What is the best LEED Building? How do you tell?

Some platinum buildings have funny operating quirks. Some schools that are "merely" certified are creating the next green building heros through their crystallized pedagogy of sustainability.

Come take a look at recent buildings at our 2014 LEED Project Showcase - coming right up in two weeks, 9/30/14 at Genzyme in Cambridge. 33% discount on tickets for Chapter Members. Dozens of boards, hundreds of people, open bar and heavy appetizers = great party. Don't miss it!

Green Building Tour - at Hostelling International 9/25

Volunteer in service to your community on 9/27

Learn from the masters of outside air on 10/2

LEED Green Associate Study Group starts 10/16

A lot of information is getting onto our blog now - events, programs, advocacy campaigns and more. Following our blog is another way to keep track of our opportunities.

Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list, and don't forget to check us out on LinkedIn, twitter and facebook!

Grey Lee

Executive Director

Emerging Professionals Green Building Tour of

Hostelling International - Boston

Join this in-depth tour of the facility on 9/25 from 5:30-8pm

HI-Boston received LEED Silver certification became the City of Boston's first accommodation provider to achieve LEED certification. This building has achieved many green awards including the HI-5ive Most Green Hostel of 2013, Greenovate Boston 2013 Business Award and the USGBC Massachusetts 2013 Green Innovation Award. It has also achieved Tripadvisor's 2014 Certificate of Excellence.

When: Thursday, September 25th, 2014, 5:30-6:30pm (tour) 7-8pm (socializing)

Location: HI-Boston, 19 Stuart St, Boston

RSVP: On our website

"Bring the Outside In" with Gunnar Hubbard and Dan Nall

for Green Breakfast Club - Boston

Learn from these maestros on 10/2 from 8-9:30am

Buildings are designed to shelter us from the harshness of nature, but the most comfortable and energy-efficient indoor environments are those that use the free resources of the outdoors for heating and cooling. For many architects, using the outdoors to create more comfortable indoor environments means using operable windows for natural ventilation. For mechanical engineers, bringing the outside in means using an airside or waterside economizer. However, these simplified versions of climate responsive building design ignore other possibilities for harvesting outdoor thermal resources to maintain indoor comfort.

When: Thursday, October 2nd, 2014, 8:00-9:30am

Location: 50 Stuart St, Boston

RSVP: On our website

2014 LEED Project Showcase

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 5:30-8:30pm

The LEED Project Showcase is a way to recognize the hard-earned achievement that LEED Certification signifies. This gathering is a chance to show off the successes and the learnings that these buildings represent, and a chance to re-connect with peers in the trade. It is guaranteed to be a great event!

Join with our premium sponsors:

National Grid

NStar

Suffolk Construction

Boston Properties

Columbia Construction

ICF International

Urbanica

Richard Moore

Chapman Construction

Entegra Development & Investment

Turner Construction

...and over 40 individual project sponsors

The Showcase is a major fundraiser for the Chapter - necessary to sustain our finances as we pursue our mission and work on our advocacy campaigns, public education & outreach, and engage with disadvantaged communities. Thank you for your support!

Thank you to the event sponsor, Genzyme, and our media sponsor, New England Real Estate Journal.

When: Tuesday, September 30th, 2014, 5:30 - 8:30pm

Location: Genzyme, 500 Kendall St, Cambridge

RSVP: for individual tickets

Green Apple Day of Service is coming 9/27/14

Roll up your sleeves and volunteer to help out!

There are over 50 projects coming together in Massachusetts. We have been able to fund mini-grants for materials and tools for 14 of these projects. You can read more in our blog entry about the winners.

Thank you to the sponsors of the mini-grants: NStar, National Grid, Arrowstreet, Re-Stream, Triumph Modular, Capitol Waste Services, and in-kind sponsor Excel Dryer.

The USGBC started the Green Apple Day of Service in 2012 to advance healthy, sustainable schools for all students in America (and beyond). This is a great opportunity for our green building community to come together and support our communities.

LEED Green Associate Exam Prep Begins 10/16/14

We are offering our 6 week LEED Green Associate Exam Prep beginning October 16, 2014 at our new offices at 50 Milk St. This 6 week course introduces core concepts of the USGBC LEED Rating Systems including updates of task and knowledge domains under the new LEED v4 to assist students with study and preparation for the LEED Green Associate exam. It is sponsored by the USGBC MA Chapter, facilitated by green building design and construction professionals with LEED credentials, and has a track record of student success. Sign up early as this study group does fill up.

How is the Innovation Economy Disrupting Real Estate?

Come to DISRUPT CRE on 10/16 from 1-7pm

DisruptCRE is a first-of-its-kind commercial real estate / technology event designed to connect disruptive ideas with capital and commercial real estate professionals. It is these innovators and professionals who are disrupting the status quo by bringing the new ideas to market. Our goal is to be a catalyst of change by merging the interests of funders, implementer and users to see the real estate of the future.

USGBC MA Chapter is convening a panel on "The Science of Building Systems" with experts on the changing nature of the AEC industry including Suzanne Robinson of Vanderweil and Kurt Roth of Fraunhofer.

Chapter Members receive a 25% discount using the code "USGBCMA" - Join us Thursday, 10/16 from 1-7pm at District Hall in Boston's Seaport - sign up now!

Anatomy of a Sustainable Real Estate Project

Suffolk University Professional Development

Drawing upon Suffolk University's $62 million development project at 20 Somerset Street, students will learn why and how to incorporate sustainability into real estate projects and property management. This course will also encompass additional case studies such as Partner's HealthCare Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston Properties' Atlantic Wharf, Urban Edge's Jamaica Plain Apartments, and more. Topics include: high performing buildings (new construction and existing buildings), green leases, preparing for a changing climate, and developments in energy policy.

Among the instructors are Chapter members Barbra Batshalom, Caitriona Cooke, John Bolduc, Jim Newman, Brian Swett and Grey Lee.

Other Chapter Activities:

Committee Meetings:

Emerging Professionals: Wednesday, 9/17, from 6-7:30pm in Boston. Connect with other Emerging Professionals!

Green Schools Committee: Thursday, 9/18 from 6-7:30 in Boston. Sign-up here for more information.

Residential Green Building Committee: Monday, 10/6 from 5:45-8pm in Boston. More information here.

Advocacy Committee: Wednesday, 10/8 12:30-1:30 in Boston. Agenda here.

Membership Committee: Tuesday, 10/14 5:45-8pm in Boston. Strategize with us!

Credential Maintenance:

Webinar on Vegetated Roofs on LEED Buildings: TOMORROW Wednesday, 9/17 4:30-6pm in Boston

Webinar on Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Wednesday 10/15 4:30-6pm in Boston

SAVE THE DATES:

LEED Credit Costume Party for EPMA Halloween in Boston: Oct 30th

Healthy Materials Summit - Friday Nov. 14 at Google in Cambridge

Are you going to Greenbuild? Let us know - we want to meet up in New Orleans!

Who is reflected in One Beacon?

Peer Organization Event:

North American Passive House Network Conference: Sept 22-23 in Portland, Maine

Connect With Us

The U

SGBC 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