

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti
Charlie Cichetti
Do green buildings matter to you? This podcast fuels your fire with inspiring interviews from industry and nonprofit leaders across the built environment.
Not sure if green building matters? Listen to the personal stories of our guests and let Charlie's passion help convince you why green buildings are essential to our shared future.
Each episode illustrates a unique journey through sustainability and towards resilience. Charlie explores the challenges and celebrations of the movers and shakers in the green building industry.
Hear behind the scene stories from the inner world of green and healthy building design, construction, and management.
Not sure if green building matters? Listen to the personal stories of our guests and let Charlie's passion help convince you why green buildings are essential to our shared future.
Each episode illustrates a unique journey through sustainability and towards resilience. Charlie explores the challenges and celebrations of the movers and shakers in the green building industry.
Hear behind the scene stories from the inner world of green and healthy building design, construction, and management.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 10, 2023 • 39min
From North Macedonia to Silicon Valley - Nikola Kravik
Nikola Kravik is a member of the Sales and Business Development Team at Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) as a full-time Director of Business Development – West Coast. His main responsibilities focus on client relationships, partnerships, management, strategy, project delivery and leadership, while providing business support for our other modules of Green Building Holdings (GBH): GBES, Blue Ocean Sustainability and Aetos Imaging special projects. As our presence on the West Coast increases, and sustainability demand rises pushed by decarbonization and carbon focus, he hopes to strengthen existing AEC+RE relationships and open new avenues for collaboration. Education Nikola studied at the Mechanical University in Skopje, Republic of Northern Macedonia and got his AA in Motor Vehicle Design in 1998 and graduated from the San Francisco State University School of Mechanical Engineering with BS, major in Thermo & Fluids, 2007. His is a LEED AP and has a BEMP certificate provided by ASHRAE. He is past President of the ASHRAE Golden Gate Chapter and AIA Board of Directors in San Francisco. Experience Nikola started as a Mechanical Designer after college using software modeling tools to predict energy use in the high rise residential and commercial market in San Francisco and worked for several Bay Area/US based renowned MEP companies. His roles included building and leading energy modeling teams, working with architects, contractors, and owners by designing ZNE pioneer buildings and managing large scale projects involving multidisciplinary consultants for a variety of industries and delivery methods. The projects range from small 10k Softball stadium at CAL Berkeley to 11M sf Vallco Town Center project in Cupertino-that had highest Sustainability and Low-Energy targets. He is an expert in codes and standards and has worked on the design of over 25 ZNE Buildings. Nikola's focus the past several years have been team building, client management, engineering excellence and sustainable business operations. Interests Nikola enjoys spending free time mostly with his wife Tiffany and 3 children Alexandra, Kian, and Kyle-taking them outdoors (when there are no fires around sunny California or crossing state lines), swimming up in the Russian River, kayaking and skiing in Lake Tahoe, camping in Big Sur or going down to Muir Beach near our house to read a book. He is a proud 5th/7th grade basketball coach now for Alexandra and Kyle. Nikola loves languages and meeting new people, and cultures on different continents! Fun Fact Nikola was a professional basketball player and played for the Northern Macedonian National Junior basketball team in the mid '90s. Show Highlights Tune in to the changes happening around the world in terms of crisis and policies because it will directly impact your projects. Client service roles to bridge sales, business development and marketing to ensure clients get services in a timely manner and exactly the thing you promised. Understanding decarbonization and LEED won't be enough if you don't build relationships to connect those programs. It's imperative to get closer to the communities you are building for when trying to revitalize their town. Accelerate public and private partnerships by investing your time in key areas. Nikola shares why California is a leader when embracing new eco technology in buildings. Bridge in the gap of knowledge by using AI tools to help progress faster and innovate better. "People can talk about what it's going to look like in 2050. But if we don't take care of some of the emergencies, visible things that are happening with climate change and some of the initiatives from the government or the local governments, then we're gonna be behind. I encourage everybody to be alert and be aware of what's going on around the world." -Nikola Kravik Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins Traction by Gino Wickman A rich dad poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

May 3, 2023 • 32min
Hong Kong Green Building CEO Grace Kwok, LEED Fellow
