Beyond Energy*
Balancing Historic Preservation and Energy Performance
Historic New England’s approach to weatherization emphasizes preservation over intervention. But as shown by the energy retrofit that achieved an over 60% reduction in energy usage at the Lyman House, a National Historic Landmark, energy performance and preservation can co-exist. This session will discuss HNE’s preservation philosophy and how it guides the organization’s energy conservation projects. We will share an energy usage analysis of all 36 HNE properties and discuss how that information is used to prioritize actions.
Greenest Schools: LEED v4 For Schools
LEED v4 For Schools is the mandated rating system for new school projects in Massachusetts, according to the MSBA. Is your firm up-to-date on the new LEED? This course will enable your teammates to have confidence in approaching school projects in Massachusetts. You will learn the essential differences related to prerequisites and the new credits that are changing the game for green buildings. Come learn with experienced implementers of LEED projects in academic settings. This is a must-attend program for all practitioners in the academic realm. Sponsored by the USGBC MA Chapter.
Responding to the Buckminster Fuller Challenge
The Buckminster Fuller Challenge invites today’s practitioners to answer his call "to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.” What would Bucky do? Buckminster Fuller’s legacy is alive.
Renewable Energy Powering Local Self-Reliance: Case Studies from Germany
Over 150 villages in Germany produce all of the electricity and most of the heat they consume. In these so-called "bioenergy villages," renewable energy systems are driving economic growth. This session will provide an overview of the growing movement in Germany toward communally-developed and owned energy systems, focusing particularly on two villages in northern Germany. The development process for these villages will be explored, as will the factors contributing to their success.
Reinventing the Water Grid Part II: Nutrient Recycling and Other Opportunities for Fun & Profit
Session two will dig deeper into two solutions – both fresher paths forward than the expensive model of centralized-systems solutions. First is a look into cities such as Atlanta, where the cost of water and wastewater have soared but the system and the treatment technologies are working. Second is the promising practice of source-separating urine for fertilizer production—a pilot in Falmouth, MA is demonstrating cost-effective alternative to building a new treatment plant.
Reinventing the Water Grid Part I: Science, Behavior & Dollars
This session is in two parts.Water is scarcer. Systems for both fresh and waste water are vulnerable. Water standards are increasingly stringent to protect ecosystems and public health. Since water and energy are so inextricably intertwined, the term, “water grid" provides a unique frame for exploring how to operate a more closed-loop system of water production and use. As architects, engineers, builders and municipal planners, what will we have to rethink and re-do about processing fresh and waste water in developing the next generation of the built environment?
Getting to 2030: Frameworks & Roadmaps to help you achieve portfolio-wide performance improvements
Being a truly green firm is about more than just being “able” to deliver LEED projects. It's about aligning overall company vision, management, operations and project delivery with the demands of integrative design and collaborative relationships – and measuring company performance improvements as a result. Whether your firm delivers LEED on every project – or not, you can develop the internal systems, processes and protocols to ensure a higher level of performance across the board.
The Arrival of LEED v4: Everything you Need to Know to Succeed
LEED v4 is here - you can register your projects in the latest innovative rating system brought to you by the USGBC. How do you define all those new acronyms? How much will performance matter? How much will LCA and health issues matter? How can you and your team navigate the credits to find the optimal path through to a successful LEED v4 project? Come hear from seasoned LEED veterans as they present an all-new deck and an all-new script to get you up to speed and ahead of the competition. Sponsored by the USGBC Massachusetts Branch.
Tangible Change: Materials and the Living Building Challenge
The Living Building Challenge Materials Petal is intended to induce a successful materials economy that is non-toxic, transparent and socially equitable. In this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of how to meet the material-related Imperatives of the Living Building Challenge: I-10 Red List, I-11 Embodied Carbon Footprint, I-12 Responsible Industry, I-13 Living Economy Sourcing, and I-14 Net Positive Waste as well as introduce and explain the Declare Program.
Net Positive Energy: Power and the Living Building Challenge
The Living Building Challenge Energy Petal is intended to signal a new age of design, wherein the built environment relies solely on renewable forms of energy and operates year round in a pollution-free manner. In this in-depth review of the Energy Petal, participants will gain an understanding of how to create Net Zero Energy buildings. This interactive session will present detailed case studies of several Net Zero Energy certified buildings - identifying the design and operational challenges these projects had to overcome to meet their Net Zero Energy goals.