The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

is the in-person experience for sustainability in the built environment. It’s for professionals in architecture, construction, engineering, planning, and interior design who depend on thoughtful and ethical solutions which promote wellness and resiliency in construction and urban development. By participating with Greenbuild, you can return to the field powered by the latest education and discoveries for the built environment. Sustainability is the foundation of Greenbuild; it impacts all activities, partners, vendors and participants. And its impact is visible from the sessions we present to the products on the show floor to the way the event is produced. WHAT IS THE GREEN BUILDING MOVEMENT? The green building movement embraces all of humanity by making sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone, and in doing so, to benefit the natural environment all around us. We are helping people understand their role in protecting and preserving the natural environment and leveraging the built environment to: improve human health and wellbeing ensure resiliency mitigate climate change enhance community and social equality restore and protect our ecosystems enhance building efficiency and performance promote sustainable design The future of the human race is interwoven with the future of the planet, and the sustainable practices we celebrate and advance at Greenbuild remind us that our success as sustainability advocates, practitioners and professionals is more than a movement, it is a responsibility. Show Highlights Greenbuild Conference & Expo hot topics curated just for you. Understanding programs addressing embodied carbon and the shift from operational carbon.  Defining the difference. Local mandates in different cities and programs to set up more energy efficient buildings. Why net zero energy is not enough; we need a plan for regenerative design. What you need to be reading up on and trending topics. GBES’ regenerative design course.  Technical updates and changes from USGBC and GBCI for exams and building certifications.  Changes and focus on the “S” in ESG and corporate responsibilities.  A movement we all need to prepare for as buildings move to all electric.    “While not a lot of buildings have been able to achieve Net Zero Energy yet, all of the green building enthusiasts admit that we actually need to think beyond that. Think net positive and really think regenerative design.” - Charlie Cichetti, LEED Fellow   Show Resource and Information bestbees.com    Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Luiza Junqueria, Architect and Urban Planner and first university student in Brazil to become LEED Accredited Professional (2008). Since 2007 acting as sustainability and health consultant for building certifications (LEED, WELL, Fitwel, GBC Casa, among others). Manager of the First WELL Certified building in Latin America (Gold Level) and the First Fitwel Multi Family Residential in Latin. Manager and team member of many projects seeking LEED certification such as shopping malls, soccer arenas (FIFA 2014 World Cup), industries, among others of the public and private sectors, which stand out the first Brazilian Core & Shell Certified building, the first school in Latin America and the first Brazilian city hall. Member: Materials committees for LEED adaptation in Brazil, Green Schools committee Former president of the materials committee for GBC Casa Former president of the Mind committee for the Well adaptation in Brazil (all of above coordinated by GBC Brasil) and member of the materials committee of CBCS Director of the Sustainability technical group of young entrepreneurs of CJE - FIESP. LEED Fellow (2020), WELL AP, DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) and GBC Brasil Casa consultant, and volunteer of the Living Building Challenge Sao Paulo. Professor at AVM Distance Learning, and invited professor of the Mackenzie Presbiterian University and on the course "How to Become a LEED Green Associate '' by GBC Brazil. Co-creator and coordinator of the course "Comfort, Health and Well-being in Buildings" for GBC Brazil.   Show Highlights Determining the most suitable certification system for regional projects. Working with new technology in Brazil. The importance of specializing in residential and commercial certification projects. Luiza’s is a pioneer and brings a plethora of firsts to Latin America.  The responsibility of WELL and Fitwell beyond a pandemic. Adopt a pioneer spirit with LEED for schools, LEED GA vs LEED AP, ESG credentials in projects.  Change society with education and investing in creating a LEED Fellow career.   The benefits of being a “generalist” in consulting. “We need to make green buildings more inclusive and accessible to all. Climate change is an urgent issue and it affects mainly the most vulnerable people. I truly believe that we have to give access to quality, sustainable buildings for everyone and not only the commercial buildings. We need to make it inclusive without exception to all.” -Luiza Junqueria      Luiza Junqueria’s Show Resource and Information Healthy-Buildings-Indoor-Performance-Productivity   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Hiroki Hiramatsu, after a 20 year job career in investment banking, founded CSR Design and Landscape as a social entrepreneur, which has been cultivating the green building market since the inception in 2006. USGBC Faculty, LEED AP BD+C, CASBEE Property Market Promotion Committee Member, Chair of Sustainable Property Investment WG (Principles for Financial Action for the 21st Century of Ministry of the Environment) Graduated Osaka University of Foreign Studies Founding co-chair of Green Building Japan (GBJ: International roundtable member) LEED Fellow, USGBC Faculty, LEED AP (BD+C, ND) CASBEE Property Market Promotion Committee Member Chair of Sustainable Property Investment WG (Principles for Financial Action for the 21st Century of Ministry of the Environment Japan) After a 20 year job career in investment banking, he founded Woonerf Inc. as a social entrepreneur, which has been cultivating the green building market since the inception in 2006.   