Grace Kwok has over 23 years' experiences in sustainable design and green building projects in Hong Kong, China and across Asia-Pacific, she has led the AEC group to set up a robust sustainability governance structure and is committed to promoting sustainability from the inside out. The Group committed to ambitious sustainability commitments, including Science-Based Target and Net Zero Carbon Operation by 2030, and is a Signatory for the Business for Ambition for 1.5°C campaign organized by SBTi and UNGC. Also, took the lead to uphold sustainability standards by conducting climate risk assessments using TCFD framework and adopting GRI Standards in its annual ESG reports. AEC Group has obtained many awards for its sustainability governance and ESG initiatives, including Honorable Mention Award in the Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Awards 2020 and Grand Award in the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2020/21. In support of World GBC's net-zero built environment agenda, AEC Group has joined the ranks of WorldGBC Asia Pacific Net Zero Collaborators in 2021. Driven by a vision to shape a sustainable future, Grace is dedicated to work with the building and construction sector to build climate resilience and accelerate net-zero transition. She had played a key role in encouraging the early adoption of green building rating systems and worked on the earliest batch of HK-BEAM and LEED projects in Hong Kong. Grace had also been facilitating the localization of international green building and sustainable infrastructure rating tools, including BREEAM and CEEQUAL. In recent years, she created a stronger momentum for the green building movement with ESG and green finance as drivers and leveraged her expertise in corporate sustainability to promote sustainable real estate from fund and developers' group to project levels. With an environmental engineering background, Grace is a keen advocate of regenerative sustainability for the built environment. She is often invited to share her insights at local, regional and global conferences, including Internoise 2017, USGBC Greenbuild China 2019, International Symposium on Regional Air Quality Management in Rapidly Development Economic Regions 2020, APEC Workshop Training on Retro-commissioning 2021 and BREEAM Summit 2022, etc. She was recently selected to join GRESB Real Estate Standard Committee to develop ESG standard for sustainable real estate and has been appointed to join major government committees to advise on matters related to sustainable development, environmental conservation as well as innovation and technology. Show Highlights Raising the bar to manage stringent building and energy codes in the Hong Kong region. Driving new industry standards and creating alternative solutions to the problems the industry is facing. Understanding the local and international standards in the finance sector to achieve a green classification. Driving green capital in the real estate sector by finding common language. Speeding up different initiatives like the quality of life category in how you present them to a client. Solving challenging problems for clients with alternative solutions shape industry standards. Working more on sustainable infrastructure to go beyond building. The city's programs need to align with the sustainable development goals. Carbon management and climate resilience tips. "Green building is very dynamic and it's got a changing landscape. Explore more about all the areas related to the green building movement. It's not only about buildings, it's about the people in the built environment as well. When we are working on a project we always remind ourselves so that we won't lose the focus, not just in the number or the modeling. Lastly, encouragement. When we're working on a green building project, you can expect it (the building) will stay there for a long time. You need to consider the whole life cycle of the building. It could become a legacy because it is going to be standing there for 50, 60 years." -Grace Kwok Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Company Profile – AEC Nature, Space, Science & More | BBC Earth Blue-planet Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Apr 26, 2023 • 28min
Three LEED Credentials Before Graduation With Architecture Student Jacob Lehrer
Jacob Lehrer is currently an Architecture Student at Wentworth Institute of Technology. He has been fascinated by engineering and design his entire life and has put a focus on sustainability throughout. His first job in college was in a sustainability consultant role. He passed the LEED Green Associate exam in June 2019 at 17, the LEED AP BD+C in June 2021 at 19, the LEED AP O+M in July 2022 at 20, and the LEED AP ND in April 2023 at 21. These credentials and experiences help inform his designs and thoughts about how buildings should be constructed. His hope is that we, as a species, can move forward in a more positive and sustainable direction. He is excited to help realize that vision by seeking how technological innovations and forward-thinking can push architecture and sustainability into the future. Show Highlights Great tips from a rising star in the industry on trends and how to navigate and personalize your career. Successful strategies for the test taking process for LEED and other systems exams. Benefits of Wentworth Institute of