The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

Josh Radoff is a Senior Vice President at WSP. In today's episode, he joins Charlie Cichetti to share his sustainability journey, including growing a respected green building consulting firm that has since merged with a larger company. Josh also discusses some pretty advanced projects he is working on and gets us thinking about what's around the corner in this green building movement. Josh Radoff - The Origin Story Boston-born, Josh came from the East Coast, moved to Connecticut when he was three, but eventually ended up in Colorado. He went to college in Maine. With his upbringing, Josh leaned more towards the Red Sox than the Yankees. Josh was a physics major at Colby College, a liberal arts school. Trying to get as much diverse experience as he could, he joined its soccer team. He was also into film, writing movie review columns, and even hosted a radio show with a co-host. Career Start He liked physics but knew he wasn't going to stay at a lab so Josh became a high school teacher in Virginia, handling physics along with earth science. With a new-to-him environment in the South, he went through some adjustments on top of his daily preparations for the job. Convinced that he wasn't learned enough for his postition, Josh furthered his education by earning a Masters in Electrical Engineering. He didn't realize he nursed an interest in sustainability until he sat in a course on energy and found out that it was something he would like to sink his teeth into. "That may have been my first taste into what would be my eventual career." - Josh Radoff The Epiphany The real shift began when Amory Lovins came to speak at his college. Josh had never heard of Lovins, but sustainability had already wormed its way into his brain. After hearing the advocate's words, Josh decided that it was time for a change. "Amory Lovins has a certain way of introducing an idea and transforming the way people think about it. That was certainly true for me." - Josh Radoff on the radical shift of his interest to sustainability To hear more of Josh's sustainability tale download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Josh Radoff and the books we reference: LinkedIn The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes Master and Commander 1491 1493 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!

Today's show is a special release. Host Charlie Cichetti takes some time today to pause halfway through 2018 and look at the Green Building Industry Trends he sees. Charlie discusses: Statistics in 2018 LEED trends WELL trends Are the LEED exams changing? Resources from today's show: International WELL Building Institute FitWel Green Building Certification, Inc. (GBIC) 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

Bill Spohn is a mechanical engineer and the President and CEO of TruTech Tools. The company serves technicians in the HVAC&R and Energy Audit Industries by providing them with advanced tools and instruments. In this episode, he chats with Charlie Cichetti to discuss HVAC, Passive House, building science, and more. "I'm gonna commit to sneezing twice a week, and what I mean by that is: I want to spread the 'germs' of the idea of responsible use of energy and good home performance to one consumer and one technical professional a week." - Bill Spohn Bill Spohn - The Environment, Engineering, and Energy Bill grew up in an Italian-American neighborhood in the small town of Rome in New York. It was a beautiful community with a lot of great food and values, including his family's own sensibilities regarding the environment. With his aptitude in math and physics, he decided to take mechanical engineering, a decision backed up by library books. Putting his natural inquisitiveness to work, he took up a four-year degree at the University of Rochester. Right before graduation, he had a feeling that he would want to pursue a career path related to energy, and so he did. Gaining the Relevant Experience He worked with Kodak for a few years, got a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and obtained his license as a professional engineer. Shortly afterwards, he went to work for an instrumentation company called Fisher Scientific, where Bill worked closely with lab instruments. He then transferred to Bacharach where he led an engineering team focused on HVAC. A couple of years later, with an impressive background of testing instruments under his belt, TruTech Tools came to be. Homegrown Sustainability Advocate Bill has always been active in waste management and energy conservation. It's mostly thanks to his parents who grew up in the depression era. With the lessons imparted to him at a young age, he was able to become the man that he is now. "It's not so much the cost of energy, but it's just being efficient with the finite resource." - Bill Spohn This early exposure to responsible use of energy coupled with his mentors' influence and his penchant for engineering shaped Bill into a leader of the sustainable energy and building movement in his own right. Together with his team, he's helping raise awareness of their advocacy two sneezes a week. To hear more of Bill's story on sustainable building and energy efficiency, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Bill Spohn and the books we reference: LinkedIn A Pattern Language 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!

