The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

Charlie Cichetti
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Jan 9, 2019 • 26min

Chasing What You Believe In with John Zinner, LEED Fellow

John Zinner, LEED Fellow, is Principal of Zinner Consultants,having founded the firm in 1990. He brings clients a broad sustainability and environmental perspective as well as experience in policy development, project and program planning, and project management. John has developed and managed groundbreaking sustainable development and environmental mitigation programs for, among others, Playa Vista, Whole Foods, Boeing Corporation and the City of Rancho Cucamonga. His leadership has been recognized through numerous awards, he has lectured nationwide before professional, university and public audiences, and he has been interviewed on Good Morning America. In acknowledgment of John's contributions to the field of green building and sustainability, he was recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Fellow in 2012. John Zinner - Sustainability Opportunities John was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He started his career in policy and program side. John was involved in solar energy in grad school and has leveraged his experiences to future jobs. 1978 was John's first sustainability project. Prior to founding ZC, John founded and managed the Los Angeles office of an environmental consulting firm, and served as both Energy Coordinator and Planning Advisor for the City of Los Angeles Office of the Mayor. He holds an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California, and a BA in Political Science from The Colorado College. "I was asked to lead a charge to write a residential sustainability guideline for over 5,000 residential units in 1978 and LEED was in pilot." – John Zinner 1970 Challenges Early challenges in the 1970's centered around education. On the Playa Vista project, workshops were held but everyone wanted to know what they really had to do and that is how guidelines were developed. "Playa Vista is a project that I am still involved in and have a lot of support." – John Zinner Mentors John recognizes Dave Peterson a grad school professor was a mentor that stood out. He was involved in the solar energy lab and was the one who got it started. We were all excited about getting involved at the ground floor as something new. LEED Movement One of the first LEED projects for John was the first Platinum Museum. There were a enough developers doing LEED core and shell that it spiked the interest for others to join in for market purposes. "It was an interesting voyage. Some developers were eyeing it, not quite sure what to do with it. A lot of the early push came out of the local government." – John Zinner Pro-Tips/Routines/Rituals "Having a good staff, focusing on where my skills are best and letting my staff do the technical side of LEED including documentation and I am more focused on client relations and strategic opportunities. I think knowing who you are, knowing what you are good at and knowing what you're not good at and surrounding yourself with or joining a team with the skills to fill the holes." – John Zinner To hear more about John's journey and his thoughts on LEED, Solar Energy, Sustainability and Carbon download and listen to the episode! Book Suggestions: The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann Learn more about John Zinner: LinkedIn Playa Vista Sustainability 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 Announcement: Starting on January 1, 2019, GBMS will begin rolling out it's new membership community. Members will be given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions to, if you are preparing for an exam there will be more insurances that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member and so much more. 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 © 2018 GBES
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Jan 2, 2019 • 26min

Chief of Engineering at USGBC: Brendan Owen

Brendan Owen oversees technical development and integration of rating systems at USGBC. In this role Brendan collaborates with teams developing LEED, PEER and other rating systems and led the team that established the overarching system goals for LEED v4. He is currently working to integrate this thinking into the other programs USGBC collaborates with. Brendan is a member of the integration committee working to align Standard 189.1, the IgCC and LEED. He is a board member of the New Buildings Institute and is deputy director of the center for cycling technology at USGBC. Additionally, Brendan is a board member of the foundation USGBC that is partnering to build the William Jefferson Clinton Children's Center in Port au Prince, Haiti. Brendan is a proud Boilermaker, a licensed Professional Engineer and was honored as a LEED Fellow in 2012. Brendan Owen - Spark of Interest Brendan was born in Alabama and his father was in the Coast Guard. He bounced around from mostly Great Lakes and Gulf Coast states throughout his childhood. Brendan ended up at Purdue University largely because of the strength of the engineering program. He had little affiliation to the Purdue prior to ending up there. Brendan never considered sustainability a conscious choice, but part of his dad's job in the coast guard was environmental protection under sort of a marine safety heading and a lot of times his dad would end up doing response activities to oil spills or any other type of a disaster at sea. It was easy for Brendan to sort of understand the environmental ramifications of that type of activity and the responses that were necessary. "I think if there's one, there's one moment Exxon Valdez was the thing that sparked my interest in the idea of being a part of the solutions that could be created from an environmental perspective. I just wanted to engage in a problem solving way." – Brendan Owen Mentors The person who had the most profound effect on the trajectory of Brendan's career at USGBC is Malcolm Lewis. Malcolm was the chair of the technical and scientific committee. When Brendan started at USGBC this was the place that they stuck all of the issues that were too hard to deal with. There was a group of brilliant people that would get together and bang around on the pieces of the technical aspects of the rating system development or generally USGBC policy that were impossible to solve. Malcolm is the right person to lead that group. "Malcolm also work with the steering steering committee and just was a brilliant thinker; sort of introduced the idea of a pragmatic approach to systems engineering that I think has been something that I've tried to carry throughout the time that I've been involved in the technical development of any other rating systems that USGBC and GBCI are working on." – Brendan Owen Current Projects Brendan has been spending a lot of time on carbon in all of its forms. They are looking at the embodied carbon of materials and looking at the embodied carbon and water. In addition, they are looking at the embodied carbon of energy and transportation. They are trying to make sure that they are positioning the rating system to provide incentive for and reward project teams that are taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the projects that are being rated. "I'm understanding that the metrics that we care about is something that is so cross cutting and ubiquitous in terms of how you look at issues in terms of building sighting and what you're going to make the building out of in terms of how the building's gonna be oriented on the site as it affects the energy use of the building." – Brendan Owen Advice "Tell all of us people who have been doing it for the last 15 years to get out of the way." – Brendan Owen To hear more about Brendan's journey, download and listen to the episode! Book Suggestions: The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann Learn more about Brendan Owen: 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Dec 26, 2018 • 32min

