The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

Today’s episode features an interview with LEED Fellow Deepa Sathiaram.  Deepa is a leading international green building, HVAC, and building systems design professional. Deepa has been named as one of "India's Top 15 Nature's Keepers" for actively spearheading India's green building movement. She was in the early USGBC LEED Fellow Class of 2013, and also is recognized as an India GBC Fellow and WELL Faculty. She founded En3 which has operations in the U.S., India, the Middle East, and Africa. Her work includes 600+ green buildings covering over 250 million square feet of green projects worldwide. Her work includes many industry firsts including one of India’s 1st Net-Zero Energy Buildings, 1st carbon-neutral organization and India's 1st carbon-neutral construction project.   3 Reasons to Listen Deepa transcended gender bias in the engineering field Sustainability in India and regional hurdles Innovating in energy efficiency and sustainability Full Transcript () 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 © 2020 GBES

Today’s episode features Kim Lombard.  Kim's adaptability has allowed her to be part of a variety of project types which include education, healthcare, commercial, and federal. She has had a professional focus on sustainability and creating green buildings. She has developed an interest in how suitability of the built environment can affect the purpose for which projects are built. Kim sees projects through from scorecard development to the award of the LEED plaque. Her fluency with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system and its many version has positioned her as a subject matter expert.  3 Reasons to Listen Kim’s roots regarding sustainability How to maximize what you learn from a project Projects tackling sea level rising  Full Transcript (available on website)   Show Resources 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 © 2020 GBES

About the Episode In today’s episode we are joined by John Boecker. He is a green building expert with over 20 years of experience in the industry. John will be helping us understand some important things regarding green building and regenerative practice. He will also share with us his journey to becoming a green building expert. Stay tuned to learn more.   Key Talking Points Getting to know John Boecker John’s first green building project John’s turning point in his career Who does John consider a mentor in his life? Cool accomplishments in John’s career Getting to know the Seven Group better Understanding regenerative design better What is John best at? What John wishes he had known earlier in his green building career Key Milestones of the Episode [01:42] Getting to know John [02:44] John’s first green building at the Department of Environmental Protection [04:14] The call that made a difference in John’s career [06:03] What did John train in? [10:02] John’s mentors [11:24] John’s cool achievement [12:11] Getting to know the Seven Group better [16:29] What’s it going to take for some more significant breakthroughs with regenerative design? [18:03] Importance of collaboration [20:48] John’s gift [23:50] On the bucket list [26:50] A must-read book [28:40] What John wishes he knew earlier in his career Key Quotes from the Episode “What is it that you need to develop so that you can express your unique voice and think bigger about the contribution you’re being called to make?” “Life is about asking the right questions.” “There’s nothing new. It’s just rethinking how to put it back together again and express it in each individual case differently.” “We can either hold that and sell it or give it away, and we made a choice to give it away.” “The real value of that book was helping us clarify how we want it to work and then share that with others.” “Look, to see, to remember.” Key Resources - by Richard Powers   Learn More about John Boecker John is a green building expert and one of the founders of Seven Group. His specialties include Green Building Architect and LEED, Integrative Design, and Regenerative Development Consulting.   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 © 2019 GBES

Today’s episode is a special one with Charlie Cichetti.   Charlie shares a high-level summary of what he’s learned over the last 100 shows.   And a big THANK YOU for being a regular listener of the podcast and HAPPY NEW YEAR 3 Reasons to Listen Why right now is a great time to join the green building movement The importance of hope Career advice for those new to green building Full Transcript (available on the website)  Show Resources Use the code “GBMPODCAST” for $100 off Tier 1 membership Use the code “GBMPODCAST2” for $200 off Tier 2 membership 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 © 2020 GBES

