She regularly confesses these sins for a reason: to dispel the idea that environmentalists have to be perfect in order to be effective. In fact, when she gives talks, she will often open by asking the audience to think about their own eco sins. “What do you do that’s really naughty, that you should not do relative to the environment?” she asks. Then, she proceeds to list her own sins.

The minute she does that, she notices the posture of the people in the room begins to change, to relax. The realization that she is not perfect—that no one is—can motivate people to make their own small changes.

“And then they begin to build on that and get excited about it,” Henderson says. “I just start saying, ‘What could you do? Everybody could do something, what could you do?’”

It is that friendly, down-to-earth, easy-going pragmatism that has led Henderson to be known as the “commonsense environmentalist” and to lend her green building skills and expertise to projects around the world that are as diverse as the LEED Platinum 1.5-million-sq-ft Enco Energy Complex in Thailand and the LEED Silver Pierce Chapel at Wesleyan College in Georgia.

But what does commonsense environmentalism mean? It means just what it sounds like: environmentalism that makes sense in the real world and is balanced with practical needs and expectations. For instance, Henderson says it is all fine and good to install water-saving automatic faucets. But if no one can get water to come out of them, they don’t make sense.

“I don’t really care if it’s environmental or not. I don’t care if it’s saving money. I don’t care if it’s saving water,” she says. “If it doesn’t function, it doesn’t work, it’s not the right solution.”

Henderson strives for a good environmental, social, and economic balance in every project she tackles, and rejects the idea that sometimes the environment should be a priority at the expense of the other two ideals.

“I might be a weirdo environmentalist by saying that, but I really don’t think so,” she says. She understands that for people to really adopt environmentalism, it has to fit into their lives, not the other way around.

Practicality is not the only thing Henderson looks for in helping her clients achieve their green goals. She also encourages them to find a personal connection to environmentalism. She insists that everyone has a connection to the environment, regardless of whether they realize it.

“I think it’s important for our teams that we work with to know their story,” she says. “I think when people understand their story and their conviction around it, they’re able to better communicate it.” For instance, maybe a client has a daughter with asthma or an elderly parent with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), maybe they are avid recyclers at home. Henderson remembers one client who was ultimately moved by seeing a mattress floating down the river outside his home.

“That’s really the connection,” she says. “Once they personalize it—that’s up to the CEO level and everywhere in between—they own it; they can begin to achieve more.”

Henderson’s own story starts in the art and architecture world, trying her hand at jobs ranging from designing large-scale public works projects to being a United Way ambassador. However, nothing fully stuck for her until she remembered how much she loved her environmental science class at Auburn University, and eventually founded the sustainable design studio at TVS (now tvsdesign).

“I think I’ve always had a distinct sense of purpose. I tend to go to the grocery store with vigor. Life’s a sponge, and every day I’m trying to wring it out,” she says. “It sounds so cliché, but I can make a difference…I guess I looked at environmentalism as stewardship, responsibility.”

As she encourages companies and the people who run them to discover and connect with their own environmental stories, Henderson finds that her clients often evolve in their environmental goals. Whereas at first they may simply consider “going green” a way to respond to their customers’ expectations or market trends, they quickly want to do more and push their goals even further.

“What I’m constantly amazed at, and excited by, and what gives me hope is that once they get into the process, they get really excited by it,” she says. “They want more.”

Although she finds apathy disheartening, Henderson believes that the best way to combat it is by making that personal connection. To that end, she says that she will work with clients that do not have a perfect lifecycle or footprint, clients that others in her field would not dream of working with.

“I’m one of those environmental consultants that will work with anyone,” she says. “Everyone deserves to be helped, and I want to help them. And sometimes I prefer those jobs because they need the most help.”

She recalls being in a meeting with one of those companies when one of its employees started to talk about what an avid recycler he was at home. “I almost started crying. It’s the revealing of those stories that they don’t even know are inside them that makes me excited,” she says. “I can help someone foster that story and what that story leads to…multiplying hands is probably my most motivating thing.”

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The development phase of the program was a long one. Determining what such a program should look like meant careful consideration of its participants and the curriculum necessary to provide results-driven, on-the-job training for employees responsible for the maintenance and operations of commercial buildings, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified or otherwise.

“It took us a good amount of time to come up with our strategy,” says Dominique Hargreaves, executive director of USGBC-LA. “The core team has worked together for over five years to make this program come to fruition.” That team includes: USGBC-LA, Building Skills Partnership (BSP), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The group took cues from the Green Professional Building Skills Training program (otherwise known as GPRO), a national training and certificate program designed by USGBC’s New York City chapter, Urban Green, which trains electricians, construction managers, and the like. “We looked at their model [in terms of] how to create trainings, testing, and certification,” explains Hargreaves.

The Green Janitors Program mission is to promote operations and maintenance practices that enable buildings to meet green performance standards, with special emphasis on energy efficiency and building health. “It’s really critical that the janitors understand their role in building management and operations maintenance. It’s the kind of thing that can be taught and it can be cultivated,” says Hargreaves, adding that all of the work those employees perform on a daily basis shows up in utility bills, water bills, etc. “They have a large impact on the building.”