Gensler Sustainability Discussion with Maria Perez

Maria Perez is a Senior Associate and Director of Sustainable Design for Gensler, an integrated architecture, design, planning and consulting firm of 5,000+ professionals networked across 46 global offices. In this role, she serves as one of the firm's leading sustainability ambassadors and promoters, engaging staff, clients, and the public on innovative and sustainable design, construction, and operational thinking. A recognized expert in LEED standards and sustainability rating systems, Maria is a leading advocate for performance-based design. Maria is a licensed architect in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico and a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Houston. In 2015, she was named a LEED Fellow for her exemplary leadership, impactful commitment, service, and advocacy in green building and sustainability. She is an Accredited Professional in multiple credentials including Building Design(BD+C), Interior Design(ID+C), Operations and Maintenance(O&M), Neighborhood Development(ND) and WELL. Maria is currently serving in the GBCI Credentialing Steering Committee and USGBC Texas Chapter Board of Directors. Maria Perez - Cultural Impact on Future Maria was born in Mexico City and grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico. She was influenced at a young age by the three, distinct people groups within her hometown - the Tarahumara Indians, the Mennonites and the Mexicans. Each different in their own culture and lifestyle, the Indians lived without electricity in their homes made of stone or adobe, the Mennonites produced their own energy, made their own clothes, and did not use anything civilized and lastly, the Mexican culture seemed more wasteful, taking many of their natural resources for granted. As a child, Maria began questioning these varying lifestyles and knew she wanted to help find a balance. "I decided in high school I wanted to be an architect to design buildings that reduce environmental impact." – Maria Perez Influenced in Sustainability A few years into her career in Monterrey, Mexico, Maria and her husband applied to several Masters programs across the United States. Upon both her and her husband's acceptance to the University of Houston, they relocated their family and she began her Masters of Architecture with a focus on historic buildings and adaptive reuse. Following graduation, Maria accepted a job in Gensler's Houston office, where has worked on everything related to sustainable design for the last 18 years. "We need buildings that do more and use less" – Maria Perez The 3 B's Maria strongly believes that three design principals could help solve our biggest challenges related to sustainability and climate change: 1) Biomimicry, which deals with nature. 2) Biophilia, human connection with nature and 3) Bioclimatic Design, where all buildings in their local environment look the same. Focusing on these three B's could satisfy the pressing need for resilient communities and to build them with limited resources in the face of shrinking materials, energy and water supplies. "If I ever write a book, I will write about the 3 principles of sustainable design 'biomimicry, biophilia and bioclimatic design'"– Maria Perez Greatest Skill Maria embraces change and would argue it is one of her greatest skills. Once she is comfortable with a certain task, she tends to find another to learn. Being passionate about learning and exploring change allows her to pursue just about anything in her professional and personal life. "Change always brings new opportunities." – Maria Perez Book Suggestions: Drawdown by Paul Hawken Advice Maria's favorite quote is "Everything we imagine is real." Pabla Picasso Never say no, keep pushing if you think it is for the greater good. Learn more about Maria Perez: 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 Announcement: Starting on January 1, 2019, GBMS will be rolling out it's new membership community. Members will be given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions to, if you are preparing for an exam there will be more insurances that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member and so much more. 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 © 2018 GBES
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Dec 19, 2018 • 31min

