🌍 The Green Impact Report Quick take: In this episode, Federico Steinvorth, a newly inducted LEED Fellow from Costa Rica, shares how he's championing sustainable building practices across Central America through early project integration, renewable energy, and a strong focus on community engagement. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Federico Steinvorth is an engineer, marathon runner, and co-founder of a regional sustainability consulting firm based in Costa Rica. With a background in mechanical and electrical engineering and a master's in construction management from Michigan State University, Federico has been leading sustainability initiatives across Latin America for over 15 years. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Federico revolutionizes traditional construction approaches: 🎯 Key Insight #1: Early integration of sustainability consultants leads to better design outcomes The Challenge: Consultants often brought in late in the design process. The Solution: Engaging early to guide KPIs and sustainable design strategies. ROI: Avoided costly redesigns, better project alignment with corporate sustainability goals. 🎯 Key Insight #2: Leveraging Costa Rica's 99% renewable energy grid for electrification The Challenge: High energy consumption in industrial and manufacturing projects. The Solution: Aligning electrification and decarbonization efforts with a clean national grid. ROI: Reduced carbon footprint, cost-effective clean energy adoption. 🎯 Key Insight #3: Partnering with communities to define sustainable success The Challenge: Sustainability frameworks don't always capture local community needs. The Solution: Engaging community teams to integrate social priorities into projects. ROI: Higher impact, long-term community alignment, enhanced project acceptance. 🎧 Sustainable Soundbite "Being named a LEED Fellow isn't just an honor—it's a responsibility to push our limits, lead by example, and elevate the sustainability movement across our region." — Federico Steinvorth ✅ Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Reach out to community stakeholders to understand project impact beyond the site. This Quarter: Evaluate your region's energy grid for decarbonization opportunities. This Year: Commit to early-phase sustainability integration on every project. 📲 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources here 🗒 Read the transcript here 🔗 Connect with Federico Steinvorth: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/federico-steinvorth Website: http://www.spherasostenible.com/ 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe 💌 Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe to our FREE newsletter here: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

🌍 The Green Impact Report Quick take: From authentic storytelling to biophilic design and grassroots sustainability, Giuli Ann Schacht shows how creative thinking and a deep respect for nature can transform communities like High Point, NC — and how you can do the same. 👋 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Giuli Ann Schacht is a passionate creator, businesswoman, and advocate for biophilic design. With a background in brand storytelling, fresh food entrepreneurship, and green real estate development, she's now bringing it all together to inspire greener communities through film, design, and sustainable living. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Giuli shares how she's reimagining how we live, build, and connect — with a strong foundation in biophilia and community-driven sustainability. 📌 Key Insight #1: Redefining Real Estate in High Point The Challenge: Vacant buildings and underutilized space in a small North Carolina city. The Solution: Biophilic design + creative placemaking = vibrant living and production spaces. ROI: A thriving neighborhood hub where architecture, nature, and people connect, plus local job creation and property value growth. 📌 Key Insight #2: Biophilic Design Is a Lifestyle, Not a Trend The Challenge: Urban living often strips away our connection to nature. The Solution: Water features, cedar wood, filtered water systems, and intentional landscaping — even on a tiny lot. ROI: Better health outcomes, increased joy, and higher productivity — backed by neuroaesthetic science. 📌 Key Insight #3: Storytelling as a Green Industry Tool The Challenge: Green building messages don't always resonate with everyday people. The Solution: Use storytelling and media to inspire change and elevate local makers. ROI: Increased visibility, community pride, and new pathways for sustainable industry. 💬 Sustainable Soundbite "You don't have to redo everything to start changing your life. Just start small. Do it really." – Giuli Ann Schacht 🛠 Your Green Building Action Plan 1. This Week: Add a biophilic element to your home — start with a plant, water feature, or filtered drinking water. 2. This Quarter: Look for ways to reuse and repurpose materials in your next project. 3. This Year: Invest in community-based sustainability — whether it's real estate, education, or mentorship. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources here 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe 🗒 Read the transcript here 🔗 Connect with Giuli Ann Schacht: LinkedIn, Website Museum piece- vimeo Daytona 500 Flash Mob- youtube https://www.gonaturalliving.com/ https://www.gonatural.live/pov Alexandra Dummit- https://thesageplant.com/ 📬 Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

🎯 The Green Impact Report Quick take: This week's episode goes beyond bricks and beams. Brian Sheng, co-founder and CEO of Aquaria, is tackling one of the planet's most overlooked sustainability challenges: water. His team is building clean water infrastructure by literally harvesting water from air — a breakthrough that could redefine how communities access one of life's most critical resources. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Brian Sheng is the co-founder and CEO of Aquaria, a company pioneering atmospheric water generation at scale. A first-generation American who grew up in New York, Brian studied at Princeton before building a career as both an entrepreneur and investor in future-focused technologies. After leading Fresh, an early-stage venture firm that backed AI, climate, and government tech, Brian shifted to operating in climate innovation. At Aquaria, he's on a mission to make reliable, abundant, and sustainable water accessible to communities everywhere. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Brian Sheng revolutionizes traditional thinking about water and infrastructure 🧠 Key Insight #1: Water is the overlooked frontier of sustainability. The Challenge: Infrastructure projects are stalled by insufficient access to clean water. The Solution: Aquaria generates water directly from air, creating a new and abundant supply chain. ROI: Reliable, decentralized access to clean water for homes and communities, reducing strain on existing systems. 🧠 Key Insight #2: Startups can shift how infrastructure is built. The Challenge: Water infrastructure is costly, slow, and dependent on outdated systems. The Solution: Aquaria approaches water like solar — distributed, scalable, and technology-driven. ROI: Faster deployment, more resilient communities, and the potential to scale from individual homes to entire cities. 🧠 Key Insight #3: Mission-driven innovation requires intentional culture. The Challenge: Founders often struggle to balance speed with sustainable talent growth. The Solution: Brian builds teams with intentional mentorship, complementary co-founders, and a mix of in-person and distributed collaboration. ROI: A resilient, mission-aligned company culture that scales alongside the tech. 🌏 Sustainable Soundbite "We are like solar, but for water — energy from the sun, water from the air." – Brian Sheng 📌 Your Green Building Action Plan: Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Evaluate where water access could bottleneck your building or community projects. This Quarter: Explore distributed water solutions like atmospheric generation to reduce risk. This Year: Build partnerships with innovators that scale sustainable infrastructure, not just energy, but also water. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources here 🗒 Read the transcript here 🔗 Connect with Brian Sheng: Website: https://www.aquaria.world/ Brian on: LinkedIn Brian on: Instagram Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe to our FREE newsletter here: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

Geoffrey Brock, LEED Fellow, Director of Sustainability at IPS, has more than 15 years of experience in the AEC industry with roles in both sustainability and project management. He has supported dozens of LEED and WELL projects in the life sciences, healthcare and other industries. He also oversaw project and portfolio scale collection of energy, water and waste, including research and piloting of various reduction strategies and cost-benefit analysis. To complement his work experience, he received a Master of Science, Environmental Systems Management from the Pratt Institute. As Director of Sustainability, Mr. Brock will support clients' sustainability initiatives. He focuses on implementing strategies early in design, leveraging site-specific opportunities to incorporate elements that will have the greatest lasting value, not only for the environment but for future occupants and the greater community. Geoffrey's background in project management, environmental management, and health and wellbeing positions him to maximize opportunities to create high-quality, Sustainable design & construction of resilient, efficient and healthy buildings with strong consideration for social and environmental impacts. Focus on Sustainable Urbanism, promoting Mixed-Use & Transit-Oriented Development, Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure, Reduction of Energy, Water and Waste and Environmental Management. Academic background in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Urban Studies, Environmental Management and Real Estate Development. Show Highlights Project management and scheduling/estimating will create a well-rounded experience when pursuing project manager or superintendent positions in construction, Geoff's early career. Benchmarking laws and initiatives driving the industry in the Northeast. Technology improvements with one of the most important changes needed in the industry to produce coefficient and performance at lower temperatures. Cutting edge startups that are tackling what we can do with something other than fossil fuels. Challenges companies, especially construction companies are facing to achieve their goal to be net zero or reduction by a certain year. Available technology being readily available will drive the success of green building. Something that we take for granted after being in the industry a while and tips to turn that into a win. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Smiling Hogshead Ranch Who Moved My Cheese Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2024 GBES

