Thursday, November 15, 2012

Member Profile: Jennifer Taranto


Key Details:
Certified LEED AP ID+C, BD+C
Director of Sustainability at StructureTone, Inc. 

Market sector: Construction or Trades
 

Contact information:
jennifer.taranto@structuretone.com
Phone: 617.348.2800
Twitter: @BeantownGurl
We recently sat down with Jenn Taranto, board member and founding chapter member, to discover who she is and why she's is a part of the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC.

When did you first become interested in sustainability?
I remember charging my parents money for not turning off the lights from a very young age . We kept a jar in the house that everyone had to put a quarter into if they forgot. When I went off to college I thought I wanted to be an environmental engineer, but it turned out chemistry wasn't my thing, instead I turned to the familiar - my father was always involved in home improvements and built furniture on the side. At the same time I was reading about USGBC and what they were doing so going into construction engineering seemed like a natural fit.  

How are you an environmental steward? 
In my personal life, we are a small footprint family. We don't own a car and live in a condo in a dense urban environment. We try to eat organically as much as possible and, while we aren't vegetarians, we don't eat meat Monday through Friday.   Professionally I strive to constantly improve our construction waste management process, especially with all the interior fit-ups Structure Tone does. We will have thousands of yards of carpet and hundreds of wood doors when we go into demolition. I look to repurpose as much as possible at other locations even before considering the recycling options. 

Why are you a member of the chapter? For me, being a member of the chapter is a great meld of professional and personal environmental stewardship. Not only does it give me the chance to be with like-minded people, but it provides me with volunteer opportunities to make change, both locally or at the state level. It's important to me to be able to give back to the community and work to environmentally improve our state.

 If I wanted to find you on a Saturday afternoon, where would you be? During football season I can be found with my fellow North Carolina State University alumni watching the game at the local bar. Go Wolfpack!

 We are looking to highlight our diverse and talented members. If you would like to be a future member profie, use the Contact Us form. 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

In San Francisco for Greenbuild 2012

Many of us are here for Chapter Day, and several will be arriving over the course of the next few hours. Everyone is getting pumped up. Be sure to keep in touch over Twitter using hashtag #usgbcma with #greenbuild so we can share with each other and those back home.

Not sure what sessions to go to? Check out our post from last week showcasing MA members giving presentations. Go and support them.

See you at the convention!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Are you going to be around for ABX2012?

Next week is Boston's annual construction industry conference, ArchitectureBoston Expo (formerly BuildBoston) and it seems like there are going to be a whole slew of us USGBCMAers there. Even if you weren't planning on attending the full conference, there will be events of special interest to us. Question is, what are they and how do we find each other?

On Wednesday night in nearby Downtown Crossing is the Fall 2012 collaborative Young Professional Networking Event, which the EPMA are sponsors of. Go to http://ypnefall12.eventbrite.com/ for all the details.

On Thursday night there are two special events. One is Meet Massachusetts from 6pm-10pm, which the Chapter is a sponsor of. Even if you aren't going to the conference, you can still attend by calling 508.743.5864 and requesting to register for the Meet Massachusetts event for only $10. You can also get a free pass to the exhibit hall if you ask nicely! The other event, unfortunately at the same time (but we know you like to hop between parties), is the MA CHPS 10th Anniversary Celebration. Many of your colleagues will be honored for their efforts to make Massachusetts Public Schools the greenest they can be. Congratulate them enthusiastically.

During the conference we have several members presenting. If you still aren't sure what sessions to attend, see our post yesterday highlighting those people and the sessions they are running. Be sure to go up afterwards to introduce yourself as a fellow member.

Lastly, use the power of social media! If you have a Twitter account, use the hash tag #usgbcma to tell us what you are up to and follow your fellow member attendees. Look for (and instigate) impromptu meetups!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Members Presenting at November 2012 Conferences

Every year, the ArchitectureBoston Expo/ABX (formerly Build Boston) and Greenbuild are held in November. Every other year, they unfortunately happen on the same week. This is one of those years. Luckily, we can celebrate USGBC MA Members presenting at both!


ArchitectureBoston Expo
Ben Davveny
Andrea Love
Michael Schofield
Carolyn Sarno

Greenbuild
Meredith Elbaum
Chris Schaffner
Norris Strawbridge

Congratulations and break a leg, folks. Details after the jump.