Technology Master emerging technologies Internship and co-op programs Invaluable industry experience embedded in the curriculum Wentworth Sustainability Society LEED green associate prep course Looking at the sustainability tools from every angle to build something new. Main gripe with many of the rating systems and how to synergize categories or credits. Get a lens into how to design for different types of inhabitants and different types of loads. Exploring some of the techniques, architecture, and how to design your buildings for passive systems around the world. Using software and tools as an extension of your own arm to express your ideas more succinctly and with your own designs. "The main goal for me in the future of my career is I want to use these sustainable technologies and stable rating systems in parallel with things like computation and research. These innovative technologies do exist but haven't really been involved in architecture that long. Finding out ways to kind of combine those two worlds in a way that makes buildings more economical, more viable, more useful for people who use them because the way we use our buildings has changed a lot with the pandemic too." -Jacob Lehrer Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Wentworth Institute of Technology Ground News Built Rum Punch Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Apr 19, 2023 • 30min
Senior Energy Manager at SIG - Jeff Stewart
Jeff Stewart is a Senior Energy Manager – Existing Buildings and is responsible for energy audits, LEED O+M engineering, ENERGY STAR benchmarking and certification, and city/state benchmarking ordinances. He has extensive experience in the commercial HVAC industry and ten (10) years of experience working on projects seeking LEED certification. Prior to working for SIG, Jeff worked for an Atlanta-based HVAC design engineering firm using AutoCAD to design and model commercial HVAC systems for single office and high-rise office buildings, including the Delta Dental building and First Data Center in Atlanta, GA. Jeff has experience working with many different building types, including office buildings, tenant spaces, data centers, multifamily properties, convention centers, and sports stadiums. In 2021, Jeff and the SIG ENERGY STAR team completed 510 ENERGY STAR labels consisting of over 148M GSF. He has been instrumental in SIG being awarded the EPA's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award every year since 2016. Show Highlights Applying a holistic approach to the green building movement by focusing on both design and impact. The Green Sports Alliance connects great sustainable standards. Hear tips about that and Geocaching. Tips for someone trying to apply LEED for existing buildings to something besides an office building from an energy store portfolio manager expert. LEED is a platform for benchmarking how you're building, how your structure operates, and impacts the world around it regardless of what the building is being used for. Benchmark your energy and water data to make improvements from that to achieve your desired certification. Mix and match credits to ensure you are operating at peak efficiency to get LEED certification for your project. Understanding the big push for mixed use developments for your clients. "I would say it's considered a long game [your green building career]. If you're about to make a decision or buy something or move somewhere, consider a few things that would happen in the long term. If you move to Atlanta, do you plan to stay in Atlanta for five years or is this a temporary approach? Think about two or three things that could impact in the long term and that can help you make a better decision in the short term." -Jeffrey Stewart Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Geocaching On the Market Podcast LinkedIn Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Apr 12, 2023 • 26min
Applying LEED to Museums with LEED Fellow Joyce Lee
Joyce Lee, FAIA, LEED Fellow, is President of IndigoJLD providing green health, design, benchmarking and ESG planning services for exemplary projects and communities. She became one of 300 LEED Fellows worldwide while being on the board of trustees of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the first LEED NC certified museum in the world. Joyce has also been on adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania focusing on building healthy places and was board director of the French American Chamber of Commerce PHL. Since 2021, she has chaired the American Alliance of Museums Environment and Climate Network and serves as a Senior Advisor to Econsult Solutions. In 2022, she was appointed by Mayor Kenney in Philadelphia to serve as an inaugural commissioner for environmental justice. She has been a Fellow at the National Leadership Academy for Public Health and one of the first LEED accredited professionals in New York City. She was the Chief Architect at the New York City OMB under Mayor Bloomberg overseeing the survey of major city-owned buildings (over 200 million sq ft) and waterfronts with the goals of enhancing long-term planning and identifying green design and development opportunities. During her tenure, the program grew over 25%. She was then the first Active Design Director, with a focus on design excellence and human health, in New York City. The Active Design Guidelines, a publication