Upcoming Events with the Chapter! | 1/29/14 5:30-8pm 2/4/14 8-10am
2/4/14 7-8pm 2/6/14: 4-5:30pm
2/10/14 5:45-8pm 2/12/14 4:30-6:30pm West Branch Green Tea
"Envelope Retrofit Analysis" at UMass Amherst
2/13/14 6-9pm
2/18/14 Noon
2/18/14 Noon
West Branch Webinar:
2/19/14 4:30pm
in Boston
1/19/14 6:15-8pm
2/20/14 6-7:30pm 3/4/14 9am-5pm
3/6/14 5:45-7:30pm |
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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 or partner of USGBC MA.
Learn more here
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Sponsoring Partners gain access & exposure to our membership and subscriber base.
You can show your stakeholders that you are directly involved with the heart of green building advocacy and professional development in Massachusetts.
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Chapter Committees | Make a Difference. Network. Build Your Resume. Become involved with a Committee!
Education
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Emerging Professionals (EPMA)
Green Schools Residential Green Building
The Chapter has groups meeting throughout the Massachusetts:
Central MA Group (Worcester-based) Cape & Islands Group (Hyannis-based) Western MA Branch (Amherst-based) To find out more about the committees and how to get connected, go to our website or send an email to [email protected]
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I am excited about this new year! I hope you are too. We have our Annual Meeting this week with a lot going on.
Read below about Green Schools, about Green Building Awards, and our new membership rates. Please plan on coming to our Annual Meeting on Wednesday - we'll be recognizing our volunteers, finalizing our new Board of Directors, and hearing from some of the Greenbuild presenters. It will be a ton of fun!
I must say thank you to our amazing Volunteers! We will be toasting some of the leaders of the Chapter who are putting in incredible work as committee facilitators, event organizers, and education providers. This is really a wonderful community to work for - so many of you give so much to help us meet our collective mission. Thank you again for your hard work to make more green buildings and communities happen!
These volunteers will be presenting great opportunities for you to dive deeply into LEED v4 with an all-day master class at NESEA BE14. Also, we're kicking off another series of LEED Green Associate Study Groups throughout the state this spring - click here for more information.
Thank you to our many sponsors - seen in the left column here (below). We have the pleasure of welcoming to our ranks AtSite, a building management services provider, CenterPoint, an exciting real estate project in Waltham which is supporting our Regenerative Development series, Electric Film, a technology for harvesting ambient light for device management, and Thornton Tomasetti, structural engineers. Gunnar Hubbard of Thornton Tomasetti will be one of the presenters at our Annual Meeting.
We just got news from Rick Fedrizzi that Massachusetts has held on to our #4 ranking for number of LEED projects certified in 2013, still quite impressive when you think about our market size.
Many of you will be interested in the Emerging Professionals of MA (EPMA)'s "Soiree" - their yearly kick-off social. Sponsored by Lee Kennedy. Come out February 13th and join the gang with some fun and games, door prizes and more!
Stay in touch, chime-in, and follow us on facebook & twitter. Are you keeping up with the discussions on Linkedin? We have a lot going on with our advocacy work and our events.
Thank you again for your work to make Massachusetts more sustainable, resilient and healthy for us all.
Grey Lee
Executive Director
USGBC MA Chapter
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Annual Meeting this Wednesday in Boston | |
Our annual meeting will be full of activity. We will start at 5:30 with our Volunteer Recognition Program - to honor and thank the many people who have participated in our programs or otherwise demonstrated leadership with one of our campaigns or committees.
| A Captivating Program! |
We will also be announcing our new Board of Directors. More info on the elections can be found here.
The second portion of the evening, starting at 6:30, will be a series of short presentations from all-star green building heroes who presented at Greenbuild in Philadelphia in November. We are bringing them onto the stage here in Massachusetts so more of our colleagues can benefit from their expertise.
When: January 29th, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM Location: EnerNOC, 1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, MA Cost: Free for Members (join now!) RSVP: Please register for the USGBC MA 2014 Annual Meeting using this link.