The program is designed to enhance coworker collaboration.Training manuals and materials are provided in each person’s native language.

By 2014, the team had hammered out the logistics and put into motion a pilot program designed for eight buildings. There were 150 participating employees maintaining buildings belonging to companies like CBRE, Commonwealth, Equity, and JMB Realty, among others. The entertainment industry, in particular, has been very involved in the program. “We’ve really found a nice niche with studios,” notes Hargreaves. “[That industry] is really a cornerstone of our economy and what makes our city interesting.” SONY, Dreamworks, Paramount, and (soon) NBCUniversal support a strong cohort of certified janitorial workers. It is important to note that this program aids corporate responsibility goals like energy conservation and LEED certification. Buildings whose janitorial workers have completed the Green Janitors certificate program are able to apply for the LEED pilot credit IPpc81 for operators and service workers.

In terms of training, janitors receive 30 hours of instruction, during which time they learn hands-on energy management and green cleaning techniques. The program is organized into seven modules. The first, introduction to building sustainability, examines topics like recycling, water conservation, and LEED certification—it is a kind of “buy-in to the program,” explains Hargreaves. The second is focused on green cleaning, which is five hours spent studying environmentally preferred cleaning agents. “This module is another kind of empowerment [tool] for janitors to try new products and see that they do work,” she says, making the point that the worst thing for a janitor is to receive a complaint that something is not clean. “So getting comfortable with new products that are better for their health and that of the environment, yet that are still effective, is really important.”

The third module is devoted to energy conservation. “Energy conservation is key and one of the reasons this program came into existence,” notes Hargreaves. Unlike most professionals who work in a commercial building, janitors really have eyes on energy waste and overuse throughout the building. During this portion of the program they learn about plug loads and vampire energy, and they perform energy hunts, whereby they form teams to survey their respective buildings, floor by floor, to identify good versus wasteful practices. “The janitors are the eyes and the ears of a building,” she says. “They have a lot of knowledge about the building and its usage.” So training them on specifics like energy waste and water strategies is helpful and another piece of the empowerment pie. They come away understanding why it is important to save energy and seeing themselves as potential agents for change.

The fourth module is a five-hour training on recycling and diversion, during which they learn why it is crucial to redirect waste away from landfills.

The fifth is health and safety, and runs for two hours. “It’s really critical that janitorial workers think about health and safety in the workplace because they do come into contact with all kinds of hazards,” notes Hargreaves. Water conservation is the focus of the sixth module—it runs for four hours and includes a “water hunt” that identifies possible conservation measures and areas in need of improvement in a given building. Finally, the last module is dedicated to review and testing.

Because the training occurs at their place of employment, participants are among their coworkers. It is taught in Spanish, though it can be taught in English as well. “They are more comfortable learning the material in their native language,” notes Hargreaves. They take two multiple-choice exams, a midterm and a final. Once they pass both, they have a graduation ceremony that includes a keynote speaker, and they receive a certificate and a pin, meant to be worn while at work, which demonstrates their “loyalty, allegiance, and pride.” The program fosters teamwork and gives people, many of whom have not received higher education, the opportunity to graduate.

Judging from surveys taken from building management staff, as well as the janitors themselves, it is clear their level of engagement and confidence in their skills have been greatly enhanced. Prior to this program, janitors did not necessarily understand why certain sustainable procedures or materials were required, or the kind of impact they could have on energy reduction and water consumption—and ultimately, human health—through their work.

“This has gone to a way more profound place than we had originally designed the program to do,” says Hargreaves. “It was designed to train and up-skill workers.” But beyond having expanded their knowledge, vocabulary, and skill set, they also absorbed what they learned on a personal level. Many of them now recycle at home and use green cleaning products, and they are more cognizant of energy and water usage in their homes. In short, the program helped them expand their concept of green cleaning to green living.

“All of that has [permeated] their family lives,” notes Hargreaves. “They have really taken this knowledge to heart as a better way of living and working. They also have a better understanding of their role in the building.” They now see how their work relates to green building standards, like LEED certification and ENERGY STAR. “They feel empowered because they know that what they do every day helps the environment.”

Feedback from managers has been very positive. In many cases, the janitors have exceeded expectations in terms of how much information they came away with, how much they retained, and how they are applying it to their work. “They were happy to see the workers’ confidence develop,” notes Hargreaves, adding that their communication skills have also improved.

One such manager, Cristina Rosales, Pacific Corporate Towers (PCT) supervisor in El Segundo, says: “I’m glad that the staff attended the class because it gave me support and reinforced the changes that have been made in PCT to be a green building. There is a difference between me telling them what to do and them learning the importance of why.”

Lesbia Chinchilla, an employee in the Oppenheimer Towers and a graduate of the Green Janitor certificate program, notes, “Being part of the [program] has really opened my eyes as a janitor and as a consumer. I was aware of topics like the three R’s and water conservation but not to the extent that we learned in the class and how it applies to my work.”

In its totality, the program is also an example of social equality, whereby everyone participates in the management and maintenance of a building. Janitors, alongside building owners and managers, are empowered to actively engage in the goals of the LEED rating system. “I think the hands-on learning [portion] of the program really…helps them be more informed and helps them come to the sustainability table,” says Hargreaves. “This program is empowering them to join the conversation.”