Asa Posner, LEED Fellow, is a green building and sustainability consultant in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area currently working as the Vice President of Sales for Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), a full-service sustainability, wellness, and ESG consulting and engineering firm. He has extensive experience in green building design/construction and operations, energy and water conservation, and building occupant comfort. Asa is a LEED Accredited Professional with specialties in BD+C and O+M, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Minnesota Chapter, and serves the Market Leadership Advisory Board (MLAB). He has worked as a green building consultant for 15 years and have helped certify over 220 LEED projects, encompassing over 60M sf LEED certified space. He regularly teaches exam prep classes for professionals looking to earn their LEED Green Associate or Accredited Professional with Specialty credentials. Nick Kassanis, LEED Fellow, PE, is the Sustainable Investment Group's President and oversees daily operations, strategic planning, global growth and the firm's vision. He directs the Climate Investment Solutions, Engineering, ESG and Sustainability consulting departments, offering services such as LEED/WELL/Fitwel consulting, Decarbonization/LCA assessments, Commissioning/RCx, Green Financing, Net Zero Proformas and GRESB/GRI/CDP reporting. As a LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C, licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Building Commissioning Professional, Nick has led and overseen over 350 LEED projects and 150 energy studies across 150M+ square feet in multiple industries. Specializing in the integrated design process, decarbonization and deep retro-commissioning investigations, he enhances energy efficiency and staff training across projects and portfolios alike. As a globally recognized public speaker, he's mentored and educated 10,000+ professionals and students. Additionally, as Co-Founder and Advisor at Aetos, he is pioneering cutting edge imaging technology to transform training and building operations in the digital age. Show Highlights Charlie interviews Nick + Asa after their recent LEED Fellow awards. Understanding how design and buildings can affect a natural environment and affect a natural ecosystem. Client engagement and the misconceptions that are still out there when it comes to LEED and a sustainable building. Recognizing your job as sustainability consultants to find the best outcome for clients and projects specific challenges. Asa shares findings from the LEED Advancement Committee on common misconceptions around LEED. Emerging technology and trends that everyone should be applying to their businesses. Current innovations to help you leverage technology to advance the efficiency of how you do things. The evolution of LEED to grow and create a renewed focus on health, wellness, and buildings being designed, built and operated to be better for the environment. The crossover and current pathways to combine environmental performance and human performance. Fundamental values and roles that keep us alive and keep us caring for our families. Get The episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Asa Posner, Linkedin Nick Kassanis, Linkedin Apply to be a LEED Fellow in 2023 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Amy Pastor, LEED Fellow, PE, CxA, ENV SP is the Vice President of Sustainability at EXP. She leads a nationwide team of commissioning and sustainability professionals who deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions for their clients in various sectors. With over 18 years of experience in the industry, she has a proven track record of managing complex projects, achieving energy savings, and certifying green buildings. Amy takes immense pride in building better, including lasting relationships with clients and quality, sustainable buildings, without surrendering the integrity of the design. She has personally worked on 210 LEED Certified projects. She is based in Sanford, Florida and has her Bachelor and Master Engineering degrees from Penn State University. She holds multiple credentials that demonstrate my expertise and commitment to sustainability, such as Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA), Professional Engineer (PE), and LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). She is also passionate about sharing her knowledge and skills with others, through public speaking, educational courses, and community involvement. Her mission is to advance the sustainability agenda and create positive impacts for the environment and society. Show Highlights Amy shares her expertise on PE commissioning Authority, and unique credentials and licenses PE, Professional Engineering License. CXA, Commissioning Authority. EMVSP, sustainable infrastructure credential. Envision Certification is a highly sought after rating system for larger projects and infrastructure system impact. Collegiate programs for an architectural engineering degree focused on the engineering side for building specifically to set you up for career success. The benefits of putting "boots on the ground" to coordinate all the disciplines from the engineering side. Sustainability at EXP's core mission, vision, and why they will always be a private company. Electrification Education, building and design challenges and how to map out pathways to electrify. The essential conversation you need to have about the grid and efficiency roles. You can't just flip the switch. Determining how each market sector, how each industry is responding to that transition to electrification. Retrofit vs new build requirements. Evaluating utility provider, space, equipment and technology needed. The biggest challenge the industry is facing. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information BuildingGreen Report EXP 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Eddy Santosa, is a LEED Fellow and a global leader in the delivery of sustainable building strategies and design, with over 24 years of experience including delivering high-performance sustainable design on over 300 building projects across the U.S. and globally. He has been recognized for his global industry leadership by the USGBC where he has been appointed as a LEED Fellow, the highest level of recognition in the global sustainability sector. Eddy provides technical leadership to a number of nationally and globally significant professional bodies, including as the leader of the AIA National Building Performance Knowledge Community, the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) US as a board director, and a voting member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) SPC 209-2018R committee. He has served on the USGBC Energy & Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group specifically related to guidelines within version 4.1 of the LEED rating system. Eddy has published many articles on the topic of energy performance, building science, and sustainability as well as spoke at many conferences on the same topics. Show Highlights Discussion on climate and nature-based design for LEED. Building science, quantitative measure,s and how you can explain sustainability using a common metric and language. Design each phase effectively early on for a meaningful whole-building design. Tips to stay ahead of the LEED requirements for clients in different cities/regions. The 3 D's that are the future of a built environment. Using digitalization to assist you to achieve the goal. Trends to help with the critical data needed for projects. "A green building career is like a good rollercoaster - you need to keep flexible, change your strategy, and learn how to strategize your career to get to the end goal. The movement is very quick. Before, a LEED consultant wasn't as popular. Now it's become overcrowded and you need to strategize how you will be different. Green building is a good career when you enjoy learning many different things." -Eddy Santosa Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Mott MacDonald 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Amy Upton, LEED Fellow, Experienced Sustainable Design Director, Project Architect, and Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture & planning industry. Focus on public architecture and K-12, recreation centers, and libraries. Skilled in BIM, Concept Design through Construction Administration. As a LEED Fellow, she has dedicated her career to designing and delivering green community architecture and highlighting systems, materials, and features that allow the buildings and site to be learning labs. She has experience in Net Zero Energy design and worked on the second and third NZE schools in the state of Maryland. Amy is committed to integrating the environmental literacy curriculum in our K-12 green schools, and keeping connections to work with students and staff on Green Apple Day of Service projects annually. Show Highlights Focusing on public architecture and community-based architecture. Embodied carbon should be embedded into the design process. Highlight standard design and anything related to sustainable design or metrics. Make sense of co-located facilities or multi-agency facilities with competing interests that need to be balanced. A lot of different ways AI is integrated into our daily business and practice. Questions to consider when incorporating and working together to move the needle on sustainability goals. Future buildings and restorative practices need to impact people's lives holistically. Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Grimm + Parker Architects The Entangled Life The Moth | Podcast 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Brittany Storm is a LEED Fellow with LEED AP specialties in BD+C and ID+C. She is also WELL AP, FItwel Ambassador, as well as USGBC and IWBI Faculty She has extensive experience in the sustainable building industry and over 15 years of experience working on projects seeking various green building certifications including LEED, the WELL Building Standard, and the Living Building Challenge. Her professional background allows her to speak to audiences about both big picture and technical aspects of a green building project. Recognized as a thought leader, Brittany has a depth and breadth of technical expertise in the areas of healthy, sustainable construction materials, green building standards and rating systems, and sustainable manufacturing. Brittany has directed numerous projects and managed the development of sustainability guidelines for a wide range of industry associations and green building standards. Brittany has consulted on more than 150 buildings with experience working with many different building types, including office buildings, tenant spaces, hotels, retail, warehouse and distribution centers, multifamily properties and public order and safety buildings. Brittany has also developed 2 LEED volume prototypes and has certified many LEED volume projects, representing over 2 million square feet and counting. In her role as a sustainable building consultant, she advocates for healthy, sustainable building materials and construction practices. As a sustainable consultant to manufacturers, Brittany influences the identification and implementation of sustainable alternatives to manufacturers' products and processes. She advocates including manufacturers as part of the project team in order to select products that best meet the project's budget, performance, aesthetic, and sustainability needs. Using her background in construction, Brittany offers a technical approach to problem solving and finding the best product(s) for each project team's sustainability goals. From advocating for healthy materials to developing critical industry content for healthy materials, she exemplifies leadership in transforming the design and construction industry. She is active on many sustainability committees including LEED's Materials and Resources (MR) Technical Advisory Group (TAG), mindful MATERIALS, and several industry trade associations. Show Highlights Manufacturer engagement needs to evolve to create a better understanding of what goes into their products, how their products impact human health and the environment. Brittany's shares how to help develop your career and the many sides of sustainability. Proactive wellness is much more than green cleaning and the air quality. Florida Green Building Coalition certification similar to LEED. A prototype to simplify and streamline the LEED certification process to address the actual volume of projects and client's needs. Shift the demands and responsibility away from architects and contractors to educate clients on decarbonization. Avoid panic mode thinking to achieve LEED certification in the initial planning stages. Design a healthy space by selecting building materials that impact wellbeing, ecosystems, environments that are diverse, equitable, and cohesive. Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Linkedin BRS Consulting The Storm of Creativity 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

TITLE: Regenerative Business Coach Monique Allen Monique Allen, is CEO and Creative Director of The Garden Continuum, a landscaping design company that brings the principles of regenerative agriculture to ornamental gardening. The central work of The Garden Continuum is to create outdoor living spaces, both public and private, that draw people out into those spaces and begin to build that reconnection with nature. Monique's approach infuses life back into systems and landscapes that have been abused by degenerative practices. Through regenerative gardening, Monique breathes new life into the soil, and through her personalized landscape business coaching she helps clients build a high-integrity business reflecting care for the entire earth community. Check out her book, Stop Landscaping, Start Lifescaping. Show Highlights The garden continuum and understanding regenerative business and the landscape movement. Jumpstart ecosystems and create an energetic loop on projects. Understanding the conundrum of care to create longevity and not just sustainable. Monique shares how to partner with mother nature on projects. Match your work with clients and people who are already invested emotionally, mentally, financially in what you do. The built environment needs to embrace creating "healthy sites" and not just regenerative spaces. Approach landscaping differently with a "codify" tool to help you stop landscaping and start life. Know the difference in a landscape as something pretty to look at, compared with "Life-Scapeing," a space you interact with nature in. "Have that triple bottom line mindset where it's: planet, people, and profits. One cannot happen without the other. It's not a question of its linearity. You roll these three aims of planet, people, and profits together. You are always looking through that triple lens to say, 'Is this project creating a betterment or is it at least somewhat neutral,' but it just can't be degrading or detrimental." -Monique Allen Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Life-Scaping Book – The Lifescape Coach The Gap and The Gain 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Michael Beckerman, is a leader in the commercial real estate technology and sustainability sectors. He entered these sectors in 2012 after a 25-year career in commercial real estate media relations, in which he started and built Beckerman Public Relations into one of the largest firms in the country before eventually selling the agency. Michael now serves as CEO of CREtech, the largest conference company devoted to technology and sustainability in the Built World. Michael also hosts the CREtech Climate Cast, a podcast series devoted to educating, inspiring, and leading the built environment to invest and adopt climate technologies and embrace sustainability. Tune in to in-depth conversations with the leading real estate and tech innovators from across the globe. Show Highlights Technology in the built environment that embraces the marketplace of the built environment. The overall umbrella and difference between PropTech vs Climate Tech vs Construction Tech. The industry has to adapt to be a customer-centric hospitality space in office spaces and residential. Fragmentation in the tech sector created gaps in infrastructure for companies. Every building is a snowflake in need of technology tools to decarbonize and create building efficiency. Focus on climate risk mitigation, in the real estate industry, but also for the homeowner/consumer. Do your due diligence on AI. It's the wild, wild, west. "Our struggles are our greatest teachers. I've learned to embrace the struggle. When I make a mistake, it's like, 'Okay, why was that given to me? What am I supposed to learn from that experience?' I think the things I wish I knew when I was younger were more about mindfulness, more about being present and letting go of the stress and the anxiety of like the future, the unknowns." -Michael Beckerman Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information CREtech Climate Podcast LinkedIn When Hollywood Had a King Man's Search for Meaning The Go-Giver Lighter Not Fade Away A Childhood 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

David Douek, LEED Fellow, is the director of OTEC, since its foundation in 2007. He has dedicated himself to building one of the leading consulting and service providers for the real estate, design, construction, properties management, energy efficiency and sustainability markets. Together with OTEC's team he has worked with companies such as: Coca Cola, P&G, GE, GM, Siemens, Deloitte, Brookfield, Hines, Cyrela, Prologis, Santander, Bndes, USP, GLP and others of the same importance, always helping them achieve their goals. His academic background is in business, architecture, engineering, real estate, data science and sustainability. In addition to this, he has gained valuable international experience which has helped me develop foreign businesses such as DesignBuilder software in Brazil. Show Highlights The main difference between the American and the Brazilian market in building design and construction procedures. The transformation of WELL and the introduction of a variety of WELL certifications and programs to adopt post pandemic. OTEC consulting firm believes that to improve the quality of the buildings, we have to understand what they represent for the market. David further shares: his company's achievements and contributions to the green building industry. how to pinpoint what the challenges are. how to help the clients increase their performance towards a concrete and a reasonable goal. why a designer, contractor, a developer, has to incorporate sustainability within the process. how to drive the market towards IGO. Why wellness is important, but should be incorporated in a much larger perspective. The balance is in understanding that technologies and finances have to work together. Tips to help whoever's interested in understanding what their ESG strategy should be regarding their facilities. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin The Fourth Turning Book 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Charlie Cichetti, CEO, LEED Fellow and WELL AP, is one of the leaders in the green building industry. He's built a career around green building services/education/and technology, and has co-founded multiple companies that hold sustainability leadership as core values. His career has evolved from a strong construction background, to real estate, to early LEED expertise, to starting his own business, to buying a business, and now to co-founding two technology companies - all in the built environment. ESG | Decarbonization | ClimateTech | EdTech | LEED Charlie is invested in the success of the green building industry. He works with people and buildings around the world to create the highest level of sustainability possible. Show Highlight Current Trends and a glimpse to the future for programs and rating systems around resiliency for the industry. The Past 10 Episodes you should check out * Episode 298: Alvis Yuen, head of ESG Real Estate for Bain Capital. * Episode 297: Silas Mahner with NextWave to help advance the world to a cleaner future. * Episode 296: Keith Fine the Principal at SLAM for an in depth conversation on innovation and AI. * Episode 295: Tucker Perkins with PERC for a conversation on Propane Education and Research Act. * Episode 294: Isela Rosales is the Managing Director, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Bridge Investment Group, a leading $50 billion investment portfolio. Charlie's Playlist of 8 episodes to check out on GBES Podcast Episode 48: Maria Perez, LEED Fellow at Gensler . Episode 37: Vivian Loftus and the amazing work she's doing at Carnegie Mellon. Episode 57: A Wild Conversation with Jason Twill. Episode 172: Drew Shula, a social entrepreneur focused on building up our green building consulting firms. Episode: Emmanuel Powells, who is a living Future hero. Episode 180: Peter Templeton, the current CEO of the US Green Building Council. Episode 224: A live podcast interview in Munich, Germany last year. Episode 287: The Founding Father of LEED Rob Watson. Inspirational Projects to check out Companies are focused on climate risk and opportunities to support the CDP framework. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information GBES Podcast Charlie's Podcast Playlist Gensler Sustainability Discussion with Maria Perez Regenerative Practitioner and Living Future Hero Emmanuel Pauwels Founding Father of LEED - Rob Watson Carnegie Mellon Professor - Vivian Loftness Urban Apostles from Australia: Jason Twill How I Built This | Charlie Cichetti & Drew Shula Talk Green Building Entrepreneurship LIVE GBM Podcast from GBCI Europe with Peter Templeton President and CEO at U.S. Green Building Council/Green Business Certification Inc. Inspirational Projects Cal Guerxo Cal Guerxo, a Living Building in Spain Emmanuel Pauwels (@calguerxo) • Instagram Webinar Green Living Projects | Barcelona Green Living Projects LinkedIn Show Notes Episode 298: Alvis Yuen Show Notes Episode 297: Silas Mahner Show Notes Episode 296: Keith Fine Show Notes Episode 294 : Tucker Perkins Show Notes Episode 294: Isela Rosales Show Notes Don't forget to catch more episodes and resources for all of your green building news at the Green Building Matters website. Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES: Charlie on YouTube Charlie on LinkedIn Green Building Educational Services GBES on Twitter Connect on LinkedIn Like on Facebook Google+ GBES Pinterest Pins GBES on Instagram GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more insurances that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