Show Highlights Pivot your career path to build a career out of need and fun. Connecting landscape architecture to the green/healthy building movement.  Japan’s culture shifts to embrace LEED, WELL, and other rating systems to drastically reduce energy usage.  How to decide which programs to use for the client and the project? Become a social entrepreneur that successfully increases human resources.  The diverse rating systems used throughout Japan to impact large populations (ESG investment).  LEED for Existing Building, certifications and recertifications by using ARC. “I think LEED gives us the guidance to change our ‘business as usual’ economy side and the building design to a sustainable one. WELL gives us the same kind of guidance to change and transform our old fashion lifestyle.”  - Hiroki Hiramatsu     Hiroki Hiramatsu’s Show Resource and Information   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Kimberly Hosken works building the P3 business at NORESCO with a highly skilled team of industry leaders in central plant design, construction and operations. Partnering with preferred equity firms to create the best value for owners in the P3 market. Developing best in class SOP's, operational plans and systems to achieve a quality working relationship with customers. Kimberly  joined Johnson Controls, Inc. in February 2008 as a member of the Global Energy and Sustainability team. Prior to joining Johnson Controls. Kim held the position of Director LEED, New Construction for the US GreenBuilding Council in Washington DC. She has been a speaker at multiple conferences where she has presented her work on Return on Investment (ROI)for green strategies and construction. Kimberly Hosken has rejoined Johnson Controls as part of the US P3 team on the UC MERCED 2020 project. She has been a leader in international applications of LEED leading design charrettes in China, Egypt, Chile, and Canada while continuing to support the US market. Kim has experience with all of the LEED rating systems and providing large scale benchmarking for portfolios of international companies. Kim participated in the LEED Manufacturing User Group, a dedicated group of industry professionals working to create more opportunities for greener, healthier and more efficient manufacturing facilities. She also participated in the LEED Fellow review process for the class of 2013. Kim became a LEED Fellow in 2012. As a LEED Fellow she provided training for both internal and external customers. Prior to joining Johnson Controls Kim held the position of Director LEED, New Construction for the US Green Building Council in Washington DC. She has been a speaker at multiple conferences where she has presented her work on Return on Investment (ROI) for green strategies and construction. Kim has developed and delivered multiple LEED and Green Building training programs globally, over 3000 people have attended her workshops. Kim has a MBA from Webster University, St. Louis and a B.S. in business from Sierra Nevada College, Lake Tahoe.   Show Highlights One of their first female superintendents in high rise construction in OC, California.  Contagious passion infected Kimberly’s green building career path. Conversations that formed and shaped LEED mainstreamed. Green Compass tool to support LEED.  P3 brings the operations into the design.  Mechanical systems upgraded for existing building spaces.   Kimberly’s great advice on how to adapt when change occurs.  Career advice on figuring out your green lens. “Be able to accept change with grace and do what you need to do to move on in the face of things that may not have been in the plan.” lol - Kimberly Hosken     Kimberly Hosken’s Show  it and Information h   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Brad Schaap is a licensed professional structural engineer in nine states, including California. He has served in a variety of leadership positions on various national and regional boards, including being elected and serving as the President of the Structural Engineers Association of Nebraska (SEAoN) for a 2-Year Term, currently serving as Treasurer of SEAoN and a Voting Member of NCSEA's SIQA Committee, formerly Chairman of the AIA Large Firm Round Table-Sustainable Design Leaders Group for a two-year term, and as a Regional Leader of the Architecture+Design Sustainable Design Leaders Group for two consecutive years. Mr. Schaap’s structural design and investigation experience includes healthcare, hospitality, laboratory, education, and aviation projects for both the Government and private-sector clients. Mr. Schaap served as Deputy Project Manager on a major international healthcare project, leading the engineering team and directly interacting with the client. Mr. Schaap was the lecturer for the two sections of Engineering Statics at the University of Nebraska, which includes developing the content, homework, and examinations, as well as assigning grades. He also served as SEAON’s representative on the Professional Engineers Coalition (PEC), a coalition of engineering and surveying societies with a paid lobbyist to the state legislature in the mutual interests of its member organizations. Show Highlights Brad talks about the love of structural engineering and connection to sustainability.  Learn how much can be done with specification writing of supplementary cementitious materials. Ways to fight the stigma of using less materials for successful builds. Shaffer Stevens & Schaap focuses on challenging projects. Fallout shelter. Retrofits from 1920s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Serviceability criteria. Owner resiliency with modern structural engineering and conservatism. Trade organizations and the benefits to your career. Ideas on how to reduce initial carbon in the manufacturing process of the first creation for environmental benefits. Tools that optimize exactly how much material you need at every point in the span.  “The profession. It's bigger than one person, it's bigger than one firm. It's really a movement, and it’s moving in a good direction.” -Brad Schaap     Brad Schaap’s Show Resource and Information Linkedin   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Amy D'Angelo is a wellness real estate professional with over 15 years of experience. Her wide range of interests over the years have included launching a healthy food business to managing facilities for an international non-profit. Her current passion is focusing on helping busy professionals and families achieve wellness at home by creating simple and affordable strategies that are based on the best practices of the wellness real estate movement. Amy believes that by making small and positive changes, in our homes, in the food we eat or the ways that we handle stress, we can inspire those around us to live a healthier, more fulfilled life.   Kay Curtis is an educator of 25 years, a young widow and a breast cancer survivor, the subject of health through proper nutrition and a nontoxic environment has become of great interest to her. But how she got to this point in her personal and professional life is a perilous story that brought her very close to knocking on heaven’s door.   She was eating very poorly: fast food, frozen food from Costco, etc. I also smoked. Then her husband died suddenly (he was very unhealthy) and left her a widow at 35. Kay also suffered from life-long blood sugar problems and digestion issues. Even though she always maintained a very thin form, she started to gain lots of weight. Then  she got breast cancer. This led her to research chemicals in our environment. She removed all of them from her personal care items and household. She quit smoking because she believed all those things to be the source of her cancer.   But right around the same time, she was tutoring one of the most brilliant children she had ever met in her education career (as an Educational Consultant). He was five years old and could do long division and read at a 3rd grade level. But he was a little strange, so his mother put him on Zoloft. He started losing his memory and abilities. It was a side effect of the drug. It was horrifying to watch. Kay had other students that were prescribed Ritalin and Prozac and saw what these drugs did to these poor children and decided to go back to school and learn Nutrition in order to be able offer an alternative to them and their parents. Show Highlights Create the healthiest food plan to provide the energy you need with food choice. How to find balance and move towards healthy and sustainably produced food. Potential side effects and dangers of a poor diet.  What core diet, grains, fats and more do in the body. Substitution ideas for your diet to support vegan and vegetarian options.  Avoid vitamin deficiency from foods  and learn how to add and subtract fat with these tips. Portion and meal prep suggestions to conceptualize what should be on your plate.  Managing time for meals and snacks. What's better for us to eat and better for the environment? How to select organic and other options at the farmers market. “We consume more carbohydrates in a week than people consumed in a year, 200 years ago.” -Kay  Curtis       Amy D’ Angelo and Kay Curtis Show Resource and Information     Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Ibrahim Kronfol is a Project Manager, Senior Mechanical Engineer, and Sustainability & Value Engineering Auditor with over 15 years of experience at Dar Al Handasah, with a successful career record and extensive design and management experience of major projects in the Gulf & Middle East. With the firm since 2005, working on a wide range of sustainability, Building Services, Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Project Management sectors, Ibrahim has contributed to a range of diverse applications within the construction industry. He has provided sustainable engineering design solutions for the various design aspects of a wide range of projects, encompassing Airports; Hotels; Commercials, Residential, Mixed Use; Medical Centers, Hospitals; Educational Facilities, Presidential Palaces and many others. Ibrahim has developed a comprehensive understanding supported by academic certifications of Project Management Procedures, Value Engineering Practices & Green Buildings Design throughout his career experience. Ibrahim is the Chair of Education and awareness at Lebanon Green Building Council and the Founder of "Sustainability Movement", with a Mission to work on community transformation towards sustainability. The Movement's major achievements include Green Apple Day of Service campaigns, Innovation Energy Challenges, teachers training programs, Green Champion and others with an impact on over 55,000 Students and 1,200 Teachers since 2012. In 2020, Ibrahim was distinguished by GBCI as a LEED Fellow and he is currently a member of the LEED Fellow Evaluation committee.   Show Highlights How does DAR Group support the region with partnerships? Solutions to implement sustainability targets.  Technical Advisory Groups (TAGS) and these committees’ benefits.  