Now in its third year, the Green Janitors’ reach has spread from Los Angeles County to Orange County and San Diego. Expansion goals include statewide trainings. Furthermore, the team has pledged to train 800 janitorial workers by 2017 as part of the city of Los Angeles’ Sustainable City pLAn, which was released in April 2015. When encouraged to adopt the plan, USGBC-LA and its partners chose to focus on workforce development. Currently, they are signing up additional LA building owners’ employees for training. “The state of California is next,” says Hargreaves with conviction. The five-year plan sees the Green Janitors Program available across the country—they have already begun discussions with partners in Chicago and New York.

The vitality of their mission is clear, and summarized in Hargreaves’s own words: “You can design, build, and engineer the most efficient building but, when it comes down to it, it’s all about operations and how people use the building…it’s people that make buildings efficient.”

At the completion of the course, each graduate receives a certificate and a lapel pin, meant to be worn while at work.

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The Academy hosts several programs and services, including a lecture series and energy conservation workshops.

Cramer felt that the Green Building Alliance, the local aligned chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), needed to get involved earlier in the process to help schools follow their green instincts. But, she says, “We had no way to be there at the right point and be seen as a trusted resource [to] help influence the decision-making process.”

Since 2008, the Green Building Alliance has been working with K-12 school leaders, students, outside groups, and citizens to help them create sustainable learning environments. The organization held green schools conferences during the first couple years of the effort, but even those events were not enough to create the deep relationships necessary for Cramer and her colleagues to effect change within the schools.

Then, in 2012, the organization launched the Green Schools Academy, a more formal partnership in which select schools work closely with the group. (The name was changed to the Green & Healthy Schools Academy in 2014.) The academy comprises several different programs and services, including a lecture series, energy conservation workshops, technical assistance, and help for schools participating in the Green Apple Day of Service, an initiative of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. But at the heart of the academy is the two-year School Sustainability Culture Program, an immersive experience that brings stakeholders from six to eight schools (or districts) together for monthly meetings, with the ultimate goal of integrating sustainability into the schools’ buildings, curriculum, and culture. The idea is that schools will come out of the program not only with new knowledge, but also an increased focus on sustainability—so that whether they are building a new school or choosing cleaning supplies, they will do so from an environmentally friendly perspective at the start, rather than trying to green the project halfway through.

“We can’t be there every time a school has to make a decision,” Cramer says. “If we start out by building this really strong ‘why’ that is connected to their values as a school, they can’t unlearn that ‘why.’ From that point, they think about these values every time they do a building project, or they have to purchase new supplies, or they develop a new curriculum. It becomes a part of who [they are].”

“We wanted to create a program that would have a very big impact in a short amount of time,” Cramer adds. “Rather than trying to reach every school, we decided to focus on a few schools and make them models of what a healthy, sustainable school could look like.”

The program was so successful in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania, that the local school district created a new sustainability plan. Doreen Petri, chair of the science department at Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (a magnet high school in Erie), says the plan has already led to big changes in the district’s elementary science curriculum, with kids at some schools planting trees, maintaining pollinator gardens, building birdhouses, and conducting energy audits as part of sustainability-focused units. After a pilot, Petri says, the superintendent wants to expand the curriculum changes to more schools.

Petri says that the new focus on sustainability will definitely last. “Many times, environmental initiatives are serviced by an after-school program or a club, but then when teachers switch schools or retire—when that champion teacher leaves—that program falls apart,” she says. “This is going to be part of our curriculum.”

Left, above: Guest speaker David Orr discusses the reality of climate change, how to talk to students about the climate, and his work with Oberlin College. Left, below: Workshop attendees receive a personal tour of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Center for Sustainable Landscapes. Right, above: Kirsten Christopherson-Clark, head of school of the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, relies on the expertise of the Green Building Alliance. Right, below: Founded in 1993, the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh is housed in a Victorian-era mansion that is a city-designated historic landmark.

Kirsten Christopherson-Clark, head of school for the pre-K-to-8 private Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, says that participating in the academy’s culture program “was kind-of like having to stretch new muscles” in that it forced her to articulate her vision for the school more fully and clearly than she had before.

As a final project, the Waldorf School engaged its surrounding community in a place study. “We worked with students, parents, and neighbors to look at our campus and see what was there and imagine what could come,” Christopherson-Clark says. In one outcome of that process, a neighboring charity passed along grant money it had available for a “natural playground” featuring boulders and logs.

One benefit to the academy, Christopherson-Clark says, is that schools can continue to draw on the expertise of the Green Building Alliance even after they are done with the program. “The connection isn’t lost,” she says. “At any time, we know we can reach out and ask them for advice, bounce ideas off of them. The investment and the commitment to seeing your school succeed, it’s really genuine. It’s not one-and-done.”