The Green Impact Report Quick take: What if your master plan was smart enough to beat policy to the punch? Kristen DiStefano shares bold strategies from Atelier Ten that are shaping the future of zero-carbon communities — before the ink is dry on today's code. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Kristen DiStefano is a Director at Atelier Ten and a leading voice in environmental design. Trained in both civil engineering and architecture, she brings technical fluency and people-centered creativity to some of the West Coast's most ambitious sustainable projects. From net-zero campuses to district-scale reuse systems, her work bridges policy, performance, and people. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Kristen DiStefano revolutionizes traditional construction approaches: Key Insight #1: Building a blackwater-powered future in Mission Rock The Challenge: Water reuse wasn't even legal when the project began. The Solution: Design a district-wide blackwater treatment and reuse system anyway. ROI: Now required by code, the system will save an estimated 16 million gallons annually. Key Insight #2: Rethinking energy at California College of the Arts The Challenge: Maker spaces with kilns, glass furnaces, and labs have huge loads. The Solution: Dual strategy — reduce architectural demand and work directly with studio leaders to tackle equipment use. ROI: Smart controls + future microgrid + PV = a scalable model for low-carbon academic buildings. Key Insight #3: Expanding what "zero carbon" really means The Challenge: Too many sustainability frameworks stop at operations. The Solution: Kristen argues for a broader carbon scope: refrigerants, site work, EV infrastructure, and even transportation emissions. ROI: A regenerative, resilient framework that keeps pace with reality—and policy shifts. 🌎 Sustainable Soundbite "Eventually the goal would be to never emit carbon to begin with. But we're not quite there yet. So let's chart the path." — Kristen DiStefano 📌 Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Revisit your project's early-stage energy and water assumptions — are you future-proofing or checking boxes? This Quarter: Map your carbon strategy across all five pillars: operations, embodied materials, refrigerants, transportation, and site impacts. This Year: Pilot one regenerative or district-scale solution — even if it's ahead of current code. Be the reason it's normalized later. Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: [GreenBuildingMatters.com/podcast] 🗒 **Read the transcript here.** 🔗 Connect with Kristen DiStefano: [LinkedIn] | [Atelier Ten] Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter here: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

Daniel Brown works to promote public health, green spaces, wealth building, and community engagement. He has served on the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Food Policy Coalition, the Cuyahoga County Next Generation Council, and the U.S. Composting Council's steering committee for community composting prior to starting Rust Belt Riders. Mr. Brown is a social entrepreneur and climate fellow. Show Highlights Learn how Rust Belt communities are fighting deindustrialization and the impacts of climate change with economic development, climate resiliency, and the re-imagination of communities. Why does the climate crisis make all other crises that much worse? The biggest leverage and point of leverage that we can have on affecting human driven impacts on the climate. Learn more about the intersecting issues related to our food and agricultural system on both public health, air and water quality. The work Rust Belt Riders is doing work that provides a template for how other cities and communities can affect change at a systems level to truly be the rising tide that lifts all boats. community leaders, businesses and residents a way to reframe their waste stream as a resource stream to avoid the very worst impacts of the climate crisis. Highly dense urban areas need an alternative to landfills because they do not have the infrastructure or capacity to process all of the organic material that they ingest. Food and food systems are the building block for all and any type of circular economy. The top three things we need to balance the push and pull of the environmental economic equation. "It's important to acknowledge that no one does anything on their own. Anything I've ever been able to accomplish has been because of the people whose shoulders I stood on and who were in the trenches with me. I don't think that there's any singular thing that I alone have done. But what I will say is I think that like the building of the organization that I'm here representing, Rust Belt Riders is among the most proud things that I've worked and been part of." -Daniel Brown Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Fellowship - Echoing Green LinkedIn Rust Belt Riders: Feed People, Not Landfills The Uninhabitable Earth The Ministry for the Future 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Alvis Yuen is an ESG and Sustainability professional with expertise in ESG reporting, building decarbonization, energy systems, sustainability policy, investor relations, strategy, and project management. He has strong analytical and scientific background, recent sustainability portfolio oversight with the largest landlord in NYC, and currently leading Bain Capital's Real Estate ESG initiatives. Alvis is a graduate of the City College of New York, earning his Master's degree for Sustainability in the Urban Environment. His interest in the interaction of the environment and business interest began during his undergraduate studies at NYU where Alvis pursued dual majors in biochemistry and economics. This background allows him to understand the more technical aspects of sustainability problems as well as their economic implications. His immersion in diverse academic disciplines enabled Alvis to balance the perspectives of many stakeholders when addressing the issues of sustainability. At the G&A Institute, Alvis analyzed hundreds of corporate sustainability reports for submission into the global GRI database. His work has been incorporated into research on corporate governance and sustainability reporting trends of S&P 500 Index companies. Alvis has also contributed to Wikirate, a global open-source database for corporate sustainability performance. Alvis' specific interests include: green buildings, renewable energy, transportation, and urban development. In recognition of his accomplishments, Alvis has been awarded the inaugural REBNY Sustainability Fellowship. He is also a LEED Green Associate. Show Highlights Companies are focused on climate risk and opportunities to support the CDP framework. Bain Capital is a large, global, multiple asset investor. A general partner for investing with different funding sources Invested in real estate associated investments Whole Business Unit of Bain Capital Real Estate Pro tips for transparency to ensure you are reporting, collecting, and tailoring accurate data for your portfolios. Deciding what green best practices to use for your projects and not just chasing a certification. Alvis shares some of the more aggressive mandates that may be coming to a city near you. Get your foot in the door with roles that are a little more narrow and specialized in the industry. Charlie and Alvis discuss the trillion dollar question in our industry. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Sapiens a brief history of humankind 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Silas Mahner is working for NextWave to help advance the world to a cleaner future. He is passionate about Talent Attraction & Retention as well as Sustainability and the Circular Economy. At NextWave, he is helping shape the future of Talent Attraction & Retention and ESG & Sustainability. Silas is also a podcast host: "Cleantechies." He has three primary remits: Leading the North American ESG, CleanTech, and Sustainability Recruitment Practice Helping develop and expand our Channel Partnerships Supporting Global Marketing Strategy and Initiatives Show Highlights Career advice to help everyone navigate their green careers Learn the number one asset in business to be a good partner. NextWave recruitment consultancy Climate tech, ESG headhunter and certified B Corp Help companies find particular technical talent. Serve renewables, climate and sustainability around the world. Build entire teams working with funds, and then following the money into their portfolio companies. There's one principle Silas has to help the green building industry understand about their applicants and specific skill sets. Understanding the segmentation and nuanced specialties inside of companies. Tips to help you shine among other applicants to get an interview. Breaking down the nuances and specialized future of a green building. "If we really care about fixing the climate problem, you need to decarbonize everything, which means you have to reinvent the entire world, and everything has to be re-engineered from the beginning. It's just so exciting. Obviously there's a lot of challenges with climate change, but it's super exciting to be alive right now. So many opportunities to build companies and to just make a really big difference in the world." -Silas Mahner Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Linkedin CleanTechies Sharpen the Saw: Habit 7 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Keith Fine is a Principal at SLAM and serves as the Management Lead, for the Los Angeles Studio as well as the Director of Innovation for the firm nationally. Keith combines his unique experiences including construction, technical design, leadership passions for both design and innovation from a unique perspective. Keith approaches all challenges with a strong team-building focus that leverages the very best from those around him. Through these networked relationships and exposures, Keith has a unique skill at understanding the interconnected nature of seemingly disparate technologies and cultivating the development of new and innovative solutions. Show Highlights Working with progressive clients concerned about the climate. Let nature inspire and define the character of the project to bring sustainable thinking to do the greater good. SLAM focuses on bringing creativity and design to enrich lives. Innovative projects and tools to keep an eye on in the industry. Understanding how much waste you have when things are kind of brute forced out in the field. Keith shares two big themes for sustainability and the green building movement. There's not enough connected data between firms and tools to start to move it to the next level. UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs-17) Moving towards a marketplace of digital assets with higher performance selection standards moving towards an ecosystem where you get the data upfront. "We're kind of re-imagining how we deliver projects from stem to stern, from concept to delivery, and it's very heavy visualization based. And, it's about real-time problem solving. We've found a way to leverage our assets and build our asset library of just all the different things you'll have in a building. We're focused right now on using this on very technical projects, healthcare/labs/advanced tech…the kind of stuff where you really can virtually put people in spaces and pull up every bit of reference you need and modify it around them in real-time, and then push that straight towards a fabrication pipeline." -Keith Fine Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn UN's Global Goals – 17 Sustainability Goals Deep Green Barriers to Entry 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Tucker Perkins is the president and chief executive officer of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), an organization authorized by the U.S. Congress with passage of the Propane Education and Research Act (PERA), Public Law 104-284, signed into law on October 11, 1996. Tucker assumed the role of PERC president and CEO when Roy Willis retired July 31, 2017, having previously served as PERC's chief business development officer since 2012 and then as chief operating officer since December 2016. He has worked in the propane industry for 26 years, having served as the director of business development for Inergy, chief executive officer of Premier Propane, and the chief operating officer of Columbia Propane, a unit of the Columbia Energy Group. Tucker is also the former chairman of a PERC advisory committee on engine fuel matters and is active with the National Propane Gas Association and the Virginia Propane Gas Association. Show Highlights The most important topic in green buildings. Understanding how propane is such a different fuel and can support the demands of the industry as a fuel of the future. PERC in the Propane Education and Research Council and there are three roles they play in the industry. Solutions to address where the power gaps are and how to begin to fill them with a changing and fragile electric grid. Tucker shares innovations that will minimize our environmental footprint. Not all fossil fuels are equal. The high level difference between natural gas and propane and what is the best fuel for the environment, our health, and economy. Addressing the energy needs of a building and how to pivot to provide the best efficiency. Where is propane needed most in infrastructure? "We're really looking for the recipe that is the most efficient initial cost, the most efficient operating cost. But at the end of the day, it's still about minimizing our environmental footprint. It's a responsibility of all energy providers to rethink that equation. We've moved from wood to coal and coal to oil, and I would say oil to natural gas. And we're really moving from natural gas to renewable electricity, particularly in the built environment as fast as we can. And there isn't one solution. There's not one silver bullet. Renewable electricity is not the silver bullet because it'll take 40 years to build it out. And if we're not careful, we won't be able to afford the solutions nor will all the solutions be reliable. So propane [and renewable propane] will be part of the recipe." -Tucker Perkins "I don't think all fossil fuels are equal. Certainly coal and oil and wood, I'd argue they're all fossil fuels. They're not nearly the same as natural gas and propane. I think those are low carbon fossil fuels and with this great combustion property. I think the last, particularly five years now have been really engaging in this conversation about what are the fuels of the future and what is good for the environment, what's good for our health, and frankly, what can we afford at the same time brings us warmth, hot food, hot showers bringing, bringing that whole conversation together." -Tucker Perkins Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Podcast | PERC LinkedIn Undaunted Courage 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Isela Rosales is the Managing Director, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Bridge Investment Group, a leading real estate investment firm. Isela is based in San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining Bridge, Ms. Rosales lived and worked in New York City for nearly a decade in the financial services sector building and managing large institutional client relationships for multiple global asset management firms. She pursued and earned the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation in 2016 and decided to expand her financial services background from the hedge fund industry to include private real estate. She began her career at Cambridge Associates, working in Menlo Park following her graduation from Stanford University before receiving a promotion that would take her to the firm's Boston headquarters. Ms. Rosales received her dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and Spanish from Stanford, graduating with honors distinctions, and achieved top of her class ranking from Elsie Allen High's first graduating Class of 1997. She is fluent in Spanish and competes in Ironman and marathon competitions in her spare time. Isela was the first alumna to start giving back to Elsie Allen through her Ironman competitions prior to the Foundation being established. She currently serves as a Community Member on the Board. Show Highlights A platform of strategies in renewable energy ventures and in secondaries in the real estate value arena to meet where the market is heading. Where real estate meets technology with the five areas of PropTech and ESG/sustainability is one of those five. Tips to determine what to put effort into, what's important, and selecting frameworks, scoring systems, and which plaques to go after. Unpack the vast menu of building certifications from the smallest to the largest that exist around the world. What you need to know about PRI and PRI Signatory to achieve important milestones. The secret to ESG with some high level tips. What to consider for your organizations employee engagement, developing talent and supportive measures for DEI. Selecting programs that make sense for a given property type. "The S of ESG, does not represent sustainability, it actually represents Social - you can have the most efficient building out there, but you still have to factor in the People side of the equation. I really believe that when the topic of the S comes up, it's important to look at it from two perspectives. One, as the S relates to your company, what is going on for the employees of your company. And then the S is also for your company's investments in society." -Isela Rosales Isela Rosales Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Never Split the Difference Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Robert Fleming is an AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, an award-winning educator, author, keynote speaker, sustainability advocate, and architect. In all his work, Rob strives to: Advocate for social equity in the built environment; Regenerate the natural world, Design beautiful places; and Bring economic viability to sustainability projects. Rob is an educator He is the Director of Online Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design and he Is the Director of the Design Leadership Program. From 1996 to 2021, Rob served as the Founding Director and Professor for the Award-winning Master of Science in Sustainable Design Program at Thomas Jefferson University, where he taught hundreds of emerging sustainability professionals who have made important contributions in the world. Rob is an author His 4th book, Sustainable Design for the Built Environment, has become a required textbook for many college courses around the country. In all his books, Rob breaks down complex topics using straightforward language and compelling graphics, leading to a better understanding of how we can address the challenges of the climate emergency. Rob is a speaker He has delivered over 250 public presentations on sustainability where he brings humor, enthusiasm, inspiration and hope for a sustainable future to audiences around the world. Rob is an advocate Rob co-founded the Justice Alliance for Design Education which features an alliance of six universities and six non-profit organizations all working together to transform the principles and practices of design programs across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Starting in 2022, Rob will become the President-Elect of the Philadelphia AIA. Rob is an architect Rob works with clients and design firms around the country to facilitate integrative design charrettes using co-creative, stakeholder driven design processes. In this way, built environment projects reach higher levels of sustainability and the design teams themselves develop stronger bonds through a shared sense of purpose Show Highlights Design education has a long way to go before it begins to transform the curriculum to be authentically sustainable. NOMA, National Organization of Minority Architects is an influential group of young emerging leaders in architecture. Robert shares pet peeves with the building industry and how to fix them. Shifting away from mitigation into resilience to prepare for "survivability." The debate if Sustainability and resiliency fit under one another or they are separate. One of the greatest challenges that we face with wellness and climate change. AI framework for design excellence and how we need it to get through the challenges that we're facing in the future. Joining organizations is critical and effective to pull out the best in yourself through collaboration. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Design Education for a Sustainable Future Bobiverse The Black Swan: Linkedin Home Page - NOMA Framework for Design Excellence AIA Framework for Design Excellence 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Chris Kaiser is the VP of Business Operations at Sona Energy in Atlanta, GA. He's been a student of sustainability and uses his position to implement sustainable solutions for the clients he works with. His focus is defining, designing, and delivering clean energy solutions ranging from EV Charging, LED lighting and controls, and Solar PV & Microgrid. Most companies today talk about the importance of sustainability, but Chris focuses on how do they actually make it happen? As a people-facing engineer, he uses his passion for minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency to help clients define and execute their sustainability goals. Creating change at an industrial level has broad, positive impacts that help him create a better Earth for his children. Show Highlights Chris shares all things energy, decarbonization, and EV charging. The three pillars of clean energy. Legislation and incentives to fund the technology and address mandates. The breakdown and pro tips on EVcharging, the different levels and recommendations for businesses. Understand the technical realities, grid stability and what it's gonna take to balance electricity. What is needed to move the needle in the industry to avoid greenwashing and create a more sustainable future with clean energy infrastructure. Clean energy boards and continuing to drive the clean energy space forward. Understanding how to convince decision makers to find and address pain points. "I hear, or I see, or I read these articles with people saying, 'Oh, until I can charge my EV at the same amount of time it takes to fill up my gas car, I'm not gonna get an EV.' And I'm like, 'Well that's not really a fair analysis because if you live in a single family home, you can fuel up 90% of the time you're fueling up while you're sleeping and you can't do that with your gas car.'" -Chris Kaiser Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Mid-Course Correction ​​Deep Economy Freeing Energy Linkedin Amped about EV Charging 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Andres Prera is a LEED Fellow. He has worked in a sustainable architecture firm in St Louis, Missouri. In 2003, he became one of the first in Latin America to gain LEED AP credentials. Upon his return to Guatemala, Andres co-founded ENVIRO. The firm specializes in green design, project management and sustainability consulting. Since 2004, Andres has worked to promote and provoke change in the building industry towards a sustainable future for the country and the region, now working in several countries. In 2006, Andres earned his Masters of Urban Management degree from the Technical University in Berlin. In 2010, a small group of professionals from different sectors in the industry got together and founded the Guatemala Green Building Council, and AndrÃes became the first president of the Guatemala GBC. Show Highlights Green design mixing biology, nature, and architecture. Tips to show the industry it doesn't have to be more expensive but make more sense when building in different regions. Understanding what goes into LEED and LEED Ebom projects in the Guatemala region. Push towards regenerative buildings, bio chromatic design and Bioclimatic architecture. Create great performance and sustainable buildings while being climate responsive. The logic in having Biophilic design in every build and design. Create value in the business and services you promote to select products that fully support a healthy living. "The green building movement is still ongoing, it's still innovative, and it's still a great community, so it's always welcoming new people and professionals…I encourage everyone to think about climate and people. I think those two things are always there. If you're thinking about architecture and construction/development, it has to be human-centered." -Andres Prera Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Architecture Of Happiness Book 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Norbert Szircsak is Head of ESG Strategic Advisory Services for Colliers International based in Budapest, Hungary. Norbert started his career with Colliers International - Hungary in August 2007, joining the Valuation and Advisory services team. Norbert has over 15 years' experience in the real estate and green building industry. He has been directly involved in more than 30 LEED certification projects, including Commercial Interiors, Existing Buildings and New Construction projects. In the majority of these projects, he has been the overall project manager. Hungary's first certification in LEED version 4, which is also the first certified office building in the countryside, and the first LEED Platinum certification are on his & his team's list of accomplishments. Norbert has also contributed to more than 10 BREEAM In-Use certifications, similarly in project manager roles. Norbert graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Gábor Dénes College in 2009. He obtained his local appraiser qualification in 2009 and is also a member of the Hungarian Real Estate Association. Furthermore, in 2009, he obtained the LEED Green Associate and in 2013 the LEED Accredited Professional with specialty qualification from the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2019, he became a WELL Accredited Professional. Show Highlights Get a better understanding of Hungary and the European regions. Usage of renewables A peak into what rating systems are easier and harder to apply Taxonomy European Green Deal Connecting engineering and technical backgrounds into a green building career. Challenges building within an advanced green building environment. 90% of Collier's work is green building certified with green building advisory for various types of buildings. Learn where green building is expandings in competitive markets. A total carbon plan to reduce your carbon footage with electrification and the renewable energy production on site. The grid infrastructure development needs. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn The Miracle Morning Atomic Habits 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