she co-authored, had won recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as the Sustainable Building Industry Council. Joyce is the recipient of numerous awards including the Health and Human Services Good Neighbor Award, Platinum Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the President's Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York State, and the Aga Khan Award from Harvard/MIT. Recognizing her career achievement, the AIA New York honored Joyce with the Public Architect Award for "her indomitable spirit, committed environmental consciousness, and extraordinary ability to bring sustainability theory and practices to the public realm." Show Highlights Joyce shares her vast expertise with benchmarking, NetZero, and LEED for museums. Hear from the National Green Building Advisor on new projects and policies coming down through the federal government. Understanding the similarities between cultural institutions around the country. Apply best practices with educational sessions on the green accomplishments of the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim Museum. Review resources on green practices from energy to water to waste, new transportation, cultural programming, dining and retail facilities, and how the supply chain partners can bring all of those together. IndigoJLD manages public and private sustainability projects. Best practices that work for museums versus other buildings. Questions to consider to start building partnerships and connecting with firms that specialize in sustainability. "We both agree that we learn more from our mistakes and than our successes. Absolutely be open-minded. I wish I knew back then this field was going to evolve so fast. The climate is something that is here today and is not for tomorrow. For those who are entering the field, another piece of advice with green buildings, I would say think globally and act locally." -Joyce Lee Get the episode transcript here!! Museum Magazine / July−August 2022 (PDF) Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Applying LEED to museum projects The Well-Tempered City J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier ENERGY STAR Score for Museums Cultural Heritage and Museums – Mind the Gap Applying LEED to museum projects Museums preserve history and culture American Alliance of Museums Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Apr 5, 2023 • 33min
Building a Carbon-Focused Tech Startup With CoveTool Co-Founder Patrick Chopson
Patrick Chopson, is the co-founder od the carbon-focused Atlanta-based startup, cove.tool. As the Chief Product Officer, he leads product development for cove.tool, a web-based software for analyzing, drawing, engineering, and connecting data for building design and construction. A graduate of Georgia Tech with a Masters in High Performance Buildings, he is also a licensed architect with over 18 years of experience. Prior to cove.tool, he ran Pattern r+d, a successful building performance consulting and architecture firm. Multiple publications include Architect Magazine, TechCrunch, Site Selection, ArchDaily, and more. Show Highlights Understand the value of data-driven design. Cove.Tool Real-time understanding using BIN, Building Information Network. Connecting technology and the human experience. Trusted tools and simulations to optimize performance, product selection, design and more. Consolidate different problems of data translation losses to promote timely decision making without issues. Databases that link everyone involved on a project to build common understanding and immediate updates. Why the carbon problem is a data problem. Factors that create uncertainty to drive cost increases. Why you need to follow the industries #hashtags. Tips for entrepreneurs and companies to create a detailed career path that champions the work and skills of their employees. 2 things that are going to transform how architects, engineers, contractors, and anybody involved in sustainability find information to make effective choices. AI is going to unlock and transform the industry beyond focusing operational carbon vs embodied. How to leverage new technology to provide a higher level of service. "Meet a lot of different teams, meet a lot of really interesting people. That started to shape my understanding of this problem isn't just like we need one or two people that know simulation. We need to change how everyone designs. How everyone thinks about the problem. Realizing that it was gonna take more data analytics and probably software to be able to pull that off." -Patrick Chopson "We want to link everyone together, everyone have a common understanding of a project and then be able to see when one person makes a decision, that immediately updates using APIs or some type of connection across the internet to make sure that everyone's on the same page…And that's what will allow for low cost but high performance, low carbon buildings." -Patrick Chopson Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Superusers Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Mar 29, 2023 • 30min
Sustainability Manager at SIG - Elizabeth (Libby) Dunne
