Upcoming Chapter Events: |
3/26/2014 - Networking Night: Sponsored by Nitsch Engineering. This month's theme focuses on the power of mentorship. More details here [Boston]
3/27/14 - Green Schools Committee Meeting: You, like many of us, want green schools for all. We are working on it with a broad group of stakeholders. Join us! More details here [Boston]
4/1/2014 - Webinar Principles of LEED O+M Materials & Resources: Explore the key concepts in the Materials & Resources credit category for LEED EBOM. Register now [Amherst]
4/2/14 - Cape & Islands bi-monthly presentation:
4/4/2014 - Annual Regional Summit:
Join us for our annual regional gathering in Burlington, Vermont.
Click here for details
4/14/14 - Residential Committee Meeting:
Passive House in the Northeast with Steve Baczek [Boston] 4/15/2014 - Webinar LEED v4 Overview, Location & Transportation
This session includes an overview of the innovation, regional priority, and the integrative process credits.
Register now [Boston] 4/16/2014 - Webinar BD+C 252: LEED v4 Water Efficiency and Energy & Atmosphere Need GBCI credits or just want to better understand what is involved with LEED V4? Register Now [Worcester] 4/22/2014 - 7th Annual Earth Day Gala: Celebrate our green building efforts and applaud the Green Building Award winners! Click here for details
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2014 GREEN BUILDING AWARDS:
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Tuesday, April 22
6-9pm
Federal Reserve Plaza
Boston
We hope you will join us this 7th annual event - celebrate the best in green building with the host of peers in the industry.
Click here for tickets
Cool sponsorship opportunities are available
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Fresh from the BLOG | We keep writing up stories about things we're doing
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Chapter Committees | |
Become involved with a Committee!
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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Become a Member
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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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Join Our List | |
E+ Platinum Dedication w/ Mayor Walsh | |
Boston's E+ Green Building program reception
Wednesday, April 2nd
11:30am
226-232 Highland St, Roxbury, MA 02119
Boston has created the E+ program to demonstrate that energy positive buildings are possible. Join Mayor Walsh in recognizing the LEED Platinum achievement at this project.
Use this link to register
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Northeast Building & Facilities Management Show
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Coming to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center June 18-19
Click here for more information
We'll be at booth #642 and we invite Chapter members to attend - you'll get a free lunch!
[email protected] for more info
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BERDO Workshop | |
Building Energy Reporting & Disclosure Ordinance
Free Training 4/3/14
8:30-10:00am
at Foley Hoag
155 Seaport Blvd
Boston, MA 02210
The City of Boston is requiring all large properties to report their energy & water use. Come to this FREE program, produced by (Chapter Partner Non-Profit) A Better City
Use this link to register
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I hope you are doing very well, even as we patiently wait for the new season to spring.
I hope you will help us, in the next few days, with our advocacy for the Stretch Code - to make more green buildings happen in Massachusetts. See below - you can print off a letter template and send it to the State to ask for a strong Stretch Code. Last day for letters is Friday.
You are invited to attend our monthly networking night tomorrow, Wednesday, in Boston. We always have a good time and make significant connections.
Are you tuning in to our social media discussions and notes? We have 1793 members in our group on LinkedIn. Who will be #1800? It's a great way to stay abreast of green building industry activity in MA, as are our feeds on facebook and twitter. Of course, I'm happy to be able to email you these newsletters - thank you for reading.
I am looking forward to our Green Building Awards at the Earth Day Gala - April 22 in Boston. Sponsorship opportunities (including buying a full table) are available. Please read more below and buy your tickets - this event sells out every year.
Thank you for your continuing efforts to make our communities greener and better for all - the green building projects you work on are meeting the challenges of our times. Keep up the great work!
Grey Lee
Executive Director
USGBC MA Chapter
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Advocacy Alert: Stretch Code
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The USGBC MA calls on all supporters of green buildings to contact the State's DOER to help them make a decision on updating the Stretch Code. Some industry participants are reluctant to update the code, and we need to demonstrate broad public interest in the Stretch Code.
In July 2014, when the IECC 2012 goes into full effect, the current Stretch Code will be essentially equivalent to the new base energy code in terms of energy efficiency. The Green Communities Act requires that "Green Communities" set requirements to minimize life-cycle costs for new construction, which largely has been accomplished through the adoption of the Stretch Code by these municipalities.
The delay in the adoption of an updated Stretch Code is causing confusion as to the status of Green Community designations, along with undue complexity for the design professionals of Massachusetts dealing with uncertainty as to future requirements in the Green Communities. Click here to take action!