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Green Schools Update | |
by Steve Muzzy
The Green Schools Committee is preparing for 2014! Come to our next meeting, February 6, 2014 to help outline our goals and activities for the year. It's an in-person meeting and food will be provided!
We have a handful of Green Associate Study Groups planned this spring. We'll again host a study group in Boston. Worcester is also holding a group with the dates being determined soon. And UMASS Amherst and Holyoke Community College are both offering credit granting courses that incorporate the Green Associate curriculum.
Below are some terrific opportunities and resources to continue this work. Please share with your school networks.
February 7, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Professional Development Opportunity: Green Scholars - A 21st Century Experiential Approach to School-Based Environmental Sustainability: (Manchester, MA)
February 14, Applications Due: The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has launched Energy Manager Grant Program to support municipal energy manager positions throughout the Commonwealth. The program is open to all Massachusetts municipalities, as well as regional school districts, that do not already employ a local energy manager for more than 15 hours per week.
May 19-21, 2014
Local Solutions: Northeast Climate Change Preparedness Conference hosted by Antioch University New England and the U.S. EPA. Day 3 of the conference will focus on supporting middle and high school teachers and students to design Common Core, STEM, and Next Generation Science curriculum to engage students and citizen scientists working in collaboration with community planners and leaders.
Chevy and the USGBC are teaming up to offer funding to purchase and retire carbon reductions sourced from clean energy efficiency projects on college & school campuses. The funding opportunity is open to all U.S. universities, colleges and K-12 schools. Visit the following page for more information and eligibility requirements.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with the following blog, Why Every Public School Should Have A Design-Build Program. It includes a video that is truly inspiring.
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Massachusetts Green Building Awards
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by Chris Liston & Carrie Havey
Since 2008, USGBC Massachusetts has recognized the most innovative green buildings, products, processes and technologies in the Massachusetts real estate community.
Past winners have demonstrated ingenuity, replicability, and scored well on the triple bottom line - an important concept in sustainability that considers the building's overall impact on economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social equity.
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2013 Green Building of the Year: 95-97 Pine St. Cambridge, MA. Submitted by Homeowner's Rehab Inc.
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This year's entry deadline is March 15 and winners will be announced at our Earth Day Gala on April 17th [Save the Date!].
2014 Entry Categories:
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Innovations in Sustainability & Resiliency | |
How can we use district scale strategies to enhance values and ensure business continuity?
Innovation is driving sustainability beyond the individual buildings to district scale strategies and actions. Boston's Innovation District, already pioneering new practices, is poised to pursue new businesses and organization models to greatly enhance the sustainability and resiliency of the district.
Come hear from Kairos Shen of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, John Aubrecht from the Longwood Medical Energy Collaborative, Galen Nelson of the Mass Clean Energy Center and other leaders to learn about the latest innovations for community improvement related to sustainability & resiliency.
When: Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Location: 45 Northern Ave, Boston MA
Cost: Free
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Membership Rates Increase: 1/30/14
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Introducing the EMERALD NECKLACE
The USGBC MA Chapter Board of Director voted to slightly increase membership dues, and to implement a new higher-level-donor giving program.
The Emerald Necklace seeks to reward a handful of major donors with a program of recognition and special, customized, programming, including strategic planning workshops. We believe there are members of our community who would feel comfortable making a major charitable contribution to our work, and who should be regaled by the community.
Membership Rates for the coming year:
Youth and/or Retiree |
$0
| Emerging Professional | $25 | Employee of National Member Firm | $50 | Basic Chapter Member | $75 | Cultivating Member | $125 | Green Apple Member | $200 - $299 | Green Advocate | $300 - $599 | Green Ambassador | $600 - $999 | Emerald Necklace | $1000+ |
The USGBC MA Chapter is a 501c3 charitable organization and donations are tax-deductible.
We look forward to the new year and a new membership drive that we will kick off at the Annual Meeting.
| Here are the smiling faces of a few of our great members! |
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We have hundreds of followers keeping track of the latest in the green building industry in the state - join us on the following networks:
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