LEED Fellow Scott Bowman

Scott Bowman is passionate about high performance buildings and helping design teams succeed. Recently, Scott retired as Principal and Corporate Sustainability Leader with KJWW after 25 years with the firm to develop a consultancy related to early project development, sustainability, high performance, and to help the practice of integrated design to become the norm for the built environment. He represents over 30 years of extensive experience in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design and overall project management. His specialties include direct digital controls, energy efficiency, sustainable design, LEED, and systems commissioning, but he has also developed significant skills in engaging and leading teams…helping them reach higher performance within constraints of time, site and budget. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional. Scott has worked extensively with alternate delivery methods such as integrated, design/build, collaborative, negotiated, and fast-track. Scott Bowman - Exposed to Sustainability Scott grew up in Mason City, Iowa and graduated from a community college there in Pre-engineering, went to Iowa State University and earned a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. Started with a firm in Des Moines and spent rest of his career in Iowa. That first job was with a smaller foundational firm. Scott retired from KJWW; was their first branch office and he started to expand that organization with approximately 550 engineers and an extensive sustainability portfolio. Aha Moment Scott was fascinated by passive solar and read the book Passive House which really sparked his interest. His aha moment came in high school in drafting class where they were designing a solar home using passive and active solar. The 70's was the first energy crisis he went through and he eventually started designing energy efficient buildings. "I learned a lot from the idea of how can we use the environment, how can we use our buildings to power themselves, their own conditioning." – Scott Bowman Mentors Scott mentions Frank Pulley as his first mentor. Frank taught Scott that everything had to have a basis and make sense technically. Scott had an internal drive for efficiency and reducing the impact on the environment. "I had some good professors that showed me the holistic view of energy in buildings and looking at the bigger picture instead of what we are contracted for and just what we are suppose to design to." – Scott Bowman Proudest Achievements Being part of growing a firm is one of Scott's proudest achievements. The number of engineers he was able to mentor in those years and working with many quality engineers are included in his career achievements. The Iowa Utility Board Office of Consumer Advocate building in Des Moines. It is still the most efficient building in Iowa. "That whole process is what really got me into integrated design and why I think it is such an important part of sustainability and green buildings ." – Scott Bowman Book Suggestions: Consulting-Specifying Engineer: "Integrating a High Performance Building" article with Carey Nagle ASHRAE Journal: "Sustainable Stewardship" article with Carey Nagle High Performance Building: "From Darkness to Light" article with Carey Nagle Passivhaus ASHRAE Journal Building Green, Nadiv Malin To hear more about Scott's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Scott Bowman: LinkedIn ideaBRICKworks IDEABuildWorks 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Dec 12, 2018 • 28min

Green Badger Software with Tommy Linstroth

Tommy Linstroth is the founder and CEO of Green Badger, a cutting edge greentech software solutions company, and Principal of Trident Sustainability Group – a triple bottom line consultancy firm. To date, Tommy has been involved with over 70 LEED certified projects nationwide. He has leveraged a decade of industry knowledge to launch the Green Badger LEED Documentation software - the world's first truly mobile LEED Construction Documentation software. Green Badger manages all aspects of LEED Construction documentation, including construction waste, sustainable materials, erosion control and indoor air quality reporting, and VOC management and tracking. Tommy Linstroth - Pioneer of Sustainability Tommy grew up in Wisconsin where he went to high school and college. He earned his Masters of Science, Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston. Tommy's junior year he knew he had to focus on sustainability. He made his home in Savannah, Georgia and began to figure out how to apply it. Tommy then became the Director of Sustainability at Melaver, Inc. who believed in sustainability to the level of everything they do needed to be green. They were truly a pioneer of sustainability. "It was a great opportunity that I find myself fortunate to be in and it really diverted me out of that public policy side into the actual development side." – Tommy Linstroth Mentors Martin Melaver, CEO of Melaver, Inc. was Tommy's mentor when he first started. They still collaborate occasionally, but Martin is a leader who focuses morally, ethically and is a visionary. He helped Tommy early in his career and they still communicate 14 years later. "There are a lot of people who can do great things but it is really empowering to work with someone who has the type of vision of what we need to be doing and how we need to be doing it. " – Tommy Linstroth Highlights of LEED Tommy started with Melaver on new construction where everything would be green. He was working on the first LEED Cornshell Shopping Center and as part of that they did LEED McDonald's and then they moved into affordable housing. Tommy started TriDents and consulted up and down the coast which led him to Green Badger due to the administrative hassle to try and eliminate the headache and barrier of further adoption of green adoption. "Before the wave of LEED affordable housing came out and it really redefined how they recognize green affordable housing in the state of Georgia which was great because we were the first ones to get certified in the state ." – Tommy Linstroth A Few Current Projects Tommy is currently working with 8 of the top 10 green contractors using Green Badger on projects. He is focusing on how they can continue to improve the functionality. Tommy is also looking at other ways they can address some of the other rating systems. "The impact that we have and the feedback we are getting from our customers-is how great this is and easy this is making it for them is what keeps us going everyday." – Tommy Linstroth Pro Tips Tommy works out 4-5 days weekly to re-focuses himself because he is wearing about 20 different hats with his start up company as each day is hectic. "If I can find the time to get a good workout in it helps rejuvenate me and keep me on task."– Tommy Linstroth Book Suggestions: Living Above the Store by Martin Melaver Shogun by James Clavell Pieces is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh To hear more about Tommy's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Tommy Linstroth: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Dec 5, 2018 • 30min