Part of the Qatar Green Building Council, Hamoda Youssef is also a member of the USGBC. An architect by heart, his journey in sustainable building started upon pursuing a European education. Now a proud member (and leader) of the LEED movement in his region, Hamoda shares with us how sustainability has become an integral part of his career. Sustainability in Education and Career Hamoda grew up in Cairo, Egypt, where he studied architectural engineering at Cairo University. His early career was spent as an interior design architect before he moved to an architectural engineering multidisciplinary consultancy firm. Somewhere down the road he took up environmental planning for his graduate studies in Italy, which exposed him to the (USGBC's) LEED movement through an internship. This is when it became clear that sustainability was a path that he could take, when back in college it was mostly a concept attached to loads of coursework. LEED Held The Answers Earlier in his career, Hamoda met a lot of people who advocated for sustainable building which allowed him to see how groundbreaking the LEED movement was for the built environment. Before LEED, there was no framework to validate sustainability designs. There was no way to convert designs into actual, usable (and recognized) products in the marketplace. "It's not about technology advancement but how smartly [we] combine things and integrate them together from a multidisciplinary approach to enhance our overall design and products." - Hamoda Youssef LEED gave the answers. There was no skyrocketing upgrade of technology involved, but a genius understanding of how best to approach the ultimate goals of the sustainability movement. Challenge as a Mentor Stereotypes dictated that architects must possess excellent freehand sketching skills and handwriting. Hamoda had neither, so he took it upon himself to fill in the niche of computer design and 3D software. This first challenger, he said, was also his first mentor. "If I have a good imagination, I can be a good architect. It's a matter of finding a right tool to represent." - Hamoda Yousef From there on, he had several mentors, in the form of (growth) challenges and people. To hear more about Hamoda's journey as a LEED expert, educator, and project manager from Egypt to Qater, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Hamoda Youssef: USGBC Profile QGBC Website Follow him on Twitter 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!

Daniel Dreher, Founder and Principal of Tecreation, LLC, joins Charlie Cichetti. Although primarily located at New Orleans, Daniel has projects in regions as far as India. Throughout his career, he has completed multiple projects with great partners and also has been able to overcome the challenges of hurricane Katrina. "Sustainability is a shift in consciousness. It's an evolution in our consciousness as individuals and as a collective. And when that starts to happen, other things start to follow." - Daniel Dreher Daniel Dreher - Sustainability Consultant Daniel's passion for sustainability traces back to his college years. He was studying Architectural Engineering at the Ohio College of Applied Science when he learned about Frank Lloyd Wright. His innovative architecture inspired him so much. "LEED offered to really take a lot of these things that are intangible that I knew were good design principles and formalize them." - Daniel Dreher Daniel later went to pursue a business degree. In 1986, he returned to Phoenix for his practice. By 2009, he became a LEED AP. The Boulders Resort is among the notable projects he completed with his partners. Hurricane Katrina Experience In 2004, he had another project. It was the renovation of the student campus of Tulane University. 2005 came and they were right in the middle of the project when Katrina swept over the US. Nonetheless, they completed it in 2006 and was awarded LEED Silver certification at this building. Inspiring Mentors and Partners Daniel sends his thanks to his mentors. Some of which he never got to meet in person, like Frank Lloyd Wright. He also learned a lot from his partners in the field. Among them are Allen Eskew and Ray Manning, with whom he had the privilege of completing great projects, namely, the IMAX Theater Aquarium, some of Xavier University, and an art village. To hear more of Daniel's sustainability success story, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Daniel Dreher: 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!

