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USGBC MA Chapter
April Newsletter
In This Issue
Residential Green Building Committee
Devens Zero-Net Housing
What is Your Carbon Footprint?
IGDA 2012 Judges
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey
Building with Permanent Modular
LEED 2012 Opt-In Period

Become a Member 

 

Help us accelerate change and further our mission to advocate, educate and promote sustainable development in Massachusetts.

 

Join as a member today! 

  

 Organizations that share our goal of a more sustainable built environment should consider becoming a USGBC national member.   

 

Learn more here. 

 

Looking for Volunteers 

 

The Chapter is looking for volunteers interested in getting involved.  Some of the areas we are looking for help in are: Chapter Website, Newsletter, Speakers Bureau, Membership Campaign, and Graphic Design.

 

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Suzanne Abbott [email protected]

 

Chapter   Committees   

Give Back.
Build Your Resume.
Network.
Become involved with a Committee!

Deeper Green

Regional & Statewide Outreach

Education

Communications

Membership 

 

Advocacy

 

Fundraising

   

Special Events

 

Emerging Professionals (EPMA)

Green Schools

Residential Green Building

New Committees in Central and Western MA

Worcester Group

 

Western MA  

 

Berkshire MA  

 

To find out more about the committees and how to get connected, go to our website or send an email to
[email protected]
  
Community Corner 

Here are some upcoming free events to check out...

Saturday April 21st
FREE

2012
Sunday April 22nd
FREE

April 24, 2012
FREE



Did you Know?

The Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant not only protects Boston Harbor against pollution - it also processes a valuable byproduct. MWRA's Bay State Fertilizer is pelletized sewage sold as fertilizer to golf courses, landscapers and nurseries throughout New England.


Sponsorship Benefits   

Is your company interested in being a  Sponsor of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter?

Click here to find out the benefits you'll receive as a Chapter sponsor.
Donations are tax deductible and a great way to support our green building education, advocacy and outreach programming efforts in MA!

Our Chapter Sponsors  

Platinum:
National Grid.

Gold: Boston Properties; Sasaki; Hotel Marlowe; Turner.

 
Silver
Citizens Bank; TD Bank; SMMA; Nitsch Engineering. 

Bronze: Mark Richey Woodworking; Robinson & Cole; 
NSTAR; The Green Engineer, LLP.

Chapter Newsletter & Website  

Interested in writing articles for the Massachusetts Chapter newsletter? 

Interested in contributing educational content or graphics for our website?

Please email Carrie at [email protected]   
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APRIL 2012

Greetings!

 

Thursday is the Chapter's Annual Earth Day Event!  Thank you to everyone who has signed up to attend - we will have a full house.  Stay tuned for our next newsletter when we will announce the winners of the Innovation in Green Design Awards.  

Happy Earth Day!

 

The Residential Green Building Committee 


 

Committee's Initial Activities 

Since its establishment in 2011, the USGBC MA Chapter's Residential Green Building Committee (RGBC) has been busy getting ready to push LEED for Homes and residential green building, remodeling and retrofits. Ideas for 2012 include a LEED for Lunch education session; a Green Homes Tour in October in partnership with NESEA; and regional event participation. 

The LEED for Lunch session is designed as an educational tool for the design/build community and real estate professionals. Initial session topics might include the LEED for Homes rating system and LEED for Homes single-family and multi-family mid-rise case studies. 

The RGBC meets on the second Monday of each month from 5:30-7:30PM at 281 Summer Street, Boston. Meetings include a discussion of activities and a presentation on a green building topic. The last meeting featured Conor McGuire from Landmark Structures talking about specific LEED for Homes standards. Please join the open RGBG meetings. Contact Bill Holland for more information.

Click here to read the full article.

 Devens Zero-Net Energy Housing Project

 
Residents have begun moving into moderately-priced,Chapter Logo zero-net-energy homes in Devens, Mass., the site of a pilot program designed to showcase best practices in sustainable home construction for Massachusetts builders. MassDevelopment, which manages the former base in its role as the state's finance and development authority, chose two developers to purchase residential lots and build single-family homes and multi-family townhouses in Devens. Transformations, a Massachusetts residential development company specializing in sustainable building and green housing, has built four of the eight single-family homes and new residents have bought one of them. Metric Corporation, a Boston-based contractor and developer and industry leader, has framed and enclosed two of the four townhome buildings. The company has received positive feedback from local brokers about interest in the homes. 

Click here to read the rest of the article.
Image above: Two single family homes constructed as part of the pilot project.

Driving Somewhere?  What is your Carbon Footprint?


