Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

We recently sat down with Ashley Owens and Jamie Schwadel of [RE] Architect, an Ayers, Massachusetts-based design/build firm, to discuss their work, running their business, and their participation in NESEA's new BuildingEnergy Access program. Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/gVy5EtvK Learn more about [RE] Architect: https://lnkd.in/grGpKPAf Learn more about BuildingEnergy Access: https://lnkd.in/eBkXi9J8

Join us for a summer Pro Tour of a recently-completed Living Building Challenge project, situated on an 85-acre nature preserve in southeastern Massachusetts. The new 1500 square-foot building will serve as the welcome center for the Lloyd Center for the Environment, providing conservation, recreation, and environmental education for the community in and around South Dartmouth. The welcome center was built in pursuit of Living Building Challenge (LBC), a stringent certification that will result in a building where all materials have been vetted to be “red-list chemical free,” and net positive for energy, water, and waste. Something that sets this particular building apart is the story of collaboration between the owners, project team, and the local vocational school: the project was largely completed by students who were applying the trades they were learning in school directly to this real-world project to benefit their community: more than 1200 students have contributed to this project in some way. The Pro Tour will not only feature building details, but will tell the story of this partnership from the perspective of representatives from the school. While the new LBC building will be the highlight of the Pro Tour, this event will also include the chance for attendees to learn about a retrofit of an existing campus building, within the larger context of the nature center’s sustainability plan. The event will open with a presentation from our hosts, will include small group time with various members of the project team as we move through the site, and will conclude with a reception and time for questions. We hope you will join us! Event Date: Friday, June 21, 2024 Time: 12:30pm-5pm Location: South Dartmouth, MA 02748 CEU Information: AIA (pending) Cost: $25 Members/$35 Non-Members Learn more and register: https://nesea.org/06-21-24

We just wrapped up a very special celebration...commemorating a decade of Bottom Lines! We spent two days together at the historic Omni Mount Washington in New Hampshire's White Mountains. The inspiring location was the perfect backdrop for reflection on our shared achievements. We had fun and fostered deeper connections, while exploring what’s next for our companies and community. To learn more about NESEA's Bottom Lines program, visit here: https://lnkd.in/eNFTKQZe Note: This event was only open to current participants in NESEA's Bottom Lines program.

Next week, on June 7, NESEA is offering a tour of a new passive house rental community that is currently under construction in Storrs, CT. This is a chance for attendees to go behind-the-scenes with the project team, to learn about the work being done, and to see the project before it’s finished. The event will start with a presentation led by our event host, NESEA Business Member Steven Winters Associates, Inc. and other members of the project team. During this presentation they’ll dive into the property background and the goals and vision for the new project. After the project overview, attendees will break into small groups to tour the project with additional members of the project team, who will each speak to their own role in the overall project. Topics covered will include: team coordination, from pre-design to construction administration to certification; design decisions and strategies; mechanical systems used in this project; and benefits of a certified Passive House building for the user, developer/owner, and the environment. The team will compare the differences between code compliant buildings and Passive House Certified-buildings and explain the building assemblies and components required to meet the stringent requirements of Passive House for certification. We hope you will join us! Event Date: Friday, June 7, 2024 Time: 12:30pm-5pm Location: Storrs, CT 06268 CEU Information: AIA (pending), Phius (4 CEUs) Cost: $25 Members/$35 Non-Member Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/e77yvT4z

This Friday, May 17, join NESEA in Allentown, PA for a Pro Tour of the world’s first 'Core Living Building' Certified project! On May 17, attendees of this Allentown, PA, event will have the opportunity to meet members of the project team as they lead the tour of this newly-constructed 21,000 sf building on the Muhlenberg College Campus. This project, which was also designed and built for PHIUS certification and is LEED Platinum certified, offers extensive learning opportunities. Architect and sustainability consultant Re:Vision Architecture designed the project using Passive House principles of continuous/optimized insulation, reduced thermal bridging, high performing windows and doors, and high performing HVAC systems. The building was also planned and designed around two critical sustainability principles: “long-life loose-fit” (so it can be adapted over time) and biophilic design, including bird-safe window glazing, a half hectare of carbon-sequestering meadow restoration, and rainwater harvesting. We hope you will join us! Date: May 17, 2024 Time: 1pm-5pm Location: Allentown, PA Read more and register: https://nesea.org/05-17-24

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Debra Shepard, owner of Riverstone Sustainability, for a conversation about her experience as a business owner and her participation in NESEA's new BuildingEnergy Access program. Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/eydkpdcd Learn more about the BuildingEnergy Access program here: https://lnkd.in/ekcfTaCJ Learn more about Riverstone Sustainability: https://lnkd.in/esYgir4u

Share your vision for BuildingEnergy Boston 2025! BuildingEnergy Boston is designed by and for practitioners (like you) in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Next year's conference will be held in March 2025, and you have an opportunity to share your vision and help to shape the event by attending an Open Planning Meeting on June 25. This meeting is free and open to all — NESEA Membership is not required to attend. Event Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2024 Time: 3:00pm-4:30pm Location: online Cost: free Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/eSvvwjDk

We have compiled a gallery of photos from last Friday's sold out Pro Tour of a high performance home on Peaks Island, Maine. Our thanks go out the sponsors, hosts, and attendees who made this event so successful and memorable! Tour gallery: https://lnkd.in/ewpNpA_c Our next Pro Tour will be taking place on 5/17 in Allentown, MA and registration is now open: https://nesea.org/05-17-24

NESEA Community Meet-Up for Inclusion & Equity Several NESEA Board of Directors will be hosting an in-person meet-up for underrepresented people to help inform NESEA's next steps related to our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) work. Come join us as we continue to build a sense of community and help to lay the foundation for our refreshed roadmap of initiatives that will aim to help guide NESEA and influence our industry for years to come! Refreshments provided. This event takes place in the Financial District in Manhattan; the exact address will be in the registration confirmation email. For more information about attending, please email NESEA Board Member Andrea Mancino at inclusion@nesea.org. Event Date: Thursday, May 9, 2024 Time: 4pm-5:30pm Location: Financial District, Manhattan, NY Cost: free Register and learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ev8MSU3a

Join NESEA for a Pro Tour of the world’s first 'Core Living Building' Certified project! On May 17, attendees of this Allentown, PA, event will have the opportunity to meet members of the project team as they lead the tour of this newly-constructed 21,000 sf building on the Muhlenberg College Campus. This project, which was also designed and built for PHIUS certification and is LEED Platinum certified, offers extensive learning opportunities. Our event will start with a presentation from the design team, detailing the project’s history, design and building strategies, the considerations and process of meeting PHIUS, LEED, and Core Living Building Certification requirements, and the project’s connection to the campus’s broader sustainability goals. After the opening presentation, attendees will break into small groups to tour the building with members of the interdisciplinary project team, who will each speak about their work on the building. The event will conclude with a Q&A and reception. Architect and sustainability consultant Re:Vision Architecture designed the project using Passive House principles of continuous/optimized insulation, reduced thermal bridging, high performing windows and doors, and high performing HVAC systems. The building was also planned and designed around two critical sustainability principles: “long-life loose-fit” (so it can be adapted over time) and biophilic design, including bird-safe window glazing, a half hectare of carbon-sequestering meadow restoration, and rainwater harvesting. We hope you will join us! Date: May 17, 2024 Time: 1pm-5pm Location: Allentown, PA Read more and register: https://nesea.org/05-17-24