Sustainable Business Strategy with Kim Pexton of Paladino

Kimberly Pexton is an innovative executive level leader that possesses the business skills needed to inform the development of operational programs that yield high performance results. Kimberly is a LEED Fellow and the Director of Paladino and Company. She leverages her experience in developing solutions that meet the challenges of corporate sustainability and social responsibility, environmental management programs, and supply chain transparency. Kimberly Pexton - Exposed to Sustainability Kimberly grew up in Willoughby, Ohio close to Cleveland. Kimberly went to Ohio State University and earned a degree in Journalism. Additionally, Kimberly pursued a graduate degree in Architecture. During her coursework she was exposed to structural engineering and structural design. This sparked her early interest in sustainability. Mentors Kimberly recognizes Sandy Mendler was the head of the sustainability practice at HOK in Washington, D.C. and ended up being one of Kimberly's critics and an influential mentor. Sandy provided support and encouragement to incorporate sustainable design in every project. "[Sandy was] definitely one of those people I looked up to." – Kimberly Pexton Developing Green Programs Kimberly was managing construction projects and presented a business plan on sustainability and was hired into a new position on that focus. Kim grew the company's number of successful LEED projects and eventually moved to another company as a GC to do the same. She built their book of business and got into integrating environmental compliance in the safety department. "I have enough self-motivation to be able to develop programs that address green building needs, specifically on the construction side and be to implement them in a way that was integrated into the process and not bandaid it in." – Kimberly Pexton A Few Current Projects Kimberly is currently running the practice for Paladino practice in Washington, D.C. Her role is to make sure that Paladino is making good on their promise of creating value through a sustainability lens. Kim is currently working on a Hotel and Convention Center in Columbia, South America, with LEED aspirations for Platinum. She is also working on reimagining a fortune brand in NYC and collecting sonar data in various places across the world for the department of state to dictate where they are installing wind turbines. "I think what kind of gets me on a day-to-day basis, especially clients who develop and hold property, it's great to take the sustainability aspect past what they are doing in the real estate space and actually link it to stakeholders." – Kimberly Pexton Pro Tips Kimberly discovered yoga years ago and cannot live a day without it. It helps her re-center. She reads like crazy and encourages everyone to do the same. "I think it is a routine of curiousness and helps you to continue to be creative."– Kimberly Pexton Book Suggestions: It's All For a Sale by James Ridgeway The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield Advice Have self-awareness. Self-awareness is the key to growth. Continue to be curious and learn your craft. To hear more about Kimberly's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Kimberly Pexton: 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Nov 28, 2018 • 43min

