Committee Meetings
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Residential Green Building Committee Meeting
Outreach Team Meeting
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Greetings,
What a wonderful evening last Thursday, thank you to all who were able to make it out. We celebrated, as a community, our strength in numbers - in the buildings we've made, the performance they demonstrate, and the innovation in design that they manifest.
The gathering was a fabulous mix of people from different professional disciplines and levels of experience. We launched our new Mentoring program where we will match seasoned pros with emerging pros to help both sides - mentoring will work in both directions, esp. in regards to engaging with new technologies. Explore the program here. There are times, when I'm up on Beacon Hill, when I wonder how I could find some good green building mentors for some of the politicians up there. Sometimes I can't believe the level of misunderstanding around sustainability and life-cycle costs going on. I also am often impressed at how well versed others of these public servants are - esp. our allies among the Global Warming Solutions Caucus. It almost looks like they are having fun as policy wonks. Please stay tuned as we turn up the heat on green building policy - esp. what we have brewing for the impending Stretch Code update. Thank you to our many participants in the Green Apple Day of Service. Some of the programs are still yet to occur - we look forward to sharing more of the stories in the coming weeks.
We convene people because we are fundamentally about community: helping people connect and enable our mission to come to fruition.
As I said at our Showcase, we can be proud of our work because we are implementing real change, positive change, for our communities, by ensuring the longest-lasting human artifacts, our buildings, are done the right way for the generations to come.
Thank you for participating in this essential work.
Grey
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Thank You for Attending Our Showcase!
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It was a great time had by all - over 175 green building professionals came out to enjoy the fabulous Calderwood Courtyard at the Harvard Art Museums.
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LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation
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This is a fast-paced class for green building and emerging professionals who have little previous knowledge of the LEED rating system, green building operations and green building construction. Upon completion of the class participants will be prepared to sit for the LEED Green Associate exam at a local testing center. By passing the exam, an individual will earn the LEED Green Associate credential. If interested in attending a LEED Green Associate Exam Prep class, more information is available here.
8:30am - 5:30pm Edison conf. room
50 Milk Street, Boston, 16th Floor
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Green Apple Day of Service Last Week!
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 During last weekend's Green Apple Day of Service, green service projects took place all around the world! As for one that was in our own backyard, Hingham High School's Green Team worked to clean out and rotate their compost piles and transfer the finished compost to the gardens around their greenhouse.
You can learn more about Hingham High School's project here, and learn more about the Green Apple Day of Service here!
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Green Breakfast Club: Green Tax Benefits
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The presentation will cover tax incentives for promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Using a framework of the federal and 50-state compendium of green tax benefits developed by Jerome Garciano, the training  will explain key features of tax credits and deductions, and what to look for when exploring various tax incentives for your green projects.
Thursday, October 23rd
8:30-10:00am in Hercules conf. room
50 Milk Street, Boston, 17th floor
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If you would like to be more involved with our mission and impact,
We have fun roles for everyone:
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Last Tuesday at the State House, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy heard dozens of testimonies at a packed public hearing concerning the limitations on net metering in Massachusetts. There is a debate over whether to increase the caps or eliminate them entirely.
Read more about the debate and the hearing here.
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Northeastern Energy Conference & Halloween Party!
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Join the Northeastern University Energy Systems Society (NU-ESS) for a conference that will address the current and future scenario in clean power, entrepreneurship, energy efficiency opportunities in our built environment, the grid of the future, and energy policies in an interdisciplinary manner. Registration includes keynote and panel discussions, showcase area, breakfast, lunch, and a late afternoon networking event. Register here!
Friday, October 30th
8:00AM to 6:00PM
346 Huntington Ave, Boston
Included in the fee for the conference is the fee for the Halloween Party. If you would like to attend the annual USGBC MA Chapter Halloween Party separately, you can purchase a ticket for just that event here!
Please come dressed in a costume; the optional theme is TRENDS IN GREEN DESIGN.  Halloween Party Only: Friday October 30th 4:00 - 6:00PM 346 Huntington Ave, Boston
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The East Village Building Tour at NEU
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Join the USGBC MA Chapter for a tour at a soon-to-be LEED silver certified building at Northeastern University! The East Village is the newest and second tallest building on campus. It was developed on a brownfield site, which was restored to allow construction on the property. Representatives from Northeastern and the architectural firm, DiMella Shaffer, will be available to answer all questions about the building's design, function and sustainable features.
After the tour, join us for a few drinks at a networking gathering nearby at around 7:00pm.
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6th Annual Sustainable Dinner
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Join the Chapter for our 6th Annual Sustainable Dinner! The theme this year is healthy living in buildings.
RAB Lighting will speak to the group about how proper lighting can affect your circadian rhythm and it will be hosted by the Commonwealth Restaurant, Cambridge with a fantastic menu created by Chef Nookie.
Register here!
Thursday, November 12th
6:00 - 8:00PM
11 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge |
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Green Giants
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This is the second year of the West Branch Biannual Green Giants Awards program!
The program honors the work of trades people, educators, and owners/program directors who help build, teach about, envision and fund green buildings in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties.
This program is intentionally distinct from other building awards in that it honors a wide range of participants in the sustainable building industry of our region.
The West Branch Green Giants program will occur in December, 2015, in Hampshire County TBD.
Green Giants programs will occur in other parts of the Commonwealth, as well.
Greater Boston will host a program on Dec. 12, 2015. Stay tuned for more details on how we will recognize leaders in the green building industry.
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GreenBuild 2015
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For more information, check out the Greenbuild 2015 website. It might take you 45 minutes to go through the options for tours, but only 5-10 mins to just register for the conference. You can sign up for workshops and sessions later, as well. Do let us know you are going so we can put you on the "Massachusetts Party Patrol List" and alert you to any good receptions we can crash or otherwise experience.
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Chapter Event and Advocacy Recap
| |  Connecting people through events is one of our major strategies. Here's some of our recent activities recapped on our blog:
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On September 22nd, EnerNOC hosted the GRESB Results Networking Night in Boston. It was an enlightening event about making smarter property management decisions!
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| Could this be in the future of Boston's waterfront? | | |
Maybe you've found a building that took sustainable materials to new heights, just like this bamboo skyscraper?
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 The USGBC 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.
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