Libby Dunne is a member of SIG's Sustainability Team and is based in San Francisco, CA. Her primary focus is within the health and wellness space, as she is primarily responsible for managing WELL and Fitwel projects, in addition to managing portfolios pursuing the WELL Health Safety Rating. She also helps to manage a variety of LEED projects, with a focus on BD+C and ID+C. Within each project she ensures that necessary information is obtained and verifies compliance through documenting and evaluating key data. Libby also teaches LEED Green Associate exam prep live courses with GBES. Originally from San Francisco, Libby graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. Throughout college, Libby has worked on various research projects. Most notably, she worked on published work regarding the effects of antibiotics on bumblebee cognitive functioning. Additionally, Libby maintains a variety of credentials, including WELL AP, LEED AP BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador, and ActiveScore AP. Libby likes to spend her free time hiking, swimming, and being with family and friends. As a certified scuba diver, Libby also has a passion for marine biology and for preserving our natural environment for generations to come. Show Highlights A combination of degrees in different fields compliment each other perfectly in green building work. Interning is key to expanding your knowledge and for earning credentials that inspire your work. Meld the client communication side with the documentation side of projects to support your clients achieving their goals. ActiveScore AP Credential is a new and interesting credential program for the US. Make positive wellness impacts at the corporate level by reviewing the mind and community sections on a WELL Scorecard with HR teams. Eevie is an app that gives your team a tangible way to support individual sustainability. WELL provides a roadmap of new programs, each with a different focus, that are all focused on health and wellbeing in the built environment. Help your clients get their feet wet in wellness by recommending one of the three WELL ratings as a first step towards pursuing a full WELL Certification. The flexibility of a Fitwel certification meets people where their understanding is as a manageable option for existing buildings. "In this industry, something that's really important is just to listen, learn and absorb as much as you can. It's ever changing, there's new regulations that are coming out, so there's a lot of moving parts. Be open and willing to learn as you go throughout your career. But for someone that's kind of starting new to the industry, I think it's important to recognize that you bring a fresh perspective and a way of doing things to the table. You don't have to conform to the typical way of doing things as they've always been done. I feel like sometimes it really takes someone with that fresh perspective to kind of come in and rock the boat in a good way to make positive change." -Libby Dunne Get your episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn eevie: Employee Climate Engagement platform The Defining Decade Articles Written by Libby: The Release of WELL v2 Top 12 Green Building Rating Systems COVID-19 and Buildings: How Building Certifications can Help Prevent Disease Spread in the Future Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Mar 22, 2023 • 31min
Director at Atelier Ten - Benjamin Shepherd
As Atelier Ten's planning practice leader, Ben has extensive experience with urban ecology, renewable energy systems and green development assessments. He has directed numerous projects and managed the development of sustainability guidelines for a wide range of master plans on a multitude of sectors including commercial, university, government, and transportation. He has consulted on more than 100 high-performance building and planning projects including one of the first outpatient facilities to achieve LEED for Healthcare certification in New York City and a comprehensive environmental framework for Harvard Business School. Ben is a proud recipient of the ENR New York's Top 20 Under 40 Award, which celebrates the excellence of young professionals who represent the "Best-of-the-Best" in the construction and design field. He is a member of the University Development and Innovation Council at Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves as Co-Chair of the ULI New York Infrastructure Council. His dedication and enthusiasm to sustainable master planning and buildings and his attention to the wellness of people and the built environment have provided a unique, cutting edge perspective to all projects throughout his career. Ben also teaches core courses on environmental design and building services at Yale School of Architecture. He holds an MA in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a BA in Environmental Science from Northland College. Ben has also earned the rare LEED Fellow designation. Show Highlights Be proactive in creating a healthy building center that is flexible with metering and monitoring of these spaces too. Atelier Ten strives to achieve higher levels of sustainability and connections. Leverage your involvement where you can make the most impact in the climate crisis, personally and professionally. Connecting the dots between all the different disciplines. Hit your client goals and get as much green into the projects by motivating your design teams to find connections between their specialities. Further and maybe even less than some of those travel carbon emissions. We still have to do that to a certain extent, but can really optimize