Harvard and Maritime High Performance Building Edu with Nathan Gauthier

Nathan Gauthier is a sustainable real estate professional with global experience in program management and facility design, construction and operations. As Director of FM Integration and Sustainability with Shawmut Design and Construction in Boston. Nathan works to improve the transition of construction projects into the facilities management infrastructure and support efficient and sustainable building operations. Nathan Gauthier - Marine Biology to Sustainability Nathan grew up in very rural Michigan and went Texas A&M at Galveston- Maritime Academy and studied Marine Biology. Going from a midwestern town to Texas was quite a change for Nathan. He was loved the water but became interested in sustainability at a younger age by hiking and the outdoors. "I just really like being outside and have continued throughout whatever I've done; I really wanted to spend time outside whether near the water our mountains."– Nathan Gauthier Mentors Nathan was in South Carolina in grad school and recognizes Trish German as an influential mentor. Trish ran the sustainability university initiative and was the first sustainability professional Nathan had met. Nathan interned there and Trish had him working on influential projects and motivated him to finish his thesis. Dr. Phil Barnes, a professor who managed the Environmental Management Systems Program. Nathan became an auditor with him. "I really liked the explorating nature and problem solving just going into a facility and pulling people aside and asking what their environmental policy was and seeing if they were walking the walk ." – Nathan Gauthier Teaching and Consulting Nathan teaches graduate courses on green building at the Harvard Extension School and MMA. He has consulted on real estate projects across 5 continents, more than 100 of which have become LEED certified (14 Platinum). Nathan has chaired the USGBC Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group and been a member of their board of directors at the state (MA) and national level. Nathan is a Licensed Residential Builder (MI), Certified Energy Manager, Facilities Manager, Energy Auditor, Construction Document Technologist, Ground Source Heat Pump Installer, Cx Process Provider, Existing Building Cx Professional, LEED AP, Fitwel Ambassador, NCI Charrette System accredited, and more. Nathan was selected as a 2014 LEED Fellow. A Few Current Projects Nathan is currently working on a solar installation as an owner's rep. He is learning a lot through this project. Nathan has done a lot of projects on the roof but this is his first parking lot. They have also been dealing with a lot of net zero energy proposals lately and is excited about seeing this in an RFP. Our group does a lot of integrated product delivery and are co-located once a week for one of their projects. "Construction hasn't gotten more efficient over the years, it is kind of lacking behind the industry, hopefully IPD will address that." – Nathan Gauthier Best Practices Nathan is committed to professional development. He splits his time between technical and managerial to learn and apply more. Nathan also pushes himself to talk at conferences and write case studies. "I like telling my story on my projects-successful and unsuccessful attempts."– Nathan Gauthier Podcast Suggestions: The Weeds Political Gabfest Cultural Gabfest 99% Invisible Malcalm Gladwell To hear more about Nathan's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Nathan Gauthier: 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Nov 21, 2018 • 25min

Director of Sustainability at HDR: Michaella Wittmann

Michaella Wittmann is the Director of Sustainability for HDR and leads the Office of Sustainability, which oversees the integration of sustainability into HDR's projects, as well as our own day-to-day business practices. She is A LEED Fellow and Envision Sustainability Professional. Michaella Wittmann - Commitment & Contributions Michaella grew up in Omaha and had a passion for the environment and specifically the ocean very early. She was encouraged by her dad to pursue engineering and marine science did so at the University of San Diego. After college Michaella did some informational interviews, one with HDR where she is today. Influential Mentors Michaella has had many mentors, one that stood out is Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface Carpet. He changed his whole company and set aggressive sustainability goals. He would give career and career advancement advice. Michaella took to heart a lot of the things he did and said. "I have many mentors as you might imagine, some of them were well known." – Michaella Wittmann Proudest Achievements Michaella is has fond memories of and is very proud of the Pentagon project. HDR was responsible for the underground extension to the Pentagon that was the remote delivery facility. It was a LEED pilot project. There was a second project on the Metro Entrance Facility that Michaella has personal memories from 9/11 and had the honor of being part of the team that rebuilt that ledge in a years time. "I was humbled and honored to be a part of that institution and sustainability very early on.." – Michaella Wittmann Inspiration and What's Next? HDR has an annual sustainability summit and they invite outside speaker in and they had a local coffee roaster who is setting some aggressive zero waste goals among other inspiring points. Michaella also pointed to other games created by staff helped jazz up the employees of HDR to think outside the box. "Absolutely looking outside the architecture engineer community often brings ideas we wouldn't have thought of." – Michaella Wittmann Advice Think outside the box, read opinions other than your own, go to conferences and ask people that are doing things in the industry that are really cool. Connect with people and look for opportunities. "Don't be afraid to ask questions and challenge things you are told and challenge yourself."-Michaella Wittmann Michaella suggests the following books: There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk To hear more about Michaella's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Michaella Wittmann: LinkedIn HDR Website 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Nov 14, 2018 • 27min

