Spring Arrives for the Green Buildings of Massachusetts!

 May 2015
Congratulations, we made it through to the far side of winter. It sure is nice out there!

The USGBC has a lot of great opportunities for you to connect in May. Take a look at our calendar of events and the programs highlighted below. 


Upcoming Activities:

Green Economy Caucus Green Building Presentation: Wednesday, 5/13/15, 10-11am - at the Massachusetts State House


Green Breakfast Club - Social Equity Credits Conversation: Thursday, 5/28/15, 8:30-10am in Boston



Committees & Working Groups (meet colleagues who share your concerns):

Residential Green Building Committee - featuring David Queeley of the Talbot-Norfolk Triangle Eco-District: Monday, 5/11/15, 5:45-8pm

Outreach Team: Tuesday, 5/12/15, 5:45-8pm


Advocacy Committee Conference Call at 712-432-1496 x4037: Monday 5/25/15, 3pm


Other Events of Note:

Pint of Science Boston/Cambridge: 5/18-5/20/15 at various locations. Come out to Patron's in Brighton on Wednesday, 5/20/15, for Erin Rae Hoffer "Igniting Urban Change: Policy Dynamics and Business Ecosystems" and Shawn Hesse "Zombies: Lessons for Today from the Apocalypse of Tomorrow" Sign up for your free tickets now!

Earth Night with the Environmental League of Massachusetts - a party to support a healthy environment and the clean energy future of the Commonwealth: Tuesday, 6/9/15, 5:30-8pm at 100 Federal Street, 36th floor. 

Here at the Chapter have a new way for people to connect: if you want to volunteer with the USGBC MA for a service project or to support a campaign or program for LEED credential maintenance units, you can fill out this short form. This is our "Opt-In" list for volunteer opportunities. Our Outreach Team will alert you to a project opportunities where you can put your talent and passion for green buildings to use!

 

For general updates and news, thank you for subscribing to our mailing list, and don't forget to check us out on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook!

Enjoy the spring and thank you for participating in our mission to make green buildings available to all within a generation.

Grey Lee
Executive Director


We had fun at the Earth Day Clean-up (and help from Titus)!


May 14, 2015, 5:30-8pm in Boston

 

Are you ready to start it up?

 

 

The Events Committee is meeting this evening to plan the Chapter's premier fall event to showcase and celebrate exceptional green buildings built by our community or practitioners over the past year.

 

The event will feature informational displays about completed green buildings, as well as present the Innovation in Green Design Award winner and recognize the Green Building of the Year.

 

This is a call for volunteers to help in the planning process for the event - helping to iron out the details of what the event will include, organize the awards program, as well as the logistics of how we'll make it happen.


 

 


        

2015 will be even bigger than last year!    


 Green Building Tour

75-125 Binney Street, Cambridge 

May 21, 2015, 6-7pm


This large scale high-tech laboratory project in two buildings is seeking LEED Silver certification and will also include a below-grade parking structure. Executed through a highly collaborative delivery approach, the project is utilizing a 100 percent virtual design and construction platform. We will hear from members of the design & construction team. During peak project demand, 15-20 individuals leverage daily work planning and real time model-based collaboration to enhance the project delivery.
 



            


Welcome to our New Programs Manager:

Celis Brisbin

 

 


 

Celis (on left) will be handling programs related to education, events, membership and donor management. Whew! Celis comes to us from Next Step Living with years of experience in the solar industry. He is committed to the transformation to sustainability and is a Peace Corps Alumni originally from New Hampshire. Thank you Celis for joining the USGBC MA.


 

He will be working with many of our volunteer teams and supporting me (Grey Lee, on right) so we can grow the organization and make more green buildings & sustainable communities! You can contact him at celis@usgbcma.org
  


Congratulations to Massachusetts Schools 

for winning the US Dept. of Education "Green Ribbon Awards:

 

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (pictured)

Hingham High School

Cambridge Public Schools

 

Were you involved in the greening of these schools? Let us know!

 

 


 

Congratulations to Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, Hingham
High School and the Cambridge Public Schools, which were named U.S. Department of
Education Green Ribbon Schools during an Earth Day announcement. These schools are models of #sustainability whose successes in green building and teaching sustainable living should be replicated across the Commonwealth.


You can read more about the many recipients of Green Ribbon status at the U.S. Dept. of Education's website here.


Building Tech Forum a Smash Success

Thank you to all the attending display teams and to Secretary Beaton (below w/o nametag, with new friends from the MA Chapter) for coming out to share his observations on how Massachusetts will continue to be a leading innovator in building tech.

 


 

 


 


 Green Breakfast Club: Social Equity Credits

May 28, 2015, 8:30am-10pm

 

USGBC has identified "fostering social equity" as a driving principle in its strategic plan, and in 2014, launched 3 new Social Equity credits as part of the LEED v4 Pilot Credit library. The three credits; Social Equity in the Project, Social Equity in the Community, and Social Equity in the Supply Chain reward project teams for implementing best practices in improving social equity.


 

This presentation provides an introduction to the concept of social equity in the built environment, outlines potential social equity challenges, and introduces each of the new LEED credits including their intent and documentation requirements. Shawn Hesse presents.




Credential Maintenance in-person Webinars:



The Regional Summit in Portland Maine was a great gathering.

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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