The Green Impact Report Quick take: Most commercial buildings are controlled by 200 global logos—and the way they're financed makes decarbonization almost impossible. Christopher and his team at Audette are flipping that script, proving sustainability and ROI can—and must—go hand in hand. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Christopher Naismith grew up on Vancouver Island surrounded by forests and ocean. After starting as a civil engineer, a career pivot led him into construction, building science, and eventually founding Audette, a fintech company redefining how real estate owners invest in decarbonization. Today, his platform models over 30,000 commercial buildings, helping some of the world's largest portfolios cut emissions and boost asset value. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building Key Insight #1: Real estate finance is the real barrier to decarbonization. The Challenge: Property owners avoid upgrades because they eat into short-term profits. The Solution: Audette models both physical systems and financial ownership structures to reveal where decarbonization adds long-term value. ROI: Turns sustainability from a cost center into a proven value-driver. Key Insight #2: AI makes the "my building is special" excuse obsolete. The Challenge: Operators claim buildings are too unique to standardize solutions. The Solution: Audette uses AI and machine learning to pre-model millions of buildings, identify retrofit patterns, and predict energy use. ROI: Portfolio owners get audit-level insights instantly, accelerating retrofit adoption at scale. Key Insight #3: Stability sells. The Challenge: ESG has become politicized, and many owners fear added costs. The Solution: Reframe sustainability as modernization and risk management—keeping operating costs predictable and assets resilient. ROI: Attracts tenants, protects asset value, and opens new revenue streams from grid participation and resilience. Sustainable Soundbite "At some point, all of these outdated systems will be as obsolete as a coal furnace in your basement." — Christopher Naismith, Audette Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Start framing decarbonization not as "ESG" but as asset stability in conversations with stakeholders. This Quarter: Audit your portfolio for low-hanging fruit like rooftop units—swap gas-fired for heat pumps. This Year: Explore fintech-style tools to connect building upgrades with long-term value creation. Connect & Learn More 🌿 Explore resources from this episode: GBES.com/podcast 🗒 Read the transcript here. 🔗 Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn 🌍 Learn more about Audette: Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Stay tuned. Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

Angelica M. Ospina Alvarado is a LEED Fellow with over 15 years of experience and deeply passionate about contributing to our planet. Angelica has been a forefront leader of the adoption of green building, and integrative design practices in Colombia. Her strategic thinking, technical rigor and integrative approach has brought together the work of government, academia, industry and professional associations to advance the field. She is one of the founding members of the Colombia Green Building Council where she has volunteered her knowledge and experience since its foundation, currently, she is the Technical Director of the Council. Angelica is part time professor at the civil engineering master's program at Universidad de los Andes, in the field of construction engineering and management. Show Highlights Understand how to include natural ventilation and different simulations to support the needs of the region. Moving topics that have a huge impact in public policy. Comparing LEED to the various rating systems used in the region. EDGE's great impact in the social and in housing sector. CASA Colombia supports the residential sector ARC influence on reporting energy consumption The difficulties of building for a climate lower energy consumption . A roadmap for Columbia's goals to meet the demands of new buildings and existing buildings as the country develops. Sustainable construction is growing faster in the region with incentives and the influence from the economic perspective . Decarbonization hurdles Columbia faces. The broader scope of urban development to focus on building green communities. "Urban development has a broader scope to not only focus on green buildings, but entire green communities. This is important. Decarbonization is a must now and moving to that for us is very, very important for resilience. Our countries really have a huge problem related to climate change. We need to move to that faster because we have not mapped those effects of climate change in each country. I see that we're moving in that direction." -Angelica M. Ospina Alvarado Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin EDGE | Green building certification CASA Colombia, CCCS certification tool A Common Story 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