Alumni Notes

“This program has changed the way I look at teaching, work with my students, and think about change itself. I came away with a whole different mindset and way to live my life.” –Kim Bliley, Teacher, Erie School District

“We’re already doing this sustainability stuff. We thought, ‘What can they teach us?’ In the program, we learned so much, and realize we have so much more to learn.” –Bob Gold, Facilities Director, Chartiers Valley School District

“The Culture Program transformed my leadership style and allowed me to support a change-agent mindset for my organization. We went from checking boxes, to getting an award, to changing hearts and minds.” —Nikole Sheaffer, Director of Innovation, The Environmental Charter School at Frick Park

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Resident Robert Smith says sustainability is harmony…to live in harmony with one another, within a community, and with the environment.

Making this feel like a special community was a key goal,” says Susan Roeder about Habitat for Humanity’s Eco-Village in River Falls, Wisconsin. As director of public affairs at Andersen Corporation (one of the project’s many partners), Roeder, like all involved, played a very hands-on role from the start.

The idea for a residential neighborhood based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes benchmarks originated with a small consortium of people from the city of River Falls, the University of Wisconsin (and its Sustainability Institute, which focuses on large-scale applications of sustainable building practices), Frisbie Architects, and St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development, among others. The design phase got underway in 2011; they broke ground in 2012; and the last home was completed this past December. Eco-Village encompasses 18 homes on 7 city-donated acres and represents a growing number of progressive community building projects put forth by Habitat for Humanity.

“Andersen has had a long relationship with Habitat for Humanity,” explains Roeder, who together with her colleagues, came on board during the design phase. “Habitat had the land but didn’t know what they were going to do with it in terms of housing.” In fact, the plot could have served any number of purposes. Once a city composting site, it proved a viable (and valuable) resource, as it borders a large green space with walking trails and is close to an elementary school. “It was a beautiful chunk of land,” recalls Roeder. “Habitat was pretty thoughtful, knowing they could have a big impact on the city.”

Architects, business owners, and area residents joined a series of community meetings to sketch out a plan. “That’s a really special way to develop a plot of land,” says Roeder, noting the unique role the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development played. “They had college professors and students all dreaming about what components could really be part of a community development of this sort.”

As Roeder describes it, the residents in this village have helped build not only their own homes but also those of their neighbors. They have worked side by side literally building their community—both physically and socially. “It’s very empowering to hammer in nails on your own home,” says Roeder. “And to be part of a new effort with Habitat for Humanity takes it to the next level. The homeowners are cognizant of that and really proud. They understand that it is a model that is much bigger than just them.”

Resident Robert Smith says, “The big word is sustainability but you need a dictionary to go along with that word. It’s about harmony…to live in harmony with one another, with a community, with the environment—to me, that’s natural, and that’s the idea of Eco-Village.”

Dave Engstrom of Habitat for Humanity.

Further savings measures included sourcing in-kind donations of building materials. With so many projects to their credit, Habitat for Humanity is highly skilled at finding the best product for the best price when they do need to purchase supplies. For this project, Roeder says, they chose “products at the right price point that provided the right level of energy efficiency and performance.” She notes, too, the misconception that being green requires sizable discretionary incomes. “You can always go to the ‘Nth’ degree, the top-of-the-market, highest-performing products, but they didn’t need over-the-top to get these homes to be net-zero,” she explains. “That’s really one of the most compelling pieces about this project. Habitat has demonstrated that, with the right approach, it’s not necessary.”

Those cost-savings efforts and informed choices directly affect residents like Mark Tamminga, who is grateful to be able to live in a home where he can afford to turn the heat on. “I think most people take that for granted, but for me, it is heavenly—it’s about having dignity.”

In the three-year time span in which the homes were completed, it’s interesting to note that while house No.1 was the model when they began, it’s house No.18 that will be the usable template. “We learned so much along the way,” says Roeder, noting how things constantly evolved as the project unfolded. For instance, the roof pitches in combination with the solar panels on the first few homes were not volunteer friendly. By the time they got to the last group of homes, however, solar power panel technology had improved such that they could change the roof pitch, which made it safe for volunteer builders, which saved money since they no longer needed subcontractors to perform the work.

A zero-interest, 30-year mortgage is Habitat for Humanity’s model. They serve the working poor—people who make too much money to qualify for government aid but not enough to qualify for a traditional mortgage. Primarily first-time home buyers, Eco-Village residents learn some basic skills, like how to manage their homes once they are in them, how to track their budgets, how to maintain the grounds, etc. “Habitat serves those families and education is absolutely key,” says Roeder. Beyond that, part of the agreement is that residents let their homes be monitored by Habitat for the first five years.

There is also a behavioral piece to the program. “Behavior is such a big component of how you make your home perform at its best,” notes Roeder. Locking windows and closing doors when running out to the mailbox are examples of activities that will be monitored to watch for spikes in usage. “The homeowners are all in on this effort, which is pretty special,” says Roeder, adding that the residents’ shared focus has (happily) shifted from having a home to live in to achieving lower energy bills. Some of them don’t owe anything on their electric bills; others are putting energy back into the grid. “What’s unique about Eco-Village,” explains Roeder, “is the technology behind these homes and how empowering it is for these families to be taught that up front, and then engage in it over time and really see the benefit to the bottom line.”