that more than we did in the past. Optimize what tools to use that benefit operational emissions from energy and everything from passive techniques in the facade surrounding accounting for embodied carbon. Build resiliency in your projects to tackle climate change and "global weirding of climate trends,"for immediate and long term impact. Tips to gain experience and fail along the way to carve out your path. "To all of the people still getting involved in this [green building] movement and industry, it's really important because your project might inspire others - that continues it going along and we can always design things better. I think that's the kind of hope and optimism we all bring to the foray. So keep, keep going. It takes us all and there's plenty more work to be done. -Benjamin Shepherd Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Atelier Ten Surrender Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen Inventor of the Future The Practice of Groundedness Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Mar 15, 2023 • 28min
Senior Sustainability & Energy Consultant Gregory Patton
Gregory Patton is a member of the Sustainability Consulting Team at Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) as a Senior Sustainability & Energy Consultant. In this role, he oversees multiple projects related to Sustainable and Healthy Buildings. In addition to managing LEED, WELL, and Fitwel projects for clients, he also provides support to SIG's Engineering Team for ENERGY STAR, Commissioning, and technical expertise centered around existing buildings. Gregory joined SIG in January of 2022 and brings two decades of operational experience to the team. Throughout his career he has successfully operated and managed numerous large commercial buildings as well as sustainability programs for clients. Gregory's deep understanding of building systems and his passion to create a Sustainable and Healthy Future has enabled him to excel in the sustainability space. Gregory holds professional accreditations for LEED O+M, LEED BD+C, LEED ID+C, LEED ND, LEED HOMES, LEED Green Rater, WELL, Fitwel Ambassador, BREEAM In-Use Assessor, and ActiveScore AP. Originally from Florida (GO GATORS), Gregory has adapted to Colorado life and can be found outside enjoying the 300+ days of sunshine and blue skies that Colorado has to offer. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, live sporting events, and traveling with his wife and son. Show Highlights Greg's entrepreneurship journey to build a top sustainability team. See the value of LEED and everything it touches beyond design and construction. Manage a smooth transition from residential to commercial builds. Tips for recommending tools and systems that provide a good maintenance model for clients to hit their performance goals. Why BREEAM is a great certification system to use and recommend. Achieve decarbonization goals in the environmental space for your clients. Follow your curiosity and prioritization credentials dedicated to meeting your goals. How to build longevity and contribute to the success of the green building movement. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Principles of Winning Gregory Patton Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES

Mar 8, 2023 • 26min
Sustainable Design Leader & VP at HKS - Ramana Koti, LEED Fellow
Ramana Koti, LEED Fellow, is the Sustainable Design Leader at HKS Architects responsible for sustainable design facilitation and building performance analysis. His focus is on getting projects off to the right start with an inclusive and integrative effort, measuring progress against goals, and delivering a quantified outcome. Ramana has published several technical papers on daylighting and energy performance in buildings and regularly blogs on green building related topics. He volunteers with the AIA 2030 Working Group and the USGBC at the local and national levels. Ramana has been a certified ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) since 2015 and was designated a LEED Fellow in 2019. Show Highlights Tools that help push the industry with daylight analysis and energy modeling. Ramana shares his experience with managing commercial mixed use practice all wrapped in one project. Start the projects off on a right footing to make sure the initial goals and strategies are being implemented. Packaging certification efforts at the end to achieve the targeted certification levels. How do you share LEED best practices amongst a large team? Incentives from the inflation reduction Act put the industry on a broader path to decarbonization and making buildings much more greener than they are. Tips on coaching your team on embodied carbon. "I wish somebody had told me change happens, but it happens more slowly; because when you're young, energetic, & hungry to affect change, you become anxious when results don't happen within the expected timeframe. But once you spend 10, 15 years in a field…things have a way of compounding and happening. And to quote Lao Tzu, "Do your work and then step back.'" -Ramana Koti Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Think Again (book) Living Building Challenge International Living Future Institute: Home Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes. We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the Green Building Matters Podcast! Copyright © 2023 GBES