About the Episode In this episode, we have Green Building professional Alan Scott. We will talk about the early days in Philadelphia and the early days with the living building challenge.  Alan is a successful leader and works with many groups of individuals in the green building and sustainable sector striving for meaningful results. Tune in to this episode to hear more about Alan’s journey.   Key Talking Points Getting to know Alan Living in Oregon Alan’s journey in Architecture Sustainability of Green building movement Alan’s special gift Routines and Rituals Career Advice and word of encouragement   Key Milestones of the Episode [01:19]  Introduction of Alan Scott [03:19]  Starting career in Architect [05:22]  Aha moments [08:24]  Career at Green movement [10:15]  Finding Team members [14:08]  Alan’s Projects                                [19:27]  Importance of Resilience [23:27]  Alan’s specialty [24:38]  Alan’s rituals and routines for success [25:49]  Alan’s bucket list [29:37]  Alan’s Wish in Career [30:25]  Words of Encouragement for new fellows   Key Quotes from the Episode “When I talk about something I care about that really gets me out there and doing things on a timeline”. “My superpower is empathy and that actually grew out of my introversion.” “I connect at a deeper level with the people around me.” “I'm an early riser even before the birds in the morning without an alarm clock and I treasure that for quiet time”. “I wish somebody had pushed me earlier to not play it safe and be bold and take chances and do it with humility and clarity of attention.” “Stay open to possibility.”    Key Resources   by Doris Kearns Goodwin by Kimberly Clausing     Learn More about Alan Scott Alan is an experienced leader, strategist, architect and consultant, successful at guiding teams to create and maintain high performance buildings and sustainable built environments. In a world of specialists, a conductor, orchestrating the vital talents of technical experts to lead teams in concert toward ideal solutions and meaningful results for clients. Skilled facilitator and teacher, engaging groups and individuals in professional development, goal setting and problem solving activities.   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 © 2019 GBES

About the Episode In this episode, we talked to Green Building Professional Robert Phinney. Robert is an architect specializing in creativity and sustainability. In this episode, we talk about his journey to green building and sustainability. Robert talks about his passion for creativity and what he does at the DLR group. He also talks about his turning point after learning about sustainability and the importance of the environment in design. Stay tuned to learn more about Robert’s journey.   Key Talking Points Getting to know Robert Joining the Sustainability building and mentor Robert mentors Building a career in sustainability Robert's proudest achievements and working at DLR group Roberts secrets to success About the Sustainability/Green building movement. Defining resiliency and explaining why people fail to adopt social sustainability. Robert's specialty and words of encouragement   Key Milestones of the Episode [00:58] Robert's career background [04:39] Joining the sustainability architect design [06:29] Robert mentors [07:48] Building a career in sustainability [11:34] Robert's proudest achievements [13:34] Working at DLR group [15:59] Roberts secrets to success [20:09] About the Sustainability/Green building movement. [24:39] Defining resiliency [28:59] Explaining why people fail to adopt social sustainability. [32:21] Robert's specialty [38:13] Robert's words of encouragement   Key Quotes from the Episode “I think there's a lot of opportunities to influence large scale change here and it seemed to work out that way.” “How I can help the younger professionals coming up is that I've made all the mistakes. I've tried all the things and see what works, what doesn't work, what needed to shift.”  “You succeed most when you have failed the most.” “When you are trying to create a new process or advocate for getting design professionals, whether it’s architects, engineers, planners, interiors, folks do something a different way.” “You can't have environmental responsibility without having social and economic responsibility as well.”   Key Resources by Orson Scott Card   Learn More about Robert Phinney Robert was born in Northern Virginia. He had a passion for creativity. Robert pursued his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Virginia and State University of North Carolina respectively. He started his sustainability career when in his graduate program. Currently, Robert practices sustainability consultancy at the DLR group where he advocates for Green building and social sustainability adaption.   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 © 2019 GBES