Habitat International staff have visited this site to better understand and potentially replicate it elsewhere. “Net-zero building is a keen interest for Habitat,” says Roeder. And, with Eco-Village, they have a highly informative, user-friendly model to share. From beginning to end, the entire project was very well documented. And, as it’s not proprietary, it’s adoptable, which bodes well for future buyers, builders, communities, and the environment. As Roeder puts it: “The more folks we can get into homes like this, at an affordable price, the better.”

The Eco-Village is the largest LEED Platinum and net-zero affordable community by Habitat for Humanity in the U.S.

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There’s a misconception about hunger in D.C.—one that suggests it’s only the homeless who use food banks. “It’s an expensive city,” notes Susie Westrup, LEED AP BD+C, manager, Paladino and Company as well as Greenbuild 2015 Legacy Project co-chair. “There are [approximately] 700,000 people in D.C. who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.” The fact is many working lower- and middle-class families visit food banks for supplemental groceries to make ends meet.

One of those food banks is the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), with headquarters in Northeast D.C.

This year alone, CAFB distributed 42 million pounds of food (the equivalent of 35 million meals) to 540,3002 people living in D.C. and six surrounding communities. Through direct service and a network of more than 500 partner agencies, CAFB feeds the hungry—though its mission goes far beyond the distribution of dry goods. To date, CAFB has implemented multiple measures aimed at nutrition education and skills training—all of which began with an onsite Urban Demonstration Garden.

In 2012, staff decided that a hands-on food growing experience would benefit the community. Toward that end, the demonstration garden was built and has had that very effect since beginning operations. The garden is used to teach gardening and nutrition basics to agency partners, who in turn, bring those lessons back to their own communities, where they disseminate the information further. Most of the garden’s produce is given away to food assistance partners; the primary focus of the garden is to demonstrate effective urban farming practices.

With both the food bank and the garden operating at full speed, it became clear a third element was needed—a classroom. Enter Greenbuild 2015 and the Legacy Project. As the garden lacked a designated space for key education programs, a flexible, multipurpose outdoor structure was proposed and dubbed the “Urban Food Studio.” The sheltered classroom will provide the CAFB an all-season space for gardening, cooking classes, workshops, and events. It will also give garden volunteers a much-needed place to eat and rest.

The Urban Food Studio is the brainchild of M. J. Crom, now-former food growing capacity coordinator at the CAFB, who wanted to bring gardening to the forefront of the community. With Greenbuild 2015 scheduled to take place November 18-20, 2015 in Washington, D.C., the Legacy Project Committee, the Greenbuild Host Committee chairs, and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) staff members met last October to set up a process for determining just what the Legacy Project would be. Westrup and the group issued a RFP to the public for which they received 11 responses; they were ranked and ultimately narrowed down to four finalists. Attendees at their “Green Tie” event were asked to help determine which proposal should be this year’s Legacy Project. “All four of the finalists were so great that it was very hard for us to come to a consensus,” explains Westrup. “So we [decided] to let it be a vote.” The food bank won the most votes. Interestingly, all four finalists were projects related to food security and food deserts in D. C. “The committee ended up picking one that [addresses] this relevant issue.”

Top: Susie Westrup at the demonstration garden at the CAFB. Bottom: Matthew Noe, LEED green associate at HKS architects, at the CAFB. Photos by Ryan Smith

Furthering the food bank’s mission, the Urban Food Studio will catalyze CAFB’s aim to impact food security through education around the growing of healthy foods. “You can’t teach 700,000 people, and 700,000 people can’t make their way to the food bank, but they can go somewhere in their local community and they can learn how to do something down the road from where they live. That’s why the 500-plus organizations CAFB is already working with are the target,” explains Westrup.

Though they were already teaching in the garden, they were doing so with makeshift accommodations. “The outdoor classroom that is the Legacy Project is a shelter with a functioning kitchen—some of these classes will go beyond how to grow and [will demonstrate] how to cook a healthy meal,” notes Westrup. “Then the partner organizations can do the same thing. It’s this ladder of knowledge, a network that they can spread throughout the city.” She points to the fact that many of those agencies don’t have land on which to grow, so they need to be creative. People are learning how to build gardens in unconventional ways using limited means—maybe they grow in buckets or tubs or kiddie pools. “M. J., the head grower, teaches them how to grow on a budget with reused materials.”

Volunteers put the finishing touches on the studio and surrounding grounds, which will help
the food bank fulfill its mission of ending food insecurity.

Staff from those agencies will arrive at the site—with its food bank demonstration, garden, and outdoor classroom—and learn how to build and grow a self-sustaining garden in their own neighborhood. The food bank can’t supply all the people in D. C. who need food, but they can enable others to do so. “They are limited by their site, but in a way it’s a much more sustainable method because they are teaching [other organizations] how locally grown food can come from these neighborhoods.”

The garden was the first phase of how the land at the food bank was to be developed. HKS Architects—the firm that submitted the winning proposal in response to CAFB’s need for an outdoor, sheltered structure for education and respite—had an existing relationship with the food bank. HKS helped bring to life the second phase—the food studio. “They are the ones who connected the dots,” notes Westrup. “They won the bid and were given $10,000 by Greenbuild to bring them an outdoor teaching kitchen.”