Leslie Montgomery, Education Director at Green Building Alliance (GBA), joins Charlie Cichetti in this episode. Residing in Pittsburgh, she helps host events in the region to promote high-performance green buildings. Leslie is also an educator who shares the same love for teaching and sustainability as Charlie. "I am sort of one of those green building nerds who's so much in awe of the people who innovated this industry and championed sustainability and green building." - Leslie Montgomery Leslie Montgomery - A Child of Nature Leslie lived in Baltimore, Maryland until college when she went to Winthrop University in South Carolina. A few years after getting her communications degree, she went on to get her master's degree in sustainable systems at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. While she didn't formalize sustainability as a career path until graduate school, Leslie admits that her love for the natural environment bloomed at an early age. Growing up, her mother would take the family to trips to undeveloped places. Her grandfather was also a huge nature lover who hugged trees in the backyard, a habit that Leslie emulated. Shifting Interests During her undergraduate years, Leslie's interest was in non-profit work. She did all her internships at non-profit organizations and landed a job in the same line upon graduation. It was around that time when she was first exposed to green building. Upon her move to Pittsburgh in 2007, her interest in green building peaked. She wanted a career change, but she knew that no one would hire her unless her credentials bore 'sustainability' in them. She took a shot at going after what she wanted and went through workshops on green remodeling to find out if it was for her, and it was. "I loved it and it felt like I was with my people. I was exploring what I wanted to do." - Leslie Montgomery The Definitive Move She went back to school and took up her master's. She didn't have any design and construction background, but she was able to get into a program that let her discover everything that has to do with green building. Eventually, she got involved with Green Building Alliance through a professor, marking the turning point of her career. To hear more of Leslie's journey with GBA, her geek-level love for sustainability and teaching green building, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Leslie Montgomery: LinkedIn Green Building Alliance 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!

In this episode, Charlie Cichetti talks about LEED and WELL history and statistics. Along with a bit of storytelling, he discusses the latest numbers, trends, and LEED professional exams. By listening in, he hopes you can take the next step towards becoming part of the LEED movement. "Maybe you have a colleague or a friend… or a student you know needs a little nudge to finally go ahead, study, take the exam, pass it, and advance their career." - Charlie Cichetti LEED AP Exam: A History There's been about eighteen years' worth of LEED projects, but the first LEED Accreditation Professional Exam first came out a year later, in 2001. The exam wasn't updated until June 2009, the last time anyone could take it LEED NCv2.2's exam. Three tiers to the exams rolled around one after another, more advanced, specific, and challenging. Updated LEED AP Exam LEED Green Associate (GA), Tier 1 of the new version of LEED exam, came out that summer. Everyone starts with this hundred-question exam, but not everyone opts to take the other tiers. Following the GA exam, Tier 2: Specialty was launched. People taking this exam get to be accredited in their desired fields of specialization. Tier 2 can be taken on the same day as the GA exam, provided that they pass it first. Sometime later, Tier 3: LEED Fellow also came out but is for 10+ year industry leaders and is not exam-based. Statistics of LEED This April 2018, USGBC updated their interactive overview of the number of holders of LEED credentials. LEED Professionals have risen in number for the past eighteen years. Worldwide, they are now about 202,000 in total. While this number may look huge, you must keep in mind that this is almost two decades' worth of exams passeed. There's no need to worry about how this can potentially hinder your career growth with a lot of competition because these credentials will stay with you as an individual. All it takes is a different perspective to see the benefits of taking this exam. "These LEED Professional credentials really are gonna help you in your career, make your company more competitive for that next bid, help you ask better questions." - Charlie Cichetti To hear more firsthand information regarding the LEED and WELL credentials, statistics, and trends, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about LEED and WELL: History and Statistics: LEED Professional Exams USGBC LEED Professionals at a Glance WELL Certification 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!