About the Episode In this episode, we talk to Green Building Professional Jerry Yudelson. Jerry is a prolific speaker, author and the first organizer of the Greenbuild conference; in 2011, he was named a LEED Fellow by the U.S. Green Building Council. Jerry talks about his career journey and roles in the green building movement. Tune in to this episode to hear more about Jerry’s experience. Key Talking Points Getting to know Jerry  Jerry's mentor Involvement in the US Green Building Council Jerry's proudest achievements in sustainability Jerry's best practice in writing Current exciting projects The source of Jerry's memoir title: Godfather of Green Screen building and sustainability movement The sick building syndrome Jerry's specialty Jerry's success rituals and routines Jerry’s bucket list  Early life wishes and advice Key Milestones of the Episode [01:21]  Intro to Jerry Yudelson [05:09] Jerry's mentor [07:46] Involvement in the US Green Building Council [12:57] Jerry's proudest achievements in sustainability [17:26] Jerry's best practice in writing [19:53] Current exciting projects [21:48] The source of Jerry's memoir title: Godfather of Green [23:20] Screen building and sustainability movement [26:09] The sick building syndrome [30:05] Jerry's specialty [34:26] Jerry's success rituals and routines [36:33] Jerry’s bucket list [41:58] Early life wishes and advice Key Quotes from the Episode “It’s like they say in the army, never raise your hand to volunteer for anything.” “If I give any advice to the younger people, it's find something just starting up where there aren't too many experts and just dive in and you'll become an expert pretty fast.” “Go do whatever you feel like doing. Try to make it of use to other people and then see what happens.” “I know that the most important two words in every book are-the end.” “Buildings aren't there just to look pretty for architectural record. They're there for people to work, play, and learn; so we can live in so they got to be healthy for people.” “The only way to get green in a building is in the first hour of the first meeting when the decision-makers for the client are in the room.” “If you're standing at the edge of a cliff, the first sign of wisdom is to take a step backward. It's not to turn around and take a selfie.” “If you want to be successful in your career, you've got to really get out of your comfort zone.”  Key Resources by Amitav Ghosh by David Wallace-Wells Learn More about Jerry Yudelson Jerry Yuldelson is a prolific speaker and author in the green building sector. Nationally and internationally recognized keynote speaker and the leading published author in the green building field. Keynote speaker at 100 conferences and events in 20 countries since 2006. Available for keynotes and other presentations by contacting: or .  Jerry is dubbed as the Godfather of Green for his roles in the Green building movement. Currently, he is on the verge of completing his Memoir about his green career and life.  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 © 2019 GBES

Light House Building Centre’s Brenda Martens   About the Episode In this episode, we visit with Brenda Martens. Brenda has worked in the building industry for over 25 years. She is a practitioner, educator, and advocate in the field of green building and sustainability. She is also the Director of Research and Collaboration for Light House Sustainable Building Centre.    She has served on the Board of Directors of the Cascadia Green Building Council, is a past faculty member of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the University of British Columbia Continuing Studies, and is a co-founder of Recollective Consulting and the Open Green Building Society, an organization that open sources information about green buildings. She currently teaches green building and sustainability for BCIT.   Tune in to this episode to hear more about Brenda’s journey.   Key Talking Points Getting to know Brenda Brenda’s start in sustainability  First experience with Green projects Exposure to Mentors LEED Fellow Cascadia Projects during Brenda’s Career What does the future hold Bucket List Brenda’s Advice   Key Milestones of the Episode [01:43]  Intro to Brenda Martens [02:30]  Early Exposure to Physics  [03:05]  Brenda’s AHA Moment [05:36]  Mentors [10:25]  Living Building Challenge [16:20]  Buildings at the end of life [18:34]  Trends in the future of green building [22:56]  Areas of Strength for Brenda [24:32]  Brenda’s Bucket List [29:25]  Final Words of Encouragement   Key Quotes from the Episode “My focus was on commercial buildings at the time, I had never worked in the single-family, residential market.” “That’s when I had my first epiphany that we didn’t have to do business as usual.” “The design for disassembly and reuse is not strong.  How do you design for buildings and life?” “I see a proliferation of different standards and rating systems.  Some of them like the Living Building Challenge and LEED are holistic and some are more concentrated on a portion of the characteristics of buildings.” “You look at it as an opportunity not a challenge.”     Key Resources by Douglas Stone   Learn More about Brenda Martens, B.Sc., CSBA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED Fellow Brenda's work experience encompasses residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial projects throughout British Columbia, including the Vancouver and Whistler Athletes' Villages, the Okanagan College Centre of Excellence (a Living Building Challenge Petal candidate), and over 20 BC housing projects across the province. She is deeply involved in the green building movement and has served the community as Chair of the Site and Water Technical Advisory Group (TAG); LEED Canada Steering Committee member; and the City of Vancouver Green Building Strategy Committee member, amongst other roles. She is committed to growing the green building movement through practice, mentorship and education.      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 © 2019 GBES

