Stay up to date on recent blogs from NBI, recently verified projects from the CIRRUS™ Low Carbon program, a podcast featuring ESG thought leaders, and more.
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The 2023 Getting to Zero Forum program has been released - join us in Minneapolis in May!
The 2023 Getting to Zero Forum is less than two months away - start building your excitement by looking at the Forum program, which is available now! Join us for three content-filled days with the most in-demand thought leaders addressing solutions for the built environment, including Plenary speakers Andrew Mayock, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer at the White House, and Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation. As we continue to provide the latest thinking on building decarbonization, we have introduced three new topic areas to the 2023 program: embodied carbon, market development, and electrification. Learn about all the exciting material we have to offer by clicking the button below.
Today is the final day to submit the 2023 Built Environment Workforce Survey!
New Buildings Institute and 26 other organizations are collaborating on an important survey focused on the experiences and demographics of people working in the built environment in the United States. Follow this link to participate in the survey. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will have an opportunity to enter a drawing for a chance to win one of four $150 gift cards, which will be delivered by email.
The survey should take about 8 minutes to complete and will close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time today. March 16, 2023. This survey is intended for people in the U.S. who are involved in real estate, design, construction, and/or maintenance of the U.S. built environment—that is, human-made structures, features, and facilities viewed collectively as an environment in which people live, work, learn, and play.
Recent Blog: Pilot project in Seattle shows central heat pump water heaters can act as massive hot water batteries that help reduce carbon emissions
Central heat pump water heaters (CHPWHs) present a tremendous opportunity to reduce the substantial energy used in water heating and can act as giant thermal batteries. They do this by using energy to heat water during times of low grid demand and storing it for later use, enabling them to limit their energy use during peak times for the electricity grid. Leading organizations in the Advanced Water Heating Initiative (AWHI)’s Commercial Working Group are showing the grid asset implications of this in the first of its kind Bayview Tower pilot project in Seattle.
by CEO Ralph DiNola This blog takes a deep dive into ASHRAE's pledge to assume a leadership role in decarbonization efforts in the built environment, learnings from the ASHRAE winter conference, and more.
This blog details the work that K-12 schools across the nation are putting in to shift toward electrification and energy efficiency, while also improving health and resiliency.
Learn about recently verified projects from the CIRRUS™ Low Carbon program
The CIRRUS™ Low Carbon program charts a practical and actionable course to a low carbon future. Using a low carbon design specification, developed collaboratively by PACE Equity and New Buildings Institute, CIRRUS Low Carbon provides lower interest rates to developers who make incremental efficiency improvements to buildings.
Projects that have been verified so far include a redevelopment of a historic concert venue, housing for a private liberal arts college, and other diverse and exciting spaces. Learn more
Joint Podcast with USGBC Highlights Female ESG Thought Leadership
This special podcast episode, The Intersection of Getting to Zero and ESG, was created in collaboration with USGBC. Released on International Women's Day, NBI's Leada Fuller-Marashi sits down with two outstanding female thought leaders in the built environment, Melissa Baker, Senior Vice President, Technical Core at USGBC and Kara Kokernak, Senior Director at Urban Land Institute, for a conversation about the interplay between ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and getting to zero.
In the approximately 30-minute listen, they break down the business case for going net-zero, the benefits of using buildings as a tool to reduce carbon emissions, strategies for success companies should use for greening their buildings, how the next version of LEED addresses carbon emissions, and more.
NBI welcomes new staff, board members, and Senior Fellows!
New Staff Members:
Three new staff members have joined NBI in recent months! Jacquelyn Ferguson (left), joins as a Human Resources Manager, Sureya Edwards (middle) is the new Marketing and Communications Specialist, and Alejandra Magana (right) joins as our new Senior Accountant. Want to work with an incredible group of people? NBI is hiring several positions.
We have added three new board members to help guide and support NBI's mission! Joining us are Consultant Fulya Kocak (left), Melissa Baker, Senior Vice President at the U.S. Green Building Council (middle), and Emily Moore, Director of Portfolio at Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) (right).
New Senior Fellow:
NBI's Senior Fellow program highlights experts in advanced energy policy, program implementation, research and education who are luminaries in energy efficiency and have made significant contributions to society through their work. We welcome Meg Jamison, Executive Director at Southeast Sustainability Directors Network as our latest addition to our Senior Fellows!
Upcoming Events
IFMA's Facility Fusion April 11 - 13, 2023
Hosted by the association that has provided training, knowledge sharing and support to facility managers (FMs) globally for more than 40 years, IFMA’s Facility Fusion is about building future-ready leadership skills. It’s about exploring what’s possible – for our facilities, industry and careers. It’s about synthesizing ideas and industries for a new world of work. It’s about fusing methods and mindsets from both within and outside of FM to find answers. It’s about having the tools to adapt to rapid change.
Plug-In Heat Pump Water Heaters: An Early Look into 120 Volt Products Webinar
April 27, 2023
NBI’s Amruta Khanolkar will give an overview of the emerging, retrofit ready 120 volt heat pump water heaters (120 HPWHs) and findings from the California statewide field validation effort. This course will present the retrofit market opportunities and limitations with this emerging 120V HPWH technology. This class is for program managers, engineers, policy makers, installers, and California building jurisdictions.
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