you'll be entered into a raffle for a green gift. The survey will close Friday, January 16. Big thanks to The Fireplace, Johnny D's and BuildingGreen for their donations. Click here to fill out the survey.

Green Building Capacity-Building Trainings
GRT offers professionals development trainings for firms and individuals. The following are two of our upcoming trainings. Space is limited.
  • LEED AP Test Prep Training* (last chance before the exam changes!)- Starts 2/3
  • Implementing LEED for Contractors Training*- Starts 2/4
Stay tuned on our new LEED AP for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Test Prep Training in early spring.

*Receive a 10% discount on these trainings by registering for both.

Field Trips for School Groups
Did you know that NEXUS offers interactive field trips for groups of students in grades 4-12? For more information, click here. To set up a field trip for your group, e-mail Annie Cardinaux.

GRT Can Answer All Your Questions

GRT's newest offering is an on-call service, Green Building Doctor, to help you with all your green building, green home and LEED issues. Contact Colleen Soden at 617-374-3740 x102 or [email protected] to learn more. We'll be happy to answer your questions.
 
New Integrated Retail Exhibit at NEXUS!
In case you missed last month's newsletter, NEXUS recently installed a new integrated retail exhibit in our entryway! Combining attractive green materials and featuring an elegant design and construction by Lincoln millwork, NEXUS' new entryway houses our reception area, two work stations and storage. It was designed as a modern green retail space that showcases numerous green materials. The exhibit is part of a series of integrated exhibits designed to bring interactive educational resources to NEXUS. Contact Maryellen to showcase your green products.
 
NEXUS Open Hours During Holidays & Winter
NEXUS Open Hours have resumed and are Monday-Wednesday, 12-3pm, Thursday from 12-7pm and the Second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm. NEXUS will be closing at 5pm on January 22nd.
New England Facilities Expo 2009
NEFE logo
New England Facilities Expo is an exclusive event designed to attract building management decision-makers. Known for 14 years as an annual showcase, attendees rely on the Facilities Expo to access products and services to emphasize facility best practices.  This year features a special focus on "Managing Green Buildings," created in response to the ever-growing push for facility managers to "green" their buildings. These decision makers are looking for products that are sustainable, energy-efficient, effective and low-maintenance.

For exhibiting information contact Sue Blumberg, Matt Leaf or Steve Northrop at 800.827.8009, or visit www.FacilitiesExpo.com.
The Forum logoGRT logo  EGB logo
 
Don't forget to donate to NEXUS as your new year's resolution!

Thanks and keep up the great work to mainstream green!
 
Sincerely,
 

Aaron Desatnik, The Green Roundtable
Jim Newman, The USGBC MA Membership Forum
Caroline Havey, Emerging Green Builders Committee