About the Episode In this episode, we have Green Building professional Marni Jade Evans. Marni is a LEED Fellow.  We will explore the early days around LEED when she was an Associate Green Building Consultant at Paladino and Company.  Additionally, Marni will talk about early influences on the Living Building Challenge. Marni is a proud Canadian with dual citizenship.   Tune in to this episode to hear more about Marni Jade Evan’s journey.   Key Talking Points Getting to know Marni Marni’s inspiration  First experience with Green projects Gaining insight from the Greenbuild Conference Starting a new company Proudest Achievements USGBC update What does the future hold Bucket List Marni’s Advice   Key Milestones of the Episode [01:43]  Intro to Marni Jade Evans [02:30]  Early Exposure to Architecture  [04:58]  Marni’s mentors [06:36]  Paladino and Green Projects [10:55]  Greenbuild Conference [13:20]  Starting a new company [18:34]  Update on US Green Buildings Council [24:56]  Trends in the future of green building [34:32]  Marni’s Bucket List [39:42]  Final Words of Encouragement   Key Quotes from the Episode “Tom Paladino had to be the best mentor, hands down.” “One of the big highlights in my life was deciding in 2008 to start my own Green Building Consulting Firm in the heat of a recession.” “I’m really lucky, I get to work from home while still being a part of the DC office.” “My intuition is telling me the entire building industry is about to be completely disrupted by buildings that are mobile, that are temporary, that are fast built, that are inexpensive and technological.”   Key Resources   Learn More about Marni Jade Evans As a Green Building Specialist, I serve as a technical subject matter expert for all USGBC and GBCI published guidance related to LEED, SITES, WELL and EDGE certification. Drawing on cutting-edge knowledge of, and direct experience with, the suite of LEED Rating Systems and SITES, I assist teams in the design, construction and real estate industry and serve as a resource and problem-solver for technical issues. My role is focused primarily on improving customer service through direct customer engagement.   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 © 2019 GBES

About the Episode In this episode, we have Green Building professional Michelle Halle Stern. The way Michelle grew up has a lot to do with what she does now, and she credits her mentor for that. Michelle grew up in Rockford, Illinois, which was the second largest city in Illinois. She started her career in Heroes Universe and architecture and got two degrees, one in civil engineering and other in architecture.   Key Talking Points Getting to know Michelle Michelle’s journey into building engineering and public health Green facilitator Technology of participation Michelle is keen to learn languages Routines and Rituals   Key Milestones of the Episode [01:33]  Intro to Michelle Halle Stern [02:07]  Aha moment [04:46]  Michelle’s mentors [05:36]  Michelle’s first project [09:30]  Green facilitator [16:29]  Bucket list items [20:48]  Bottom Line [21:54]  Routines   Key Quotes from the Episode “I would say that you don't have to have all the answers.” “Always be an advocate for yourself.” “There's you should always be standing up for what you believe in.” “It’s kind of one of those things that you just have to do through practice.” “There are seven basic principles in the Regeneration and really when we talked about it in terms of a project is about building capacity and it's about what are you affecting beyond your project? How do we co-create with a community to make sure that everything everyone has a steak and a unique role not just for people but also for the ecology and environment.”   Key Resources The Sixth   Learn More about Michelle Halle Stern Michelle Halle Stern is the national Director of Sustainable Design Services at HDR where she manages business operations and strategic planning for their sustainable design consulting group. Prior to joining HDR, Michelle was a Sustainability Strategist at Perkins+Will, director of green building initiatives and LEED consulting for the non-profit Delta Institute, and the first Director of Sustainability at OWP/P. She has been sought after as a green building expert since the late 90s, when she started one of the country’s first sustainability programs, and founded the USGBC Chicago Chapter. Michelle’s background in architecture, engineering, and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, which offers her a unique perspective and understanding of complex systems, and the human health impacts of green design.     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 © 2019 GBES