“It’s a pretty simple structure,” says Matthew Noe, a designer with HKS, describing the Urban Food Studio as having concrete columns, a metal frame, and a deck (donated by Ipe Deck) with permeable pavers. A berm wall was created with excavated soil to serve as an additional growing area, and there’s a rainwater cistern and reclaimed-wood benches. They also received a grant from Community Forklift that they used to acquire reclaimed steel. A “living wall” for planting uses reclaimed pallets from the food bank, and a space was developed for growing shade and fruit trees.

“We tried to incorporate all these little elements that are semi DIY to inspire the community to do some of these things at home and to make it more sustainable or eco-friendly for urban gardening,” explains Noe. In addition to all of what takes place under its roof, the building itself will serve as an educational tool. “We looked at how we can leverage a building to teach the community.”

The structure will accommodate 30 to 40 people attending cooking and growing demonstrations and nutrition classes. “Growing your own vegetables is kind of the silver bullet to solving some of the issues surrounding hunger—there’s a lot more nutritional value in that,” says Noe. It is also meant as a respite for workers during hot months, as well as a potential space for donor events. “There is not a lot of shelter out there. It will be a really big add for the volunteers to have a place to rest.” It will serve as a “flex space.” It may even, in time, host schoolchildren for class field trips.

“It is a very exciting project for me,” says Noe. “It’s one of my favorites…the scale of it, how it is going to touch and affect so many people. It brings home the idea of what architecture and space can do and hopefully will do. I see great potential in this affecting not just the food bank but the entire area—a little pavilion where the community can [gather and] radiate out.”

Westrup concurs, explaining how this is a model that can be replicated anywhere and everywhere. Comparing it to the Green Apple Day of Service, she views this year’s Legacy Project as one of service. “I think as green building professionals,” she says, “we often get tied to infrastructure and building versus this other element of sustainability, which is so important—the social well-being of our communities.”

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Washington, D.C.–based EYA, a 23-year-old preeminent real estate development and building firm, brings Washingtonians “life within walking distance.” Twice named “America’s Best Builder,” EYA has succeeded in settling homeowners closer to shopping, dining, and business districts in innovative urban neighborhoods characterized by walkability, thoughtfully planned spaces, and timeless architecture.

At its inception, according to senior vice president Brian (A.J.) Jackson, EYA was responding to “an increased demand for opportunities to live closer in and closer to amenities.” They saw an opportunity. “That was not something large national builders were set up to provide.” With a focus on urban infill, EYA’s projects tend to be smaller and more complicated, and typically require significant development efforts, as their sites are often quite challenging.

“We believed that through better design we could increase the density and really transform the townhouse product from a price-point product into a luxury product,” explains Jackson. In their early days, they modeled many of their homes after the brownstones of late 19th-century New York. To date, EYA has built more than 4,000 units in more than 30 neighborhoods across the Washington metropolitan area. The firm has become renowned for finding desirable locations on which to build homes that afford a pedestrian-friendly lifestyle.

Top: Old Town Commons in Alexandria, Virginia. Photo by Johnny Vitorovich
Bottom: Capitol Quarter is a townhome community located on five blocks in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood in Washington, DC. Photo by Thomas Arledge

The market for that lifestyle has burgeoned over the past two decades. With its mission to do things “the right way, at the highest level,” EYA has kept pace with those demands, always keying into cultural shifts. “Our homes today are much more energy efficient…and almost all of them have some sort of private outdoor space,” notes Jackson. Many of their newer developments feature homes with loft levels or rooftop terraces, as more and more people desire a place for respite.

In time, EYA sought an even better way to build the urban environment—one that would enhance an entire community’s well-being. By 2007, they made the decision to develop all new projects under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes model. “That really pushed us [toward] a quantum improvement in terms of methods, energy efficiency, features, and benefits in the units,” says Jackson. (No other homebuilder in the Washington, D.C., area has earned as many LEED certifications.)

“More and more people want to be in the infill environment and want to stay there longer,” notes Jackson. An uptick in the number of first-time buyers, young families, empty-nesters, and retirees has led to adaptations in floor plans, layouts, and other major design elements. Additionally, there is now a wider range of price points in many of their larger community developments. “We strive to create a broad product mix,” says Jackson.

Toward that end, mixed-income housing developments are among their projects. “Those communities have a significant amount of socioeconomic diversity,” notes Jackson. Capitol Quarter, for example, is one-third low-income housing, one-third moderate or working-income housing, and one-third market rate. EYA’s inclusionary housing—housing required by the city, which may or may not be incentive based—results in 10 to 15 percent of homes targeted for people who can afford between 60 and 85 percent of their area median income (as opposed to affordable housing, for which there is a much higher percentage of the units targeted at a much lower income bracket).

Old Town Commons, a very recent mixed-income project in Old Town, Alexandria, spans five blocks at the city’s gateway. It had been the site of a public housing facility with 194 units. Having forged a partnership with the Public Housing Authority for the site’s redevelopment, EYA replaced 60 of the public housing units that had been there, and then built another 134 units, 154 townhomes, and 86 condominiums, plus added significant green space that includes a park.