TITLE: From Romania to Spain With Green Building Expert Patricia Abrudan Patricia Abrudan is an architect certified as a Sustainability Consultant with post graduate training in Project Management and Facility Management and her work has mainly been oriented towards sustainable development projects. She has been focused on green building, life cycle assessment and sustainability consulting and certifications and is currently leading the ESG and Decarbonization Consulting team at JG Ingenieros in Barcelona, while continuing my work as a LEED Project Manager for several projects in the EMEA region. Additional Work and Education: - Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Consulting - Carbon Footprint consulting for real estate assets - Life Cycle Assessment and Costing - LEED ZERO and Net Zero Carbon Services - Circular design development - Space planning and workplace consulting - Architecture planning, measurements and compliance Show Highlights Reimagining "matchbox" neighborhoods to make a difference in urbanism projects. Improve the deliverability sustainable projects in our cities to make better spaces by embracing the various challenges from public vs private enterprise. Transform projects into reality and impact people's lives with so little. Work with different types of clients to achieve their goals and make the environment better, with contradictory objectives. Walk the path of sustainability and embed sustainability in your business model, construction projects and real estate. Patricia shares a unique opportunity to use our engineering infrastructure. Expertise in engineering to assist clients in implementing global strategies into practice from the building level, portfolio level and wellness level.. Fascinating college classes and questions for the industry to consider and be an eco-engineer. Switch the paradigm from a linear economy to a circular economy in order to achieve decarbonization. "The first requirement for you to start a green building career is to believe in the movement. And not to just sign up because it's fashionable. Investigate a little bit what's behind this movement, and if you actually are in sync. And then, try to formalize your learning/education path, because it helps you discover where you can contribute." -Patricia Abrudan Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin The Whole-Brain Child Circular Economy Principles - Ellen MacArthur Foundation 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Andrea Costa is a qualified chartered engineer and building energy rating (BER) assessor in Italy and a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) affiliated to the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). He is expert in building simulation with experience on an array of building energy simulation software and ISO 50001 certification tools. Andrea is originally a graduate from the Politecnico di Milano where he obtained a BSc(Eng) in Building Engineering in 2005. In 2007 he was also awarded a summa cum laude Masters of Science degree in Building Engineering. During the master degree programme, he was awarded an Erasmus Scholarship and studied at University College Cork in the academic year 2005/2006. He pursued and was awarded a PhD in Civil Engineering from the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) with a PhD topic of providing support to the energy manager in improving the building operation strategy with considerations on building energy use and occupant comfort throughout the building lifecycle. After his PhD, Andrea was awarded an industrially supported Postdoctoral Fellow co-funded by IRCSET (Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology) as part of the Enterprise Ireland Partnership Scheme and D'Appolonia Spa in Italy. Andrea brings with him a balance of field and research experience including FP7 projects for energy efficiency with targeted focus for office buildings, airports, sport facilities, and schools. Show Highlights Play sustainability Legos to inspire your direction. Aims and innovative solutions and technologies to speed up change to the construction industry and the real estate industry. Research funded projects to support green building consulting and projects. R2M focus and industry impact Making buildings more digitally sustainable and eco digital. Understanding new European directive for building energy efficiency Educating stakeholders to manage their own assets. A framework for digital initial log books directly working with requirements and guidelines for green building. Unique approach to digitizing and keeping digital data available for buildings during daylight time. Providing internal occupants with the digital solutions that maintain better conditions. Understanding the difference between the European Green Deal and EU taxonomy mandates and priorities. The secret to growing a sizable business for budding entrepreneurs. Transform buildings into digital assets. "Find the right balance or the mood of the dial. When you are very excited, it's easy. Longer when you are very frustrated, it's easier to reduce. The challenge is when you're frustrated, you should try to keep pushing a bit more than when you would like to stop. And when you are super excited, you should try not to overwork too much because otherwise another dry spell of being not so excited will come. It's a hard balance to keep." -Andrea Costa Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information R2M Solution Intelligence Squared: Roberto Saviano Pure of Heart 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Rob Watson is an international leader in market transformation, circular economy, sustainable materials management, and green buildings. Watson is known as the "Founding Father of LEED." Under Rob's direction, LEED became the largest and fastest-growing international green building standard. Author Thomas Friedman called Rob "one of the best environmental minds in America." In 2019, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine recognized Mr. Watson as one of the "25 Most Influential Alumni" in the College's 250 year history. Watson is a Principal with Upland Road, LLC, which develops eco-industrial campuses around a disruptive technology and business model that will revolutionize the global materials management industry by separating, diverting, and recycling up to 95% of municipal mixed waste that is collected in one bin. Rob is also the Founder and Co-Chair of the SWEEP (Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Performance) Standard, a system of market transformation standards geared to move the waste industry toward sustainability. Previously, Watson launched ECON Group and EcoTech International to implement cutting edge lifecycle optimized LEED projects in the US and China. Watson was a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for 21 years and received the 2013 International Conservation Award from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. In 2011, he was an international Zayed Energy Future Award semi-finalist & was profiled on CNN International. Watson was the first foreigner honored for Green Building Innovation by the Chinese Ministry of Construction in 2005 and received the first lifetime achievement award from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2002. Mr. Watson is an Adjunct Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MBA from Columbia University and a MS from UC Berkeley. He is married to Green Schools Alliance Founder Margaret Howard Watson and has a 23-year-old son, Max. Show Highlights Rob Watson, the Founding Father of LEED shares his stories and expertise on making a difference in the industry. The ability to grasp complex systems, understand how they're put together and how to change them. The curve balls thrown from the industry and how to adjust your swing to support and create systems that work. Rob breaks down the SWEEP standard as "LEED for solid waste." Creating a structure where value is captured by providing: buildings as a service. The problem of the industry that the USGBC needs to be focusing on to transform and deliver sustainability that has true value. The development of eco-industrial campuses that recycle 90-95% of everything. Smart centers sustainable materials and advanced recovery technology. Be part of "Humanity Inc. and a subsidiary of Planet Co." by being systems thinking, but with a futurist mindset. AI could possibly be the seed of our salvation. Beyond tweaking LEED. We need to figure out how to deliver the Living Building Challenge and LEED Zero in a cost effective way. The need for radical confidence and a Star Trek moment before 2200. "Radical confidence. The Dalai Lama was asked by a colleague of mine, what's it going take to solve our environmental crisis? And he said, 'Radical confidence.' And that's basically, the old person who plants a tree. It's just doing something that you're never going to receive the benefit of because you have a positive vision of the future. I'm going to do it because it's the right thing to do and whether I benefit from it or not is not super relevant. Obviously, you've got to keep the roof over your head and food on the table. But at the end of the day, you have to have a life that's worth living. And that means, doing things outside of yourself to make it, you just make the world a better place." -Rob Watson Get the episode transcript here! Show Resource and Information Linkedin The Peaceful Warrior 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Tom Liebel is a FAIA, LEED Fellow is the Vice President of Moseley Architects, where Tom has been involved in integrating sustainable design principles into a variety of ground-breaking adaptive use and historic preservation projects over the past twenty years, with these projects recognized with multiple awards for design, smart growth, sustainable design and historic preservation. Tom is involved in ongoing research exploring the relationship between sustainability, preservation and urban design, with a particular emphasis in the use of urban adaptive use projects to promote neighborhood revitalization and civic engagement. Tom served two terms as Chair of the Maryland Green Building Council, served on the Maryland Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, Chairs Baltimore City's Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation, and served as a Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative on the American Institute of Architect's Strategic Council, serving as the 2020 Moderator. Specialties: Historic Preservation/Adaptive Use Sustainable and Resilient Design Affordable Housing Innovation/Visioning/Implementation Strategies Show Highlights The technical rigor of the sciences and blending of creativity in the industry. Green architecture particularly focuses on sustainable preservation, affordable housing, and how to build sustainable communities. Blending adaptive reuse with historic typology to drive sustainable building. Moseley Architects ability to understand the unique challenges that sustainable building presents and ways to innovate. Rediscover low energy approaches towards design by tapping into the past. Tom breaks down understanding resilience into three buckets, natural, technical, and social. Interact with the best and brightest in the profession by involvement with trade organizations like AIA. The first approach is thoughtful designing down to the minimum load using basic principles orientation, lighting, natural ventilation, and bolting on modest technology to solve a modest energy demand. "The idea of resilience and expanding sustainable design principles from dedicated green projects to every project. It's just kind of what we do. What is interesting is, when I'm teaching classes on sustainability…the concepts are so basic that my shorthand is: don't build stupid. And literally that's all you're doing once you know the principles, once you know the basic building physics, …you just kind of dance with the building." -Tom Liebel Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Miller's Court Omnivore's Dilemma Bowling Alone 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Adam Stark is the Co-Founder | Wellness Author | Special Forces Veteran | NYU MBA | Endurance Athlete | Photographer & Artist | 500HR Yoga Trainer | Meditation & Mindfulness Coach | Conscious Leader Coming from the RE development industry, he and his Co-Founder initially built Jet for themselves- to manage the portfolio of projects and assets at the companies they worked for. As they evolved the Jet.Build product, they began sharing the Jet solution with our network of builders. Long story short, today, Jet.Build is a Real Estate Developers, General Contractors, and Operators cloud-based Command Center. Jet is servicing a clientele of national builders: from pre-con to project closeout, and through real estate management. Adam is a Business Operations leader with 12+ years of experience leading and executing strategic planning for high-complexity projects and organizations. Collaborative team leader and experienced negotiator capable of stewarding both growth- and efficiency-focused change management initiatives across various business functions. Special Forces veteran who excels at navigating crises calmly whilst building partnerships and consensus among internal, external, and C-Suite stakeholders. Show Highlights The school of hard knocks is a great way to learn the necessities of the industry. Tips to collaborate and communicate with a lot of different people, with a lot of different companies. Understanding the collaborative nature of building a project, the design element, and then having that literal tangible outcome. Translatable skills from the military to construction sites. Jet Build's Command Center management tool for efficiency and simplicity in 3 clicks reduce the amount of administrative tasks with a central hub. support roles of multi-company stakeholders on the real estate and construction side. essential tech stack for companies. assist in creating an ecosystem. reduce waste for a lifecycle of an asset Tech enabled teams to move past the "friction point." Utilizing software can really help every green building project. "Technology is pushing more and more into our space and real estate as a whole. Eventually it will get there, it's just a matter of continuing to push adoption in our industry to support everyone really, the entire ecosystem." -Adam Stark Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn SHALOSH-Adam-Stark Jet.Build The Book Of Joy 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Sengavi Thirupathy is the Senior Decarbonization Analyst responsible for managing project progress and deadlines, facilitating team meetings, and assisting the Associate Director of the Decarbonization team. Additionally, she serves as the QA QC lead for Energy Modeling scopes, the energy modeling training lead for the Decarbonization department, and Decarbonization lead participating in the VIM initiative. Sengavi graduated from Anna University, Chennai, India in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering and completed her Master's in engineering in Energy Systems from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Previously, Sengavi has worked on over 10 Net zero energy building design and modeling and 3 Net zero carbon projects. Sengavi has worked on various sectors such as medical office buildings, schools, and animal houses, semiconductor manufacturing units, multifamily residential buildings, automobile manufacturing buildings, data centers and office buildings. Sengavi has worked on Energy Audits, Utility incentive program management and grid carbon assessments as well. Show Highlights A senior decarbonization analyst shares everything you need to know about decarbonization energy modeling, high performance buildings, and so much more. Working with the mandates surrounding energy efficiency and energy modeling for green building. How to successfully shift your majors to work with your passion. Sengavi shares her successful shift from chemical engineering into complete energy systems in the civil and architecture test side. High level tips on what really affects an energy model. Useful tools like IES, Energy Plus, Energy Pro and eQuest to learn the ecosystem is an open source to use for energy modeling. Include passive strategies in your design, construction or existing buildings to reduce the need to bring in energy. Adaptability and grid harmonization will drive all of the design in the future. Understanding the challenges with existing buildings vs new construction in energy modeling. "I feel like buildings need to adapt to all of the things that nature is throwing at us right now. Adaptability and grid harmonization is what is going to drive all of the design in the future. The grid is becoming cleaner, and so how is your building going to adapt to it?" -Sengavi Thirupathy Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn The Book Thief How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