 

How serious are you about sustainability in your own daily operations? Does your organization participate in any program to compensate for the effects of necessary driving, or other transportation costs?

Lots of programs are available by which you can help to offset the negative impact of driving. One of these is TerraPass. They are an established and recognized carbon-offset provider, with a handy carbon footprint calculator on the 'businesses' tab of their website. You can buy carbon offsets or invest in sustainability projects completed by others. 

Another organization, based in Vermont, is Native Energy. This organization is also well established and well recognized as a carbon offset provider, and has other services such as calculating your carbon footprint.

A local alternative to these larger companies is a new non-profit organization, One Penny Per Mile, Inc., (OPPM), founded by local Architect Paul Brown and friends. OPPM operates on the honor system, and accepts donations of any amount, which are tax-deductible. 

Click here to read the full article.

Meet this Year's IGDA Judges



IGDA 2012 Judges are a Stellar Team 

The three judges for the 2012 Innovation in Green Design Award are a great example of what makes Massachusetts (and the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC) so amazing. The people judging the 17 entries into this annual competition are national leaders in their fields and committed to innovation and sustainability. 

Chapter Logo
Mike Davis, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, is an esteemed principal at Bergmeyer Associates with a focus on excellence and sustainability in the public realm. Mike is the President-elect of the BSA. 



Chapter LogoLisa Brothers, PE, LEED AP BD+C, is President and CEO of Judith Nitsch Engineering, the highly regarded civil-focused engineering firm in Boston. Lisa was voted Woman of the Year in 2008 by the Boston Chapter of the Advisory Board for the Women's Transportation Seminar.

Chapter Logo
Gregg Dixon is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at EnerNoc, the fast growing energy and demand management company located here in Boston. Gregg was voted one of Boston's "40 Under 40" by the Boston Business Journal.


The Return of Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey

 
Article from the New England Real Estate Journal's website.  

The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is a well-known national survey that collects key benchmark information on U.S. commercial buildings, providing data on energy use and other related characteristics. It is used by private and public stakeholders to track industry progress, gain high-level understanding of how buildings compare to similar peers and inform policy decisions.

The release of the 2007 CBECS survey results - which used a new lower-cost methodology - were infamously canceled when the Energy Information Administration deemed that the data was not statistically significant. Then, in 2011 the EIA canceled the project entirely when its budget was cut. The move left the energy efficiency industry reliant on information from the 2003 survey and received widespread (negative) national media attention from places like The New York Times.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Why Build Using Permanent Modular?


  

Triumph Modular's Permanent Modular Construction

 

Unlike the more temporary wood structures that are oftenChapter Logo associated with the modular industry, "permanent modular construction" is vastly different in design, execution and application.  It is simply an alternative method of constructing a building off-site, under controlled conditions in significantly less time.

Although modular has been around for a long time, it is seeing a profound re-emergence as sustainability is rightfully becoming the driving force behind building design. This method of project delivery is proving significant savings in materials and resources relative to traditional site built construction, as well as quantifiable reductions in site related impacts.

Click here to read the full article or visit www.triumphmodular.com.

LEED 2012 Ballot: Opt-In Period Opens April 2nd

 
This is an important time to be a USGBC member! The member ballot to approve the next version of LEED - LEED 2012 - will be open from June 1 - 30, 2012. Now is your opportunity to vote on the proposed updates to LEED. This opportunity is open exclusively to USGBC members.

To vote on the LEED 2012 ballot, you must be an employee of a USGBC national member organization in good standing, and you must join the Consensus Body during the Opt-In Period, April 2 - May 1. The consensus body ensures participation from the full diversity of LEED users and a balanced representation of USGBC membership. Interested members may opt in through usgbc.org/leed2012 until May 1st.

LEED 2012 builds on the foundational changes that were part of LEED 2009, offering a new global perspective, better user experience and increased technical rigor in key areas including energy and water efficiency.

Stay tuned for more detailed information about how this work is evolving!  Visit www.usgbc.org/leed2012 to opt in beginning April 2nd. For more information, email [email protected].

USGBC Upper Northeast Leadership Summit

 

MAY 3rd - 4th. SAVE THE DATE!  

 

Space With A Soul

USGBC Upper Northeast Region Announces the date of their annual Leadership Summit - May 3rd to May 4th.  

 

Location: New York Upstate Chapter - Saratoga/Malta Hyatt Place. 

 

Click here to learn more.


  
 
The UChapter LogoSGBC Massachusetts Chapter is a non-profit organization serving the sustainable design community throughout the Commonwealth by providing a wide range of green building education, networking and advocacy services. 

For more information visit: www.usgbcma.org