|
Greetings!
Welcome to the Massachusetts Chapter newsletter. This
monthly newsletter brings you news, upcoming events, and opportunities
for involvement from the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC. We are excited about our upcoming website, which will be online by the end of March.
|
Chapter News and Announcements
|
|
The Chapter Welcomes New USGBC MA Board Members
by Melissa Santley
At the close of last month, our members chose nine new Board Members as stewards of the organization. The new Board Members will join ten
continuing members to oversee the Chapter functions; ensuring a structurally
social, fiscal and environmentally responsible organization that meets the
needs of its members. All Board Members serve two years. We are grateful for the dedication and hard work of our past board members: Iram Farooq - City of Cambridge; Peter Gorer - Faciligies; Nathan Gauthier - Harvard University; Mark Rollins - Shawmut Design & Construction; and Chris Schaffner - The Green Engineer.
We are also grateful for the
support of our continuing board members: Stephen M. Benz - Sasaki Associates; Robert Brooks - Walden Collaborative; Patricia Cornelison - Arrowstreet Architects; Meredith S. Elbaum - Sasaki Associates; Rosalyn D. Elder - Division of Capital Asset Management; Emily
Greenstein - Citizens Bank; William L. Holland; Julia Ledewitz LEED AP - MIT; Erik
Ruoff - The Green Engineer; and Brian Swett - Boston Properties. As we thank the dedication of the continuing Board Members,
we would like to congratulate new members to the Board: Neil Angus - Devens Enterprise Commission; Andrea Atkinson - Scopa Group; Phoebe Beierle - The Green Roundtable/Nexus; Martine Dion - Symmes Maini & McKee Associates; Jacquelynn Henke - Allston Development Group, Harvard University; Norman Lamonde - Turner Construction Co; Jim Newman - BuildingGreen LLC; Gregory Sampson - Robinson & Cole LLP; and Jennifer Taranto - Structuretone.
And congratulations to our new Executive Committee!
Jenn Taranto - Chair Jim Newman - Vice Chair Emily Greenstein - Treasurer Pat Cornelison - Secretary We would like to give a special thanks to Steve Benz, our past Chair, for all his hard work and dedication this past year.
New USGBC MA Committee Chairs
Congratulations to our new Chapter Committee Chairs. All Chairs will serve a one year term.
Mark Webster - Regional & Statewide Outreach Committee Chair
Christopher Schaffner - Chair of the Education Committee Jaime Macfall - Chair of the Deeper Green Committee Marcus Springer - Chair of the Advocacy Committee Stacy Boyden - Chair of the Events Committee Suzanne Robinson - Chair of the Membership Committee Caroline Havey - Chair of the Communications Committee
Click here to learn about each of these great committee's and contact the Chair to learn about upcoming meetings and events.
|
Person Spotlight
|
|
Welcome to Our New Operations Consultant!
Suzanne
Abbott is our new Chapter Operations Consultant. Previously, Suzanne
was the Regional Director of EarthShare New England where she was
consistently dedicated to the mission of motivating individuals and
organizations in creating a healthy and sustainable environment. Her
work with the environmental non-profit federation focused on managing
the annual giving campaigns of environmental and conservation
charities. In providing leadership to the donor cultivation process,
she supported over 100 organizations by representing member groups at
workplace giving campaigns in local, state, government, and corporate
platforms.
In recent years, Suzanne has also served on the
Board of Directors for Sports Saves Souls as the Development
Director. Suzanne is a LEED accredited professional specializing in
Building Design and Construction and has a B.S. in Environmental and
Resource Economics from the University of New Hampshire.
She resides in Reading with her husband and 5-year-old son.
|
Upcoming Events
|
|
Earth Day - Innovation in Green Design Awards 2010 by Brendan McCluskey
Although many were left feeling disappointed after the anticlimactic Copenhagen Climate talks and the environment seems to be at an ever unstable place, lift your heads as we have something to celebrate: the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! At this pivotal time
the new USGBC MA Chapter is excited to bring the Massachusetts
community together to celebrate all the good that we are doing and
inspire an even greater level of change in our industry. To celebrate, the Chapter is planning their 3rd Annual Earth Day Celebration (stay tuned for details) and the Call for Entries is now open for the Innovation in Green Design Award. The Award Program is specific to entries that were built, implemented or created in Massachusetts and this year entries will be grouped into two categories - Building Construction or Green Product/Technology. Learn more about how to submit your project, product, or technology and download the application here. Winners will be recognized at the Earth Day event in April.
In 2009, Sasaki, a
renowned design firm, was awarded the inaugural prize not for any
project they were working on, but an internal program they established
in their office. GreenLAB is a program Sasaki instituted at their
Watertown offices to experiment with new green materials and methods
and increase awareness to green-minded professionals. The project was
particularly successful as it was replicable and some of the technologies were even applied in other company locations.
Read more...
Submissions are due no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday April 7, 2010.
Sasaki's Winning Submission
|
Advocacy
|
|
The Massachusetts Stretch Code
by Douglas Tierney
A new energy efficiency mandate, known as the Stretch Code, is headed to many cities and towns in Massachusetts. Its road was paved back in July of 2008, when Massachusetts passed the Green Communities Act, which required all municipalities to adopt the new and more stringent version of the energy efficiency code, known as IECC 2009. This effectively sets the minimum level of energy efficiency, but also includes an appendix, the Stretch Code, which gives cities and towns the option to raise the bar even higher. The Stretch Code represents an approximately 20% improvement over the IECC 2009, and uses the HERS rating system for performance verification, although there is also a Prescriptive compliance path for renovations and additions.
In early November of 2009, Newton became the first town to officially adopt the Stretch Code, with Cambridge following suit in December. One would be hard pressed to find a municipality that has not at least debated the issue, and over the next few months it seems likely that the ranks of adopters will multiply several times. In addition to doing their part, towns that adopt the Stretch Code take a large step towards achieving "Green Community" status, thus becoming eligible for $10 million in annual funding. The other criteria require as-of-right zoning and expediting permitting for renewable energy, a municipal energy management plan with a commitment to 20% reduction within 5 years, and a commitment to purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use. Chapman Construction/Design Headquarters in Newton, MA received LEED-CI Platinum certification. Image Credit: Chapman Construction.
|
LEED/Education
|
|
Education Committee Announces a Call for Course Submissions
The
USGBC MA Education Committee is accepting applications to develop and
present vendor-neutral, educational programs related to high
performance and sustainable building practices. In accordance with
USGBC MA's mission to provide its members with educational resources,
the Chapter intends to gain certification for up to ten (10)
GBCI-approved courses in 2010. Certified programs will be hosted and
promoted by USGBC MA under the GBCI Education Provider designation.
Attendees will receive continuing education (CE) credits supporting
their LEED professional credential maintenance.
USGBC MA is accepting applications for 2010 courses that meet the following requirements:- Minimum 50 minutes of instruction time
- Content
geared to increase the competency of LEED professionals, and support
valid green building practices in a vendor-neutral manner
- Developed and presented by instructor qualified in the subject matter
Submit Your Program Today!
Please submit an application for course review to USGBC MA Education Committee Chair, Chris Schaffner ([email protected]) by March 15, 2010. Include at a minimum the following information:- Abstract or outline describing course content
- Learning Objectives (What will participants gain from attending this event?)
- Primary audience (Building owners? Residential contractors? Architects? Engineers?)
- Instructional time
- Brief bio describing Instructor's qualification to present this content
|
|
|