For today's GBM Podcast, we want to talk about conferences. Let's talk about, in particular, two AEC conferences, our host, Charlie Cichetti, attended in June 2023. We'll also share some networking best practices while you're at your own conferences. One of the first conferences our team attended to was at the very beginning of June, and the AIA Conference this year was in San Francisco. There were about 15,000 attendees! Another conference our technology team attended was NXT BLD / NXT DEV in London June 20th & 21st, hosted by AEC Magazine, with about 500 attendees. It was really unique to be in one room where you had architects, tech startups, journalists, and investors - all collaborating and talking about the future of design & construction including AI & Data. Show Highlights Top 5 Tips on how to get the most out of networking at a conference. AIA Conference: San Francisco Preparation for architects coming to this conference Explore technology, materials, and service providers that support the industry Top 10 greenest projects from 2023's AIA COTE awards NXT BLD + DEV in London Sessions on the future of design and architecture. AI, data sharing are accelerating our industry. "Conferences are a fantastic place to get encouragement, some continued education, see what's trending, and also just meet people that you never know how your paths may cross again in the future. Maybe someone that becomes a friend. Could be a future business partner, could be someone that becomes a colleague or maybe they have an opportunity for you that's really exciting. Conferences are back and full - get out there!" -Charlie Cichetti Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information 2023 COTE® Top Ten Awards - AIA GREENBUILD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXPO 2023 AIA Previews 2023 Conference on Architecture: Defining the Future of AEC Industry NXT BLD 2023 NXT BLD Speakers 2023 NXT DEV 2023 NXT DEV 2023 Speakers - NXT DEV 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Charles Anderson is a landscape architect and fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, He is a Principal of the Phoenix-based landscape architecture firm, Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture, which is the continuation of his practice of the Seattle-based firm Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture. Anderson is recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects for combining nature, community needs, and art into his designs, emphasizing sustainability, indigenous plants and urban ecology. His firm has an extensive record of award-winning multi-disciplinary park projects including over 25 community-based projects within the Seattle metropolitan area. Many of CALA's projects involve extensive public participation, including collaborations with community and neighborhood groups and public presentations. Recent neighborhood park projects include Roxhill Wetland and Bog Park in West Seattle and, the restoration of the 500 Area of Discovery Park, both of which received Merit Awards from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and improvements to Mineral Springs Park to enhance public access and use including a new art walk and gathering spaces. Show Highlights Charles shares tips for creating landscapes all around the world. The importance of ASLA, American Society of Landscape Architects and other trade organizations to propel your career. Everything you need to know about selecting native and adaptive plants. The dangers to the industry and environment if you ignore the native plants for something that grows quicker. Resource suggestions to figure out what is native in different regions to optimize the landscape. Why we need to love weeds more. Environmental landscape is an essential card in your lens. Seeing buildings like mountains will help shape your design and create a natural system that benefits the earth. "Mentors, I think, are the most critical part of the practice if you really want to aspire and get the opportunities of the greatest projects to work on. You observe how they behave, you observe how they create opportunities. And with each one of 'em [mentors], I captured something from them that became part of who I am. You can't always pinball, can't just read about it, you have to actually witness it. Some of us learned by rhythm, some of us had to see or hear." -Charles Anderson Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Cynthia Adams is the founder of nonprofit and for profit businesses, her focus has consistently been on growing the cleantech industry. She raised grant and investor funding, developed products from the first discovery interview to sale, hired great teams to execute on the vision, and won a leadership award at a national conference. Her current company, Pearl Certification, is transforming the US housing market by changing the way we build, improve, and sell homes. Pearl drives demand for energy efficient and renewable energy technologies by helping homeowners recoup the value of these investments at resale. Pearl sits at the intersection of new build, home improvement, real estate, utility, and home insurance markets. Our certification system and software platform enables an ecosystem of quality professionals to differentiate by making the value of their work visible. Show Highlights Pearl Certification features to benefit sustainability Real estate agent division that is transforming the US housing market. Contractors and new construction division focusing on industry partnerships and business development. Public-private relationships division to create programs, utilities for states and localities to meet their carbon emissions goals. Certification, appraisal addendum, and the other documentation to help different stakeholders improve investments. Software to promote technology solutions for data discrepancy. The Green Doors App to engage and create a customized investment plan. Tips on how to account for the community when implementing your projects to ensure they contribute to the community and not harm. It is vital to educate homeowners on electrification to impact decarbonization. Construction practices and startups suggest you need to consider. Tips for entrepreneurs to take risks that will impact the movement. Understanding the connection to the ecosystem from new construction, public entity, utility, contractor, and the homeowner. "Being involved in sustainability and the built environment can apply itself in a lot of different ways…follow, develop something that you're really good at, whatever that love is. If you care about the green movement and you care about sustainability, you can take those skillsets and find a way to apply them to a company that's doing work in this space…" -Cynthia Adams Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Green Door - Pearl Certification ​​Pearl Certification The Nature Of Nature 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

The Green Impact Report Quick take: 16-year heat pump water heater evangelist Gregg Holladay reveals how homeowners can slash energy costs by $400+ annually, why May 2029 changes everything for 50% of American homes, and his "proactive replacement" strategy that turns water heater failures into profitable opportunities. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Gregg Holladay is Business Development Manager for Specialty Markets at Bradford White, where he champions heat pump water heater technology across residential and commercial markets. The industry's only 16-year veteran of heat pump water heaters, Gregg introduced America's first Energy Star-rated unit while at GE in 2009. A sustainability pioneer who built his first energy-efficient home 33 years ago on a Kentucky farm, he's known for translating complex technology into compelling financial stories—like how homeowners can save $400+ annually while achieving 420% efficiency. Gregg teaches contractors nationwide that water heaters are evolving from "failure replacement" to proactive upgrades that actually pay for themselves. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Gregg revolutionizes traditional water heating approaches: Key Insight #1: The Stone Age to Space Age Efficiency Leap The Challenge: Traditional electric water heaters operate at 90-93% efficiency, forcing homeowners into incremental upgrades The Solution: Heat pump water heaters achieve 420% efficiency in one revolutionary step using proven refrigerator technology ROI: $400+ annual savings with 2-3 year payback when combined with utility rebates and 30% federal tax credits up to $2,000 Key Insight #2: Proactive Replacement Beats Emergency Failures The Challenge: Water heaters are only replaced when they fail at 10 PM on Saturday nights, creating expensive emergency situations The Solution: Educate homeowners during routine service calls about Energy Star upgrades that pay for themselves ROI: Contractors transform reactive service calls into profitable planned installations while customers save thousands over 10-year warranty periods Key Insight #3: Focus on Electric-to-Electric First, Not Gas Conversion The Challenge: Industry obsesses over difficult gas-to-electric conversions that require expensive electrical upgrades The Solution: Target the 50% of American homes with existing electric water heaters for simple 30-amp swaps ROI: Fastest path to decarbonization with same electrical service, immediate 3,000 kilowatt hour reduction per home, and grid-wide impact Sustainable Soundbite "There's never been a product that I'm aware of in the home that has had this kind of payback story. This opens the door to proactive replacement through education—not waiting until 10 o'clock on a Saturday night when a water heater fails." – Gregg Holladay Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Calculate potential savings for electric water heater replacements using local utility rates and available rebates—Tennessee offers $1,300 rebates that dramatically improve payback This Quarter: Train your team on the "refrigerator reliability" story to help clients understand heat pump technology through familiar analogies This Year: Prepare for the May 2029 mandate requiring all residential electric water heaters above 35 gallons to be heat pump units—get ahead of the curve Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: Green Building Matters Podcast 🗒️ Read the transcript: Episode Transcript 🔗 Connect with Gregg Holladay: LinkedIn Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

Paige Tisdale is currently the vice president for the IFMA, Portland Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter. Paige also is in a Business Development role for Dennis' 7 Dees Landscaping. She has a greater affinity for plants than those around her. She learned (and now teaches) the benefits that plants give to us Mentally, Emotionally, Physically, and Subconsciously. These multiple angles have grown her passion for enhancing our environments indoors and out through moss art, living walls, green roofs, and more. Office spaces need to attract and retain top talent, help mental health issues, and make people feel awesome. She works with designers, architects, and facilities teams to help bring nature into the office. She is an Ambassador for plants everywhere, and will continue to share in whatever way people will listen. Paige loves interacting with and helping others. She loves building long lasting and meaningful relationships, and has proved that honesty and transparency go a long way in forging these connections. Getting to share her passion and see other people enjoy the end results of her work, grow relationships, and become a trusted partner, rather than 'just another supplier' is very important to her. Show Highlights Tips encouraging sustainability by incorporating greenery in design for all commercial services with varying environments. Paige's company can help develop and design for all commercial services and multi-tenant buildings to increase aesthetic and knowledge. The Oregon State Treasury Building is one of the first buildings of its kind in the nation as a resiliency building that will withstand any disaster. Understanding the benefits and difference in designing with moss art walls vs Living Wall in Biophilic design. Benefits of IFMA, the facility manager's trade organization. Green Plants For Green Buildings is a national organization trying to bridge the gap between architects, designers and interior landscapers. Research and education on why greenery is important for our wellness in our built environment. CEU courses to support your credentials. Connection to Bioflu design, Fitwell, the Well Building Standard and the Living Building Challenge. Tips for how architects can coordinate and collaborate with interior landscapers to select products and materials that support the foundation and design of buildings. Help companies with their brand image by creating better wellness rooms or lounge spaces to increase productivity. "We saw a huge influx of people wanting to redecorate office spaces. A lot of companies want to adjust their offices to draw more employees back. You want that extra reason to go to work instead of staying at home where you're comfy and you can walk your dog at lunchtime and do whatever you want. Bringing people back to offices means you have to create a cooler workspace." -Paige Tisdale Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information NY Times article: A Super Building for Fragile Times Sarah J Maas: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series | Green Plants for Green Buildings CEU Courses: Book a CEU Presentation | Dennis' 7 Dees Instagram 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Shai Shaul is the Director of Commissioning services at SIG. Shai has over 17 years of experience in building commissioning, designing HVAC mechanical systems, ASHRAE energy audits, and energy modeling. His portfolio includes office buildings, laboratories, residential high-rise, hotels, retail, restaurants, and net-zero energy projects. Shai specializes in commissioning complex MEP systems for LEED and CA T24 compliance and performing engineering calculations for various energy efficiency measures. He also has experience in reviewing equipment sizing, equipment selections calculations, cost estimates, value engineering, mechanical systems, due-diligence reports and energy analysis. Education Shai has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Degree from San Francisco State University and has the following licenses and certifications: Professional Engineer (PE) – California Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP) Certified Energy Manager (CEM) LEED AP Building Design & Construction (BD+C) Experience Shai has extensive experience managing new construction commissioning and retro-commissioning projects. Shai worked on many building types including office, mixed-use, schools, universities, laboratories, hospitals, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and cogeneration plants. Interests Due to his personal path in the engineering world, Shai is a great believer in sharing and acquiring knowledge. One of Shai's passions is teaching and making sure that the next generation of engineers is well versed and has a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon. This passion does not stem from personal recognition and appreciation, but instead, it is driven to create the next generation of mentors and future industry subject matter experts. Personal interests include soccer, tennis, and ping pong. Show Highlights Energy modeling and design can coexist in their interactions. Demystify the different components and types of commissioning in the marketplace. Tips to excel in both fundamental commissioning and retro commissioning to optimize those systems. The critical role mentorships play in shaping the knowledge and to the next generation in the industry. An inside look at what a director of commissioning auditor looks for in projects. Recommendations for unfamiliar systems and credentials not usually achieved to understand opportunities to save energy, how energy is being spent, drawn from the grid, and what calculations come with it. Learn what is going to push companies and cities to the next level in efficiency. "Another great mentor took me under his wing for about two years and showed me how to design mechanical systems and much more throughout the day. It showed me what it is to be a mentor. But all they (mentors) have done for me was not for their gain, it's for my gain. It's put in me the fact that I need to support the next generation of young engineers. It's not for my success, it's for their success. So they can become great mentors for the ones after." -Shai Saul Get your episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Why Work Sucks Linkedin Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Petinelli coordinates and manages all aspects of the green building process, supporting developers, project teams, builders and owners to identify their objectives, ensuring that the intentions and sustainability parameters are properly executed and that the benefits of sustainable construction are deployed and clearly perceived. Guido received his LEED Fellow designation in 2018. Show Highlights The World Green Building Council and how to accelerate the transformation of the construction industry towards green practices. Increase building performance by tunneling through the cost barrier to increase productivity and output for every unit of input. Innovation is how we reach higher levels of performance through ample spectrum, efficiency, comfort, wellbeing and environmental impact. Understanding the "Goldilocks situation" when building in the vast climates in Brazil. Guido shares his expertise with building in environmental conditions perfect for exploring and experimenting projects. Help your clients with large portfolios, retail portfolios, the schools, financial institutions scale up and reach their goals much sooner than 2030. Understanding the differences in green building expectations, innovations, architects, engineers and consulting work in Latin America vs the US to drive the sustainability conversation. I One of the hard to reach sectors for net zero or net positive for regenerative is the real estate market. And now we're seeing discussions around it and the idea of developing both the technical solutions, but also the business models around it. The advancement of energy efficiency, water, health, wellbeing and waste depends on the data. "LEED is most effective when it is aspirational," says Petinelli. "It is human nature to want to do better, and recognition is a powerful motivator. I find it easier to convince clients to go for Platinum, and now LEED Zero, than just to certify." -Guido Petinelli Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Instagram Facebook Petinelli Churchill Roy Jenkins The Good To Great 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