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150 Second Street Earns LEED Platinum
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By Carrie Havey
Bounded by Second, Charles, and Bent Streets in East Cambridge, 150 Second Street is a new three-story laboratory research building totaling 36,000 sf. The project is designed as a group of three linked buildings, each with its own distinct style in keeping with the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood. The three buildings have their own individual palette of cladding and fenestration, employing metal, glass and wood cladding. All building materials, from the roof to the cementitious fiber panels to the interior finishes of the public areas have been chosen with sustainability in mind. The building will contain large windows designed to wash natural daylight throughout an open floor plan design, which reduces the need for artificial lighting systems.
The project's key features include: a 39% water use reduction; a rain garden to capture and treat site rainwater; a water reuse system that captures rainwater and condensate and reuses for flushing, resulting in a 85% reduction in water use for sewage conveyance; and a 30% reduction in energy cost savings.
The project was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects and recently earned LEED-CS v3 Platinum certification. The Green Engineer was the LEED project consultant.
As far as we are aware, 150 Second Street is the: - First commercial lab project certified Platinum under LEED v3 in New England - First Platinum project of any kind under LEED-CS v3 in New England - 8th Platinum LEED-CS v3 in the US
So far in 2014, Massachusetts has seen 16 certifications. Let us know if you'd like your building to be spotlighted.
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Green Schools Update
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By Steve Muzzy
We have two quick items to share. First, register for the 7th Annual MA Green Schools Summit: Developing Energy & Environmentally Literate Students, Schools, and Citizens for the 21st Century Commonwealth! April 2nd, 2014, 8:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. The MA Green Schools Summit is hosted by Green Schools & US EPA Region 1 and will be held at EPA New England Headquarter's LEED Gold Building!
Second, if you were to grade the U.S. K-12 school building
infrastructure, what you give it? Well the American Society of Civil Engineers gives it a D+. Read more about the state of our school infrastructure in ASCE's newly released infrastructure report.
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Upcoming Events:
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TOMORROW! March 26, 2014 (Boston) - Monthly Networking Night - Join us to explore the notion of professional mentoring and how the USGBC MA Chapter can help people find the right people to support their advancement. Explore ways to connect with those who might be interested in either receiving or providing mentorship. Click here for more details
April 3-4, 2014 (Burlington, VT) - Each year, the USGBC Upper Northeast Regional Committee hosts a summit for representatives from the various Chapters from Upstate New York and all of New England. Join us for day-and-a-half intense networking and training program for volunteer leaders in the green building advocacy community. Register now
April 15, 2014 (Boston) Webinar LEED v4: Overview and Location & Transportation: Explore the LEED Location & Transportation credits, which encourage project teams to take advantage of the infrastructure elements in existing communities that provide environmental and human health benefits. Register now
April 16, 2014 (Worcester) Webinar BD+C 252: LEED v4 Water Efficiency and Energy & Atmosphere:
The 2014 "USGBC MA Chapter - Central Mass." webinar series with a focus on LEED V4. Join us for these informative sessions that will cover the major changes to LEED, including improved performance requirements, new credits and more streamlined reporting for credits. Click here for details
April 22, 2014 (Boston) EARTH DAY GALA - The USGBC MA Chapter is pleased to invite you to join us for the 7th annual 2014 Earth Day Gala and Green Building Awards Dinner. Enjoy an unforgettable evening of fabulous food and drink with your colleagues in the green building industry, hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Click here for details
May 20, 2014 (Boston) Beyond Buildings: A Review of LEED for Neighborhood Development in Massachusetts.
This program will look at sustainability beyond individual buildings to the district and neighborhood scale. How is the USGBC's LEED ND rating system being used as a tool for enhancing communities in Massachusetts?
Click here for details
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PACE and Resiliency | |
Every few months, we find an opportunity to push for some legislation which we believe will enhance the prospects of our stakeholders in the green building industry. Yesterday, we were called upon to support PACE finance reform in Massachusetts.
On March 11th, Grey Lee went to the Statehouse to make some noise in support of S.177, introduced by Sen. Brian A. Joyce (Milton), which will help make available private funds for renewables, efficiency and resiliency projects in the State. Click here to read more
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USGBC-MA goes to the
NESEA BE14 Trade Show
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LEED v4 Master Class - Good Stuff!
The USGBC MA had a trio of LEED champions present a full-day workshop on the v4 update to LEED on 3/4/14. NESEA hosted our workshop at Building Energy 14 (BE14 - the biggest green building-oriented conference in the northeast which comes through Boston each year in March).
Thank you to Chris Schaffner (The Green Engineer), Andrea Love (Payette), and Jim Newman (Linnean Solutions) for facilitating the workshop.
We had about 25 building professionals come out to take the deep dive into the LEED rating system. We heard about how LEED has been evolving over the past 15 years and how LEED is a flexible system - originally designed to accommodate periodic updates and capable of responding to changing market conditions and realities. People asked a lot of questions throughout the day, deepening the experience and getting into the nitty-gritty based on real project experience.
The Chapter will continue to provide engaging professional development opportunities for all LEED AP's and anyone interested in pursuing the credential.
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