“We ended up basically taking a site that was all low-income housing and transforming it into a site that was one-third low-income housing and two-thirds market-rate housing,” explains Jackson. “It’s all designed to feel like one product—you can’t visually distinguish the affordable housing from the market-rate housing.” (The market-rate housing is LEED certified; the affordable housing is a mix of LEED- and EarthCraft-certified units.) In its entirety, Old Town Commons is a remarkable transformation from the two-story Army barracks-like building that once sat there. “The affordable housing is still there,” notes Jackson, “but it is part of a mixed-income community.”

Other noteworthy developments include Capitol Quarter, which features over 300 LEED for Homes-certified townhomes, workforce homes, and affordable rental homes. (It has become a national model for mixed-income development and has led to the revitalization of the ballpark district in Southeast Washington.) Harrison Square is located on the site of the old Children’s Hospital—it takes up an entire city block, blends beautifully with the historic neighborhood, and is credited with sparking a renaissance of the U Street Corridor. Capitol Square comprises 93 townhomes designed with traditional colonial exteriors and modern interiors, while Bryan Square—the redevelopment of a historic school property—features 38 row homes with three distinct architectural styles designed to complement the surrounding neighborhood. And Chancellor’s Row, a 10-acre community of new townhomes, is a prime example of EYA’s modern LEED-certified designs.

Adding 250 families to an existing community, as in the case of Old Town Commons, requires a lot of forethought if it is to result in a “positive culture,” notes Jackson. “We are always building in a context that exists, usually a neighborhood.” EYA’s understanding of community begins with an examination of the existing aesthetic. “We aren’t trying to mimic it, we want to complement it… we are trying to weave ourselves into the fabric of the neighborhood.”

To do so, EYA affiliates make efforts to meet and understand the people in the neighborhoods in which they plan to build. They get a feel for the “vibe” of a place. Their onsite offices are up to speed on what is happening in the neighborhood—the events, civic groups, etc. so they can help integrate homebuyers into their new community. “We find that most people who choose to live in a dense urban environment want to be connected,” says Jackson. “They want to be plugged in and we try to facilitate that.”

“Know Your Neighbor” welcoming events, are one example of such efforts. Hosted for people who will be moving into their homes at about the same time, EYA provides an orientation to the community—its offerings, amenities, etc. “But really the purpose of the event is to get them to know each other,” says Jackson. The program started with their mixed-income communities to minimize the potential for social conflict. “What we found was that it is such a powerful and effective way to build community that we do it in every development now.” They also create community associations and assemble Listservs to be used by new residents to connect with one another, though they often result in a community Facebook page. “The Listservs are just meant to seed communication,” says Jackson.

EYA has received some of the most prestigious national awards for housing design, development, and livability. A strong market supports their work, a solid team furthers their prosperity, and a respected brand stretches their reach. But perhaps the most important thing to be said about EYA is that community is at its core—driving every aspect of every project to make “life within walking distance” attainable for all walks of life.

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In part, that shift is what led to UDC’s conjunction with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Together they have identified five areas of priority to enhance food systems and production: Global Food Security, Food Safety, Sustainable Energy, Climate Change, and Childhood Obesity/Nutrition. The business-incubator kitchen will be a space in which to address some of these issues while also helping DC residents take steps toward self-employment. “We will use it also as a means for…training those who maybe have mom-and-pop recipes and want to become caterers or want to have their own line of food products,” explains Hare. “We have this opportunity to get them certified to work, standardize their recipes [for use] in a commercial kitchen, and [help] them start up and minimize liability.”

As a university-based endeavor, education will be the kitchen’s core. In addition to a brick and mortar facility, nutrition education and business training will be inherent in the program. Educators, like Hare and Dr. Dwane Jones, director of the Center for Sustainable Development College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) will provide the training. “It’s special because, to my knowledge, we are the only university that is doing this. It’s more prevalent in the commercial industry,” notes Dr. Jones.

The college comprises five land-grant centers, three of which will play a major role in the project—the Center for Sustainable Development; the Center for Nutrition, Diet, and Health; and the Center for Urban Agriculture, the last of which is the starting point for the food production and harvesting component of the model. “We are unique in that we are a land-grant university,” says Dr. Jones, “which means we have the task of taking education out from the main campus into the community—relevant research-based education.” UDC is also the only land-grant institution in the nation with an exclusively urban emphasis. They receive funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to offer agriculture-based programming. Every other land-grant university in the nation has a rural component. UDC does not. Their territories are strictly urban, which means they focus on micro- and small-scale urban farming. They work with community gardens and the DC Housing Authority, with whom they are developing a modern urban farm on three acres of vacant land; it is adjacent to a metro stop and easily accessed. They are also currently mapping underutilized and vacant lots as well as potential green roofs for future acquisition and use. Additionally, the university owns and operates a 143-acre research farm in nearby Beltsville, Maryland, that serves as an agricultural experiment station, where they test innovative ideas and technologies in order to replicate those ideas for application in the District. The university is also home to one of the largest, if not the largest, food production green roofs in the District.