Green Building Center NY/NJ with Jason Kliwinski

Jason Kliwinski is a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA) 2014, LEED Fellow, Licensed Architect, NJ, NY, PA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP O+M, and LEED Faculty. Additionally, Jason is the Co-Founder of USGBC-NJ Chapter founded in 2002. Jason Kliwinski - Commitment & Contributions Jason grew up in Jersey and knew he wanted to be an architect in high school. His high school had an architecture program and his senior year he earned college credit. Jason currently specializes in Sustainable Design, LEED, State and Federal Energy incentives and Grants, Carbon Neutrality planning & design, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy systems design, and implementation. Aha Moment and Mentors In Jason's second year of college, he took the only class offered on sustainability. The class focused on passive energy and this peaked his interest. Jason's high school architecture teacher Mr. Clayton was his first major influencer. During his first real job, David Gibson gave him a platform and some significant projects to explore sustainability in high performance design. "When LEED came out, I saw it as a way to be a real good organization structure to talk to people about green buildings." – Jason Kliwinski Advice and Words of Encouragement Jason wishes there would have been more green building education in his college years and early in his career. He highly suggests that anyone in the field get as much hands-on experience as they can. He encourages everyone to always look out for the next wave in green buildings. "The way you really learn this stuff is by doing it." – Jason Kliwinski Proudest Achievements & Favorite Books Jason Kliwinski was the first in his family to go to college and pay for it all. He is also proud of getting his architect license, being an early LEED adopter, and a LEED fellow. Another proud achievement is the creation of the Green Building Center. "If you haven't read these 5 books you don't really know the sustainability movement." – Jason Kliwinski Jason suggests the following books: Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken The Green to Gold Business Playbook: How to Implement Sustainability Practices for Bottom-Line Results in Every Business Function by Daniel C. Esty and P.J. Simmons Biomimicry in Architecture by Michael Pawlyn Our Choice by Al Gore To hear more about Jason's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Jason Kliwinski: 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 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 © 2018 GBES
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Nov 7, 2018 • 26min

Green Building Matters with Marc Mondor

Marc Mondor has been a licensed architect for over a decade and has been an influential voice in sustainability since the early 1990's. As Managing Principal and Cofounder of evolveEA, Marc works with greening design and construction projects in order to leverage organizational and operational sustainability. His consulting work has led to many notable and innovative firsts, including the first LEED certified project in Africa, the oldest LEED EB certified project (1869) and the first LEED certified supermarket. Marc Mondor - Commitment & Contributions In 2015, Marc was selected as a LEED Fellow for his service, commitment and contributions to the green building and sustainability field. Marc has lectured nationally, is one of several dozen international professionals to be named US Green Building Council LEED Faculty and is a trained facilitator. Prior to co-founding evolveEA, Marc was Project Manager for the Pittsburgh Green Building Alliance, where he consulted for organizations, managed the Green Building Fund and helped chair the USGBC Greenbuild Conference. Marc received his Bachelor's of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and studied sustainable design in Scandinavia and Denmark and this is what kindled his interest. He is a Registered Architect and a LEED O+M BD+C and ID+C Accredited Professional. "There was really no name for the type of work that we wanted to do back then." – Marc Mondor Studying Abroad and Mentors Marc studied in France, Scandinavia and Denmark. This opportunity did spark his interest in sustainable design. Marc had several mentors along his journey. Bill Browning was one of the mentors later in his studies that provided much needed validation to ensure this was the career for him. "You look far beyond the components of the building, you are looking at all the systems that impact the building." – Marc Mondor Projects with Impact Marc notes that the work done on supermarkets is one of the projects he feels is making an impact still today. Additionally, they did a project in Egypt for HSBC which was a global concern and they were mandated to do a LEED project without being fully aware of what it was. Ended up with the Regional Headquarters and was the first LEED project in Africa. "We had to create a lot of communications graphics for them in regards to what LEED is and why should they care about this rating system that is from the United States." – Marc Mondor Around the Corner, Routines & Favorite Books Marc believes technology is going to cause massive efficiency at all levels in the future. This will allow people to be engaged and contribute in a way they haven't been able to before with sustainability. Marc and his partner try to empower their employees and personally works out to keep a balance. He would like to begin writing books in the next decade. "90% of being successful is showing up." – Marc Mondor Marc suggests the following books: Commonwealth by Jeffrey D. Sachs Behavioral Economic books by Dr. Dan Ariely Biographies: Steve Jobs and Leonardo Divinchi by Walter Isaacson The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone To hear more about Marc's journey, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Marc Mondor: 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 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 © 2018 GBES

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