USGBC Massachusetts Chapter: West Branch - Summer Social 2014

By Mark Dunn, Chair, USGBC MA West Branch

Friday, August 8th, approximately two dozen members of the USGBC MA West Branch (and friends & family) attended the second annual Summer Social BBQ at the home of former West Branch Chair, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gilham, in North Amherst.

We convened our monthly organizational meeting during the social event. Topics included:

• Organizing for the Green Apple Day of Service
• Enhancing communications and using social media
• Exploring the webinar, study group and GBCI credit-reporting situations
• Update on the Common School
• Update on USGBC National's re-organization of the Chapters & membership process

It was a great gathering had by all. Especially enjoyable was meeting people new to the group, through the Western MA Green Consortium. We all look forward to further collaboration among members of our green building community in Western Massachusetts.

Happy Rest-of-Summer, Everyone!

Leading Edge Green Partnership Program = donations for USGBC Massachusetts

New Program Gives Back to Non-Profits Whose Missions Include Sustainability and Green Buildings

Natick, MA (July 31, 2014) – RE/MAX of New England is pleased to announce that Boston-based RE/MAX Leading Edge has unveiled the Leading Edge Green Partnership Program (LEGPP). The program is designed to reward non-profits that support green building and sustainability in Massachusetts, as well as to promote market transformation towards healthier and more energy-efficient buildings in the Commonwealth. 

Craig Foley (Green Partnership Program), Travis Estes (Next Step Living), and Grey Lee (USGBC MA)

The pilot transaction featured an employee from Next Step Living, New England’s leading provider of home energy solutions, who purchased a home with the help of National Association of REALTORS® Green Designee, Craig Foley, of RE/MAX Leading Edge. The transaction closed at the end of May and resulted in a check for 5% of the gross commission to the Massachusetts Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC is a registered 501(c)(3) and a champion of green building.

“We really appreciate this kind of support for our mission to facilitate more green buildings and market transformation,” said Grey Lee, Executive Director of the MA Chapter of the USGBC. “The green partnership program that RE/MAX Leading Edge has created underlines their commitment to the green marketplace.

The program refers real estate buyers and sellers to Massachusetts real estate agents that have achieved the National Association of REALTORS® Green Designation. More information about the designation can be found via the Green Resource Council website. 

“RE/MAX Leading Edge has emerged as a frontrunner in the green housing market,” said Dan Breault, Executive Vice President and Regional Director of RE/MAX of New England. “This partnership with Next Step Living is a great step toward creating a more sustainable building environment in Massachusetts.”

“We are excited to have developed our first substantial collaboration by partnering with Next Step Living. It’s the perfect match to initiate the program,” said Paul Mydelski, broker-owner of RE/MAX Leading Edge. “Being able to give back to the USGBC, a non-profit committed to green building and market transformation, is a perfect mix of players.” 

“Next Step Living is pleased to have this outstanding new partnership with RE/MAX Leading Edge,” said Gabe Shapiro, vice president of outreach programs at Next Step Living. “We have a shared goal to help people live more sustainably and are proud to work with such a leader in promoting green homes.” 

Mission aligned companies and non-profits that would like to participate and support market transformation with NAR Green Designated agents throughout the state should contact Craig Foley, the Chief of Energy Solutions for RE/MAX Leading Edge, at leadingedgegreen@gmail.com for more information about the LEGPP. NAR Green Designated agents are encouraged to contact Craig about the program; affiliation with RE/MAX is not required.

About RE/MAX of New England and RE/MAX Integra

Since its inception in 1985, RE/MAX of New England has grown to over 200 offices and 2,700 sales associates throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, providing franchised residential and commercial real estate services to its franchisees and their real estate professionals. 

About Next Step Living

Next Step Living, No. 84 on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing companies in the country, is the leading provider of whole-home energy solutions in New England. Headquartered in Boston’s Innovation District, Next Step Living makes it easy and affordable for people to live in homes with a low environmental impact. For information about buying and selling energy-efficient homes, download a complimentary ebook.