James Nash has founded 3 companies. The first was Bike Dock Solutions in 2008 which started life as a university project. Much of his focus currently is on ActiveScore which helps building owners and developers improve their cycling and active travel facilities. They have helped design and certify 350+ developments in Europe, US, Asia, Middle East and Australia-including 22 Bishopsgate in London, which is the largest office building in Europe. Clients include Blackstone, Brookfield, Lendlease, Invesco, Vornado Realty Trust, BentallGreenOak, GID, JLL, CBRE, Savills, Knight Frank, Colliers, Perial, AXA IM, PATRIZIA, Bruntwood, and EcoWorld. ActiveScore is recognized by GRESB as a design and/or construction green building certification scheme. He has also been an advisor to WELL Certification on all things Cycling and active travel related. For real estate sustainability/mobility consultants and architects they have an extremely popular free AP Programme with over 500 AP's from over 40 countries. Show Highlights The proactive part of wellness in and around buildings and communities you need to consider for healthier buildings. The movement towards bike connective travel and bike share systems. James shares his entrepreneurial journey and start-up tips that transformed his business. The evolution of bike storage on ESG, various rating systems, tools and services provided for people who are occupants of a building. Active Score tools, advisory rolls and educational supports AP program that brings these best practices forward. Global expansion and global standard within buildings An emissions calculator that also includes scope free emissions The electrification of bikes and all things on wheels. An incredible opportunity and an area that currently isn't really getting much attention. "The main driver for this is the mindset change. I think building owners have realized the importance of these services from a sustainability point of view, but now also from a business case point of view. I think they realize that their tenants actually want much better cycle facilities or active travel facilities. It can actually help them attract tenants, whether it's a commercial office or whether it's a residential building." -James Nash Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information James Nash on LinkedIn ActiveScore Certification The Chimp Paradox 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Nikola Kravik is a member of the Sales and Business Development Team at Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) as a full-time Director of Business Development – West Coast. His main responsibilities focus on client relationships, partnerships, management, strategy, project delivery and leadership, while providing business support for our other modules of Green Building Holdings (GBH): GBES, Blue Ocean Sustainability and Aetos Imaging special projects. As our presence on the West Coast increases, and sustainability demand rises pushed by decarbonization and carbon focus, he hopes to strengthen existing AEC+RE relationships and open new avenues for collaboration. Education Nikola studied at the Mechanical University in Skopje, Republic of Northern Macedonia and got his AA in Motor Vehicle Design in 1998 and graduated from the San Francisco State University School of Mechanical Engineering with BS, major in Thermo & Fluids, 2007. His is a LEED AP and has a BEMP certificate provided by ASHRAE. He is past President of the ASHRAE Golden Gate Chapter and AIA Board of Directors in San Francisco. Experience Nikola started as a Mechanical Designer after college using software modeling tools to predict energy use in the high rise residential and commercial market in San Francisco and worked for several Bay Area/US based renowned MEP companies. His roles included building and leading energy modeling teams, working with architects, contractors, and owners by designing ZNE pioneer buildings and managing large scale projects involving multidisciplinary consultants for a variety of industries and delivery methods. The projects range from small 10k Softball stadium at CAL Berkeley to 11M sf Vallco Town Center project in Cupertino-that had highest Sustainability and Low-Energy targets. He is an expert in codes and standards and has worked on the design of over 25 ZNE Buildings. Nikola's focus the past several years have been team building, client management, engineering excellence and sustainable business operations. Interests Nikola enjoys spending free time mostly with his wife Tiffany and 3 children Alexandra, Kian, and Kyle-taking them outdoors (when there are no fires around sunny California or crossing state lines), swimming up in the Russian River, kayaking and skiing in Lake Tahoe, camping in Big Sur or going down to Muir Beach near our house to read a book. He is a proud 5th/7th grade basketball coach now for Alexandra and Kyle. Nikola loves languages and meeting new people, and cultures on different continents! Fun Fact Nikola was a professional basketball player and played for the Northern Macedonian National Junior basketball team in the mid '90s. ​​ Show Highlights Tune in to the changes happening around the world in terms of crisis and policies because it will directly impact your projects. Client service roles to bridge sales, business development and marketing to ensure clients get services in a timely manner and exactly the thing you promised. Understanding decarbonization and LEED won't be enough if you don't build relationships to connect those programs. It's imperative to get closer to the communities you are building for when trying to revitalize their town. Accelerate public and private partnerships by investing your time in key areas. Nikola shares why California is a leader when embracing new eco technology in buildings. Bridge in the gap of knowledge by using AI tools to help progress faster and innovate better. "People can talk about what it's going to look like in 2050. But if we don't take care of some of the emergencies, visible things that are happening with climate change and some of the initiatives from the government or the local governments, then we're gonna be behind. I encourage everybody to be alert and be aware of what's going on around the world." -Nikola Kravik Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins Traction by Gino Wickman A rich dad poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Grace Kwok has over 23 years' experiences in sustainable design and green building projects in Hong Kong, China and across Asia-Pacific, she has led the AEC group to set up a robust sustainability governance structure and is committed to promoting sustainability from the inside out. The Group committed to ambitious sustainability commitments, including Science-Based Target and Net Zero Carbon Operation by 2030, and is a Signatory for the Business for Ambition for 1.5°C campaign organized by SBTi and UNGC. Also, took the lead to uphold sustainability standards by conducting climate risk assessments using TCFD framework and adopting GRI Standards in its annual ESG reports. AEC Group has obtained many awards for its sustainability governance and ESG initiatives, including Honorable Mention Award in the Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Awards 2020 and Grand Award in the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2020/21. In support of World GBC's net-zero built environment agenda, AEC Group has joined the ranks of WorldGBC Asia Pacific Net Zero Collaborators in 2021. Driven by a vision to shape a sustainable future, Grace is dedicated to work with the building and construction sector to build climate resilience and accelerate net-zero transition. She had played a key role in encouraging the early adoption of green building rating systems and worked on the earliest batch of HK-BEAM and LEED projects in Hong Kong. Grace had also been facilitating the localization of international green building and sustainable infrastructure rating tools, including BREEAM and CEEQUAL. In recent years, she created a stronger momentum for the green building movement with ESG and green finance as drivers and leveraged her expertise in corporate sustainability to promote sustainable real estate from fund and developers' group to project levels. With an environmental engineering background, Grace is a keen advocate of regenerative sustainability for the built environment. She is often invited to share her insights at local, regional and global conferences, including Internoise 2017, USGBC Greenbuild China 2019, International Symposium on Regional Air Quality Management in Rapidly Development Economic Regions 2020, APEC Workshop Training on Retro-commissioning 2021 and BREEAM Summit 2022, etc. She was recently selected to join GRESB Real Estate Standard Committee to develop ESG standard for sustainable real estate and has been appointed to join major government committees to advise on matters related to sustainable development, environmental conservation as well as innovation and technology. ​​ Show Highlights Raising the bar to manage stringent building and energy codes in the Hong Kong region. Driving new industry standards and creating alternative solutions to the problems the industry is facing. Understanding the local and international standards in the finance sector to achieve a green classification. Driving green capital in the real estate sector by finding common language. Speeding up different initiatives like the quality of life category in how you present them to a client. Solving challenging problems for clients with alternative solutions shape industry standards. Working more on sustainable infrastructure to go beyond building. The city's programs need to align with the sustainable development goals. Carbon management and climate resilience tips. "Green building is very dynamic and it's got a changing landscape. Explore more about all the areas related to the green building movement. It's not only about buildings, it's about the people in the built environment as well. When we are working on a project we always remind ourselves so that we won't lose the focus, not just in the number or the modeling. Lastly, encouragement. When we're working on a green building project, you can expect it (the building) will stay there for a long time. You need to consider the whole life cycle of the building. It could become a legacy because it is going to be standing there for 50, 60 years." -Grace Kwok Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Company Profile – AEC Nature, Space, Science & More | BBC Earth Blue-planet 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Jacob Lehrer is currently an Architecture Student at Wentworth Institute of Technology. He has been fascinated by engineering and design his entire life and has put a focus on sustainability throughout. His first job in college was in a sustainability consultant role. He passed the LEED Green Associate exam in June 2019 at 17, the LEED AP BD+C in June 2021 at 19, the LEED AP O+M in July 2022 at 20, and the LEED AP ND in April 2023 at 21. These credentials and experiences help inform his designs and thoughts about how buildings should be constructed. His hope is that we, as a species, can move forward in a more positive and sustainable direction. He is excited to help realize that vision by seeking how technological innovations and forward-thinking can push architecture and sustainability into the future. Show Highlights Great tips from a rising star in the industry on trends and how to navigate and personalize your career. Successful strategies for the test taking process for LEED and other systems exams. Benefits of Wentworth Institute of Technology Master emerging technologies Internship and co-op programs Invaluable industry experience embedded in the curriculum Wentworth Sustainability Society LEED green associate prep course Looking at the sustainability tools from every angle to build something new. Main gripe with many of the rating systems and how to synergize categories or credits. Get a lens into how to design for different types of inhabitants and different types of loads. Exploring some of the techniques, architecture, and how to design your buildings for passive systems around the world. Using software and tools as an extension of your own arm to express your ideas more succinctly and with your own designs. "The main goal for me in the future of my career is I want to use these sustainable technologies and stable rating systems in parallel with things like computation and research. These innovative technologies do exist but haven't really been involved in architecture that long. Finding out ways to kind of combine those two worlds in a way that makes buildings more economical, more viable, more useful for people who use them because the way we use our buildings has changed a lot with the pandemic too." -Jacob Lehrer Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Linkedin Wentworth Institute of Technology Ground News Built Rum Punch 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Jeff Stewart is a Senior Energy Manager – Existing Buildings and is responsible for energy audits, LEED O+M engineering, ENERGY STAR benchmarking and certification, and city/state benchmarking ordinances. He has extensive experience in the commercial HVAC industry and ten (10) years of experience working on projects seeking LEED certification. Prior to working for SIG, Jeff worked for an Atlanta-based HVAC design engineering firm using AutoCAD to design and model commercial HVAC systems for single office and high-rise office buildings, including the Delta Dental building and First Data Center in Atlanta, GA. Jeff has experience working with many different building types, including office buildings, tenant spaces, data centers, multifamily properties, convention centers, and sports stadiums. In 2021, Jeff and the SIG ENERGY STAR team completed 510 ENERGY STAR labels consisting of over 148M GSF. He has been instrumental in SIG being awarded the EPA's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award every year since 2016. Show Highlights Applying a holistic approach to the green building movement by focusing on both design and impact. The Green Sports Alliance connects great sustainable standards. Hear tips about that and Geocaching. Tips for someone trying to apply LEED for existing buildings to something besides an office building from an energy store portfolio manager expert. LEED is a platform for benchmarking how you're building, how your structure operates, and impacts the world around it regardless of what the building is being used for. Benchmark your energy and water data to make improvements from that to achieve your desired certification. Mix and match credits to ensure you are operating at peak efficiency to get LEED certification for your project. Understanding the big push for mixed use developments for your clients. "I would say it's considered a long game [your green building career]. If you're about to make a decision or buy something or move somewhere, consider a few things that would happen in the long term. If you move to Atlanta, do you plan to stay in Atlanta for five years or is this a temporary approach? Think about two or three things that could impact in the long term and that can help you make a better decision in the short term." -Jeffrey Stewart Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Geocaching On the Market Podcast 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Joyce Lee, FAIA, LEED Fellow, is President of IndigoJLD providing green health, design, benchmarking and ESG planning services for exemplary projects and communities. She became one of 300 LEED Fellows worldwide while being on the board of trustees of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the first LEED NC certified museum in the world. Joyce has also been on adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania focusing on building healthy places and was board director of the French American Chamber of Commerce PHL. Since 2021, she has chaired the American Alliance of Museums Environment and Climate Network and serves as a Senior Advisor to Econsult Solutions. In 2022, she was appointed by Mayor Kenney in Philadelphia to serve as an inaugural commissioner for environmental justice. She has been a Fellow at the National Leadership Academy for Public Health and one of the first LEED accredited professionals in New York City. She was the Chief Architect at the New York City OMB under Mayor Bloomberg overseeing the survey of major city-owned buildings (over 200 million sq ft) and waterfronts with the goals of enhancing long-term planning and identifying green design and development opportunities. During her tenure, the program grew over 25%. She was then the first Active Design Director, with a focus on design excellence and human health, in New York City. The Active Design Guidelines, a publication she co-authored, had won recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as the Sustainable Building Industry Council. Joyce is the recipient of numerous awards including the Health and Human Services Good Neighbor Award, Platinum Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the President's Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York State, and the Aga Khan Award from Harvard/MIT. Recognizing her career achievement, the AIA New York honored Joyce with the Public Architect Award for "her indomitable spirit, committed environmental consciousness, and extraordinary ability to bring sustainability theory and practices to the public realm." Show Highlights Joyce shares her vast expertise with benchmarking, NetZero, and LEED for museums. Hear from the National Green Building Advisor on new projects and policies coming down through the federal government. Understanding the similarities between cultural institutions around the country. Apply best practices with educational sessions on the green accomplishments of the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim Museum. Review resources on green practices from energy to water to waste, new transportation, cultural programming, dining and retail facilities, and how the supply chain partners can bring all of those together. IndigoJLD manages public and private sustainability projects. Best practices that work for museums versus other buildings. Questions to consider to start building partnerships and connecting with firms that specialize in sustainability. "We both agree that we learn more from our mistakes and than our successes. Absolutely be open-minded. I wish I knew back then this field was going to evolve so fast. The climate is something that is here today and is not for tomorrow. For those who are entering the field, another piece of advice with green buildings, I would say think globally and act locally." -Joyce Lee Get the episode transcript here!! Museum Magazine / July−August 2022 (PDF) Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Applying LEED to museum projects The Well-Tempered City J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier ENERGY STAR Score for Museums Cultural Heritage and Museums – Mind the Gap Applying LEED to museum projects Museums preserve history and culture American Alliance of Museums 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Patrick Chopson, is the co-founder od the carbon-focused Atlanta-based startup, cove.tool. As the Chief Product Officer, he leads product development for cove.tool, a web-based software for analyzing, drawing, engineering, and connecting data for building design and construction. A graduate of Georgia Tech with a Masters in High Performance Buildings, he is also a licensed architect with over 18 years of experience. Prior to cove.tool, he ran Pattern r+d, a successful building performance consulting and architecture firm. Multiple publications include Architect Magazine, TechCrunch, Site Selection, ArchDaily, and more. Show Highlights Understand the value of data-driven design. Cove.Tool Real-time understanding using BIN, Building Information Network. Connecting technology and the human experience. Trusted tools and simulations to optimize performance, product selection, design and more. Consolidate different problems of data translation losses to promote timely decision making without issues. Databases that link everyone involved on a project to build common understanding and immediate updates. Why the carbon problem is a data problem. Factors that create uncertainty to drive cost increases. Why you need to follow the industries #hashtags. Tips for entrepreneurs and companies to create a detailed career path that champions the work and skills of their employees. 2 things that are going to transform how architects, engineers, contractors, and anybody involved in sustainability find information to make effective choices. AI is going to unlock and transform the industry beyond focusing operational carbon vs embodied. How to leverage new technology to provide a higher level of service. "Meet a lot of different teams, meet a lot of really interesting people. That started to shape my understanding of this problem isn't just like we need one or two people that know simulation. We need to change how everyone designs. How everyone thinks about the problem. Realizing that it was gonna take more data analytics and probably software to be able to pull that off." -Patrick Chopson "We want to link everyone together, everyone have a common understanding of a project and then be able to see when one person makes a decision, that immediately updates using APIs or some type of connection across the internet to make sure that everyone's on the same page…And that's what will allow for low cost but high performance, low carbon buildings." -Patrick Chopson Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Superusers 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