Impact and importance of volunteering. The Green Apple Day of Service, a global volunteering event with the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools. Coordination efforts between the trades and the harder parts of sustainability. SMART systems are more suitable for sustainability. “We need everyone to join the green revolution. Professionals, experts, and non-experts. The public needs to get involved. Everyone can make a small contribution by getting involved in the sustainability practices and creating change, especially for the younger generation at the personal level.” -Ibrahim Kronfol     Ibrahim Kronfol’s Show Resource and Information   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Ben Tacka is a member of the Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (CEES) at Trane Technologies which supports the company’s strategic brands —Trane and Thermo King — and is responsible for forward-looking sustainability initiatives aimed at transitioning to more efficient and climate-friendly solutions, and minimizing resource use within company facilities. Ben serves as a market intelligence provider and trainer in linking internal sustainability initiatives to competitive product and service positioning to support the enhancement of value propositions for sales and marketing teams across all businesses. His efforts led to the release of the company’s first integrated ESG Report in 2018, and played a role in the establishment of Trane Technologies’ 2030 Sustainability Commitments, which include such targets as carbon neutral operations and the single largest industrial commitment to reduce scope 3 (product related) emissions by 1 gigaton. Ben also leads an internal ‘Design for Circularity’ council to determine the company’s role in the coming Circular Economy. Trane Technologies’ received the World Environment Center’s 2019 gold medal award for international sustainable development and is the only industrial company listed to both the World and North America Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the past 9 years. Ben holds an undergraduate degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University as well as a Sustainable Innovation MBA from the University of Vermont. Prior to working with Trane Technologies, Ben provided sustainable business development consulting support to PepsiCo in Latin America and spent many years as an entrepreneur founding and managing sales and marketing training franchises in the gulf coast region of the southern US. Show Highlights A green business owner’s freedom of flexibility in sustainability.  The history of Trane Technologies and their programs to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption. Being entrepreneurial and finding ways to be intrapreneurial within a team. Organizations to help strengthen sustainability initiatives. Tips to stand out in a large company and dive into your network to obtain your dream job.  Ben’s “SWAT team of sustainability” in ESG. Speak the language of sustainability and climate change with these valuable resources. Benefits of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (CEES).   “I wanted to really be a part of something that would be transformational in terms of how we live our everyday lives and the global underpinnings of the global economy.” -Ben Tacka      Ben Tacka’s Show Resource and Information   Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

Dan Diehl is CEO and President of Aircuity. He is a seasoned executive in the building controls and energy efficiency space, with more than 25 years of industry experience. Dan is passionate about continuous improvement and innovation for the built environment, and under his leadership, Aircuity is leading the way as the trusted air quality platform. Show Highlights Aircuity’s devices and software that actually saves energy. Largely untapped managing and controlling of ventilation in buildings.  Foundational hardware to accurately measure indoor air quality as economically as possible for the lifetime of the building. Creating a healthy production environment to manage the tough side of the vast constituents.  Timetable to infusing different ways of thinking in a new technology. Adjusting operation controls in air quality filtration to make sure you are filtering clean air.  Balancing the technical and business side to follow the market and guide the clients. COVID hangover reactions and sustainable solutions towards active measurement of an integrated control.  ESG, decarbonization, and carbon goals for long term solutions to properly size and save millions of dollars. “It's been an air quality battle on the east coast as you probably saw reported this last week. The world is changing, adopting, you need to provide good, safe, clean in all the environments. I think they'll be ubiquitous in the built environment.”  -Dan Diehl    Dan Diehl’s Show Resource and Information       Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES

GOOD NEWS! GBES, in partnership with , is able to offer you a 30% discount on your actual WELL AP examination fees when you purchase any of the . After your purchase of our , the discount code will be sent to you in your purchase confirmation email. Use the discount code to pay for your exam at . IMPORTANT NOTE: The WELL AP V2 exam updates will be released this coming September 2021 and the exam will be first available to the public closer to September 20, 2021. Remember, you can still take the exam either through REMOTE TESTING (Virtual) or IN-PERSON through Prometric testing centers near you. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Accurately preparing for the WELL AP exam updating September 1st, 2021.  Tweaks and tools to familiarize yourself with the new WELL AP exam. Stipulations and changes to how and where you can take LEED and WELL exams.   How to prepare for the closing gap for WELL AP version 2 in September. The difference between FitWell and WELL AP exams. Resources from Gbes.com to prepare you for passing exams with all the new updates.  One thing that’s happened from WELL version one, to WELL, version two is some of our concepts are categories Focusing on the 11 new concepts and categories on the WELL exams and the three different types of questions. PSA: HOW TO NAVIGATE THE UPCOMING WELL AP V2 UPDATES SHOW RESOURCE AND INFORMATION Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   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 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 .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2021 GBES