LEED and WELL AP Lauren Wallace has been the Certifications Department Manager at Epsten Group since 2010. Her team has tremendous experience with Architecture (including Zoo Projects), LEED Consulting, Third-Party LEED Reviews, Commissioning, and more. Not just LEED, she is out in front with SITES, TRUE, and more rating systems/certifications. Today, she shares the story of her architectural journey as well as her love for a community running on sustainability, with our host, Charlie Cichetti. Lauren Wallace - A Series of Changes Originally from Long Beach, California, Lauren grew up mostly in San Diego. Over 25 years ago, though, she transferred to Atlanta, where has spent most of her life. Lauren lives intown and walks to Epsten's LEED Platinum HQ. She had a passion for the medical field back in high school. Lauren had biology-based classes, trained to get certified as a lifeguard, and even volunteered for the hospital. Lauren knew she was going to become a radiologist, but a drafting course in her last semester of high school changed it all. Meant for Architecture Taking a drafting course for additional credits opened Lauren to her creative side. Designing, which has always been in her blood thanks to her father's genes, became something that she embraced. "When it's science and math, there's always an answer. And doing something in the design field tickled my brain in different ways because you're never done." - Lauren Wallace While she signed up for both medicine and architecture, her letter of acceptance at Georgia Tech was all that she needed to know that she was meant to design. An After-College Sustainability Mindset Lauren spent a lot of her college years in studios. At these studios, there were a lot of people who influenced her to explore sustainability, the community, and built environment, but she didn't get heavily into sustainability until after college. By the dawn of LEED rating systems, she'd gotten her degree in architecture. It all began from there. "I think there were some projects that kind of pushed those buttons, but there was not a lot of connection from the studio to the real world. And about that time, it was the birth of the LEED rating system... I think I'm not surprised that as soon as I graduated is kind of when I started to explore some more of that." - Lauren Wallace To hear more about Lauren's story and her passion for the environment and sustainable communities, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Lauren Wallace: Connect with her on LinkedIn Epsten Group Profile Serenbe - Sustainable Community 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!

Fernando Arias is the Director of Sustainability at Clark Construction Group. The firm has been named as one of the greenest contractors in the US, with a tremendous amount of completed LEED projects. In today's episode, Fernando shares with Charlie Cichetti the story of his colorful childhood that helped shape the sustainability-minded professional that he is now. A Child of Nature Colombia-born, Fernando was surrounded by the fertile land of the City of Eternal Spring. Coffee plantations, flower farms, and a variety of butterflies are among his earliest childhood memories prior to his family's big move to New York. "I've always been immersed and impressed by the abundance of natural and urban ecologies and I learned to respect the natural environment very much." - Fernando Arias His first interests involved tinkering with toys and their machineries, eventually leading him to become part of the military as a tech mechanic, but his career track was never a linear path. Over time, he switched gears. The Greatest Influencer It was when he moved to San Francisco that he met the person who enabled him to change paths. With his talent in collage and 3D art, Fernando was steered into thinking about taking up architecture classes. Fernando's interest in the physics of buildings grew into a fascination with how forces and nature affect the form of buildings. He went abroad and got more immersed in the landscape environment. Integrating Nature in Design A few years down the road, he furthered his studies at Columbia University. Fernando came to a deeper understanding of how various factors come into play to meet the green standards of the built environment. "Thinking about urban systems was not just merely about ways to transportation or energy. It was also about public health and economic drivers in cities and how all of these things work together to prepare cities for challenges." - Fernando Arias To hear more about Fernando's many realizations and the evolution of his career as a LEED specialist, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Fernand Arias: Connect with him on LinkedIn Follow him on Twitter 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!

Michael Bean, Jr., LEED AP O+M, has always been environmentally aware. His passion for engineering and architecture has opened a lot of doors that advanced his career. Combined with his inherent concern for sustainability, he has managed to affect more people to become fellow stewards of the LEED movement. From HVAC to Property Management Michael worked his way up to where he stands now. He started out as a building mechanic during his early career. He eventually got into a hospital where he was exposed to a wealth of knowledge on building systems. He eventually jumped over to property management involving smaller units, until such time that he was given the opportunity to take on properties with a cumulative area of 200,000 sq. ft. The experience of managing separate buildings joined together was as enriching as it could get. Two Degrees Stronger When he took up the 200K sq. ft. project, Michael was juggling his school work and career. During that time, he was on his way to earning his degree in architectural construction engineering. While it was a challenge, he found it quite valuable. "I was able to leave school and then the next day apply what I've learned, which helped me immensely." - Michael Bean, Jr. An Upgraded Sustainable Mindset Michael has always been an active campaigner for the environment, involved in his community's efforts to mitigate environmental degradation. "I've always been in the awareness level, but sometimes these issues morph into bigger problems." - Michael Bean, Jr. What really sparked sustainability within him is his curiosity for energy engineering. To hear more about Michael's story as a facilities manager, champion for energy conservation, and LEED advocate, download and listen to the episode! Learn more about Michael Bean, Jr.: Connect with him on LinkedIn USGBC Profile 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 Don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on iTunes if you truly enjoyed the show. 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!