About U.S. Green Building Council, MA Chapter

The mission of the Chapter is to promote the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings and communities in Massachusetts through education, collaboration, and advocacy, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

About the National Association of REALTORS® Green Designation

NAR's Green Designation is the only National Association of REALTORS® conferred real estate designation designed for agents engaged in issues of energy efficiency and sustainability in the various facets of real estate.

The Weekly Bulletin to 8/8/14

New office, new views:

The Chapter hasn't missed a beat. We are moving full steam ahead with vigorous programming for the rest of the year. We just had our August Board Meeting and discussed our upcoming website renovation - we have just selected a contractor and have a design charette in two weeks. We also talked about strategic priorities going into 2015 and how to engage on two or three major efforts to build out our capacity to reach our vision. What would you say to focus on? 

We also went through our budget and talked about events, fundraising and membership. 

Of course the big event is the Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase 2014 on September 30, 2014 at Genzyme.

All project parties are welcome to present a mounted poster of their LEED-Certified building(s) as a "Project Board Sponsor." There are many categories of sponsorship resulting in advertising, video, and live presenting opportunities at the event. Look at the opportunities on our Showcase Sponsorship page. 

Next week, we have a workshop on 8/14/14 in Boston: The NET ZERO Imperative with the architect Eric Corey Freed.

Also next week, on Monday, the Residential Green Building Committee will gather to discuss green residential financing programs.

The Membership Committee is meeting on Tuesday evening.

Both of these meetings are in Boston.

One last thing to keep on the calendar is the EPMA Summer Bike Tour - on Saturday August 23rd. We'll be biking from Central Sq, Cambridge, over to the Fenway all the way to the Arboretum. See you there!

 From our new office, we can see one of the biggest green buildings in Boston - One Beacon Place. They were also winners of our Green Building of the Year award this year. 

Below: getting together with the Living Building Challenge Collaborative. We were hosted at Next Phase Studios in Back Bay, planning a presentation for October.

Nitsch Engineering Ranked #2 Best Civil Engineering Firm to Work For

Congratulations Nitsch Engineering and USGBC MA Chapter Sponsor for being named a great place to work!

For the sixth time, Nitsch Engineering, Inc. – a Boston-based civil engineering, land surveying, transportation engineering, sustainable site consulting, planning, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) firm – has been recognized as one of the Best Firms to Work For in the United States by ZweigWhite. Nitsch Engineering was ranked #2 in the ranking of civil engineering firms, and #4 in the A/E industry overall.

“We are particularly proud of this award because the ranking weighs employee feedback more heavily than corporate information – which shows us that we’ve been successful in building a company where our employees feel respected, have challenging and exciting work, and are happy with the direction the firm has taken,” said Lisa A. Brothers, PE, LEED AP, President and CEO of Nitsch Engineering. “Nitsch Engineering is dedicated to continuing to listen to our employees and to provide them with the work/life balance and professional growth opportunities that directly address their needs. We look forward to continuing to improve our workplace as we grow in the future – and to hopefully being ranked #1 soon!”  

The Best Firms to Work For list is one of the most meaningful rankings in the industry. The annual competition includes a corporate survey which accounts for 25% of the total score, and an employee satisfaction survey that accounts for 75% of the total score. Grading criteria include corporate culture, benefits, compensation, professional development, performance/recognition, and recruiting/retention. All of this year’s winners can be seen on ZweigWhite’s website at http://www.zweigwhite.com/awards/best-firms-to-work-for/index.php.  

  

About Nitsch Engineering

Nitsch Engineering (www.nitscheng.com) specializes in providing civil engineering, land surveying, transportation engineering, sustainable site consulting, planning, and GIS services. Since 1989, the company has worked with developers, corporate and institutional owners, public agencies, and design professionals on major private development and public infrastructure projects in 18 states and five countries. Nitsch Engineering is the largest Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) civil engineering firm in Massachusetts, and is also certified as a WBE by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.