The Green Impact Report Quick take: Michael Wagner reveals how nano-ceramic coating technology can extend roof lifespans by decades while eliminating millions of shingles from landfills—plus the franchise strategy that's scaling this green innovation nationwide. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Michael Wagner is a seasoned franchise executive and the newly appointed brand president of Roof Scientist. With nearly two decades at Coastal Training Technologies (later acquired by DuPont), Wagner built international operations across Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, India, and the Philippines. He's successfully launched multiple franchise brands including Pool Scouts (97 locations) and appeared on Shark Tank with his balance bike company Kazam, securing investment from Mark Cuban. Wagner operates under Homefront Brands, overseeing franchise development for innovative home service solutions. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Michael revolutionizes traditional roofing approaches: Key Insight #1: Nano-Ceramic Coating Eliminates Roof Replacement Waste The Challenge: Asphalt shingles are petroleum-based products that take decades to decompose in landfills, with quality declining while prices skyrocket The Solution: Cerakade nano-ceramic coating creates a 6-millimeter protective barrier that extends roof life without tear-off and replacement ROI: Dramatically reduces landfill waste while providing homeowners a more cost-effective alternative to full roof replacement Key Insight #2: Resin Technology Stops Granule Pollution at the Source The Challenge: Traditional asphalt shingles shed ceramic granules that flow into gutters and water systems, creating environmental contamination The Solution: The nano-ceramic resin system adheres to shingles and prevents granule loss while providing wind, hail, and fire protection ROI: Protects water systems from granule pollution while offering homeowners enhanced durability and potential energy savings through heat dissipation Key Insight #3: Target Housing Market Trends for Maximum Sustainability Impact The Challenge: Rising housing costs force homeowners to maintain existing assets longer rather than relocate, but traditional roof replacement is expensive and wasteful The Solution: Focus on repair and restore over replace—extending roof life fits perfectly with homeowners' need to invest in their current properties ROI: Recession-resistant business model that serves growing market demand while reducing construction waste on a massive scale Sustainable Soundbite "We can extend the life of a roof without tearing off the shingles and dumping them into landfills—shingles take a long time to degrade and decompose and the energy savings payback is also there." – Michael Wagner Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Assess your building portfolio for roofs nearing replacement—identify candidates for coating restoration instead This Quarter: Research nano-ceramic coating options and calculate waste reduction potential versus traditional replacement This Year: Implement roof restoration protocols that prioritize repair and restore over replace, potentially exploring franchise opportunities in the growing restoration market Connect & Learn More 🌿 Learn about Roof Scientist: Roof Scientist 🔗 Connect with Michael Wagner: LinkedIn 📚 Recommended reading: Franchise Vision by David Busker 🗒️ Read the transcript [here] Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

Libby Dunne is a member of SIG's Sustainability Team and is based in San Francisco, CA. Her primary focus is within the health and wellness space, as she is primarily responsible for managing WELL and Fitwel projects, in addition to managing portfolios pursuing the WELL Health Safety Rating. She also helps to manage a variety of LEED projects, with a focus on BD+C and ID+C. Within each project she ensures that necessary information is obtained and verifies compliance through documenting and evaluating key data. Libby also teaches LEED Green Associate exam prep live courses with GBES. Originally from San Francisco, Libby graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science. Throughout college, Libby has worked on various research projects. Most notably, she worked on published work regarding the effects of antibiotics on bumblebee cognitive functioning. Additionally, Libby maintains a variety of credentials, including WELL AP, LEED AP BD+C, Fitwel Ambassador, and ActiveScore AP. Libby likes to spend her free time hiking, swimming, and being with family and friends. As a certified scuba diver, Libby also has a passion for marine biology and for preserving our natural environment for generations to come. Show Highlights A combination of degrees in different fields compliment each other perfectly in green building work. Interning is key to expanding your knowledge and for earning credentials that inspire your work. Meld the client communication side with the documentation side of projects to support your clients achieving their goals. ActiveScore AP Credential is a new and interesting credential program for the US. Make positive wellness impacts at the corporate level by reviewing the mind and community sections on a WELL Scorecard with HR teams. Eevie is an app that gives your team a tangible way to support individual sustainability. WELL provides a roadmap of new programs, each with a different focus, that are all focused on health and wellbeing in the built environment. Help your clients get their feet wet in wellness by recommending one of the three WELL ratings as a first step towards pursuing a full WELL Certification. The flexibility of a Fitwel certification meets people where their understanding is as a manageable option for existing buildings. "In this industry, something that's really important is just to listen, learn and absorb as much as you can. It's ever changing, there's new regulations that are coming out, so there's a lot of moving parts. Be open and willing to learn as you go throughout your career. But for someone that's kind of starting new to the industry, I think it's important to recognize that you bring a fresh perspective and a way of doing things to the table. You don't have to conform to the typical way of doing things as they've always been done. I feel like sometimes it really takes someone with that fresh perspective to kind of come in and rock the boat in a good way to make positive change." -Libby Dunne Get your episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn eevie: Employee Climate Engagement platform The Defining Decade Articles Written by Libby: The Release of WELL v2 Top 12 Green Building Rating Systems COVID-19 and Buildings: How Building Certifications can Help Prevent Disease Spread in the Future 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

As Atelier Ten's planning practice leader, Ben has extensive experience with urban ecology, renewable energy systems and green development assessments. He has directed numerous projects and managed the development of sustainability guidelines for a wide range of master plans on a multitude of sectors including commercial, university, government, and transportation. He has consulted on more than 100 high-performance building and planning projects including one of the first outpatient facilities to achieve LEED for Healthcare certification in New York City and a comprehensive environmental framework for Harvard Business School. Ben is a proud recipient of the ENR New York's Top 20 Under 40 Award, which celebrates the excellence of young professionals who represent the "Best-of-the-Best" in the construction and design field. He is a member of the University Development and Innovation Council at Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves as Co-Chair of the ULI New York Infrastructure Council. His dedication and enthusiasm to sustainable master planning and buildings and his attention to the wellness of people and the built environment have provided a unique, cutting edge perspective to all projects throughout his career. Ben also teaches core courses on environmental design and building services at Yale School of Architecture. He holds an MA in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a BA in Environmental Science from Northland College. Ben has also earned the rare LEED Fellow designation. Show Highlights Be proactive in creating a healthy building center that is flexible with metering and monitoring of these spaces too. Atelier Ten strives to achieve higher levels of sustainability and connections. Leverage your involvement where you can make the most impact in the climate crisis, personally and professionally. Connecting the dots between all the different disciplines. Hit your client goals and get as much green into the projects by motivating your design teams to find connections between their specialities. Further and maybe even less than some of those travel carbon emissions. We still have to do that to a certain extent, but can really optimize that more than we did in the past. Optimize what tools to use that benefit operational emissions from energy and everything from passive techniques in the facade surrounding accounting for embodied carbon. Build resiliency in your projects to tackle climate change and "global weirding of climate trends,"for immediate and long term impact. Tips to gain experience and fail along the way to carve out your path. "To all of the people still getting involved in this [green building] movement and industry, it's really important because your project might inspire others - that continues it going along and we can always design things better. I think that's the kind of hope and optimism we all bring to the foray. So keep, keep going. It takes us all and there's plenty more work to be done. -Benjamin Shepherd Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information LinkedIn Atelier Ten Surrender Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen Inventor of the Future The Practice of Groundedness 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES

Gregory Patton is a member of the Sustainability Consulting Team at Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) as a Senior Sustainability & Energy Consultant. In this role, he oversees multiple projects related to Sustainable and Healthy Buildings. In addition to managing LEED, WELL, and Fitwel projects for clients, he also provides support to SIG's Engineering Team for ENERGY STAR, Commissioning, and technical expertise centered around existing buildings. Gregory joined SIG in January of 2022 and brings two decades of operational experience to the team. Throughout his career he has successfully operated and managed numerous large commercial buildings as well as sustainability programs for clients. Gregory's deep understanding of building systems and his passion to create a Sustainable and Healthy Future has enabled him to excel in the sustainability space. Gregory holds professional accreditations for LEED O+M, LEED BD+C, LEED ID+C, LEED ND, LEED HOMES, LEED Green Rater, WELL, Fitwel Ambassador, BREEAM In-Use Assessor, and ActiveScore AP. Originally from Florida (GO GATORS), Gregory has adapted to Colorado life and can be found outside enjoying the 300+ days of sunshine and blue skies that Colorado has to offer. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, live sporting events, and traveling with his wife and son. Show Highlights Greg's entrepreneurship journey to build a top sustainability team. See the value of LEED and everything it touches beyond design and construction. Manage a smooth transition from residential to commercial builds. Tips for recommending tools and systems that provide a good maintenance model for clients to hit their performance goals. Why BREEAM is a great certification system to use and recommend. Achieve decarbonization goals in the environmental space for your clients. Follow your curiosity and prioritization credentials dedicated to meeting your goals. How to build longevity and contribute to the success of the green building movement. Get the episode transcript here!! Show Resource and Information Principles of Winning Gregory Patton 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 GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to www.gbes.com/join to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community! 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 © 2023 GBES