The Center for Nutrition, Diet, and Health does the majority of related outreach and community education around the Food Hub’s mission. UDC currently has 483 sites including public schools, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits with which they partner to provide food handling certification training. They also do demonstrations at farmers’ markets. “We have the visibility already,” notes Hare. What was lacking, prior to the kitchen idea, was a mechanism for getting people properly trained to go into business for themselves. “We have had a lot of individuals express interest in this process, so we are hoping the commercial kitchen, in terms of the food preparation, will be able to support this initiative.”

Once the kitchen is up and running in November, interested parties can submit an application to be vetted by a panel. “They need to demonstrate their motivation,” says Dr. Jones. “Those who are accepted will receive technical support to be successful in the space.”

Workshops held at the congregations spread the word about mitigating waste, growing vegetables in the church gardens, and carpooling. Top right photo: Kathy Arnold; Left and bottom right photos: Kari R. Frey, FREYtography

Of course, the program’s results will be measured. Faculty members plan to assess the impact of the system in terms of how it is (or is not) creating “healthy people and a healthy city.” Those overseeing it will first capture baseline data and then use surveys and interviews to determine behavior modifications of participants and impacts on society at large. “There are many different facets we are pursuing with regard to that,” says Dr. Jones. “We call it the ‘So What Factor.’ We are engaging in all of these activities and projects and initiatives…so what? What does it mean to an individual? What does it mean to the community? What does it mean to the District as a whole? And because we are the nation’s capital, what does it mean for the nation, as other institutions and entities look to us for leadership?” There will be a full spectrum of analyses to follow. Dr. Jones calls it the “triple bottom line”—the social, environmental, and economic impacts of this project will be the true measure of its success.

In addition to the commercial kitchen space, UDC is launching a food truck—one whose purpose goes beyond straight food distribution. “We are designing and purchasing a nutrition and education vehicle…and using it to build Food Hubs—at least one in each ward of the district,” says Dr. Jones. It will be yet another training tool for aspiring entrepreneurs in the culinary industry. “It will be used as a mobile research and education vehicle.” According to Hare, the food truck is part of a process that integrates research into the Food Hub equation. “Every one of our centers has a role to play in supporting our Food Hubs in terms of research and community education. That’s how we are looking at it. We see it as a mechanism to continuously improve. It’s not a static system—it’s really dynamic.”

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It was clear that the High Line was to be the major point of our attention and the Hudson River, of course. The project needed to relate to both,” says Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) partner Elisabetta Trezzani, who was involved from the very beginning when New York City’s new Whitney Museum was but a concept being discussed at its former Madison Avenue location.

The museum’s move downtown is a “return to its roots in the Village,” since at its opening in 1931, the Whitney stood on West 8th Street. Its second reincarnation, in 1954, saw it grow to 65,000 square feet on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Ultimately, however, the Marcel Breuer-designed building could accommodate only 10 percent of the museum’s permanent collection, which led to yet another relocation. Now, situated at the southernmost entrance of the High Line, it is a strong visual and physical tie to the urban landscape.

“One of the main points was to create a place at the ground level that was transparent and calming and connected to the city,” says Trezzani. RPBW wanted to take full advantage of the “fantastic new feature” in the city (the High Line), in a complementary way. Toward that end, the team—in partnership with waterfront design specialists Cooper, Robertson & Partners—decided to mass the building such that it would scale down on the High Line side while the bulk of it would face the river. “The idea was to always have a connection between inside and outside,” says Trezzani. “The gallery needed to have not just a view out but an outside gallery.” Hence the stepping terraces, which serve as “urban stages,” at each level on the east side.

The museum’s curtain wall is made with insulated glass with a three-tiered shading system.

Sheathed in blue-gray enamel steel panels, the eight-story museum is powerfully asymmetrical and appropriately industrial, given its surroundings. The character of neighboring loft buildings and the streetscape, as well as the property lines, setbacks, and city regulations all determined what was to become its signature shape. The team wanted to maximize the ground level space, maintain a view of the High Line and the river, and take optimum advantage of natural light sources as well as opportunities for open areas.

The expansion nearly doubles the museum’s exhibition space, enabling the first comprehensive view of its growing collection, which today comprises more than 19,000 works of modern and contemporary American art. The entrance, lobby, and ground floor make up a dramatically cantilevered plaza, or “largo,” which serves as a free and open transitional space between the street and the collection. The whole structure contains approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries, 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space, and an 18,000-square-foot gallery for special exhibitions. An education center; a 170-seat multiuse theatre; a black box theatre for film, video, and performance with an adjacent outdoor gallery; and a Works on Paper Study Center, Conservation Lab, and Library Reading room all resulted from this most recent expansion. Additionally, a top-floor studio café offers a sit-down respite, where visitors enjoy natural light from a sawtooth-configured skylight system.

“The building is quite simple,” says Trezzani. “It has this central core where all the vertical elements are aimed.” To “express” what lies beyond this core, RPBW looked to key characteristics of the city itself. They used concrete, they exposed the cooling tower, and they built an exterior stairway with glazed walkways that connect all the terraces. Combined, these elements reference the urban landscape—its primary building material, water towers, and fire escapes, respectively. “We wanted to create a language that was specific to the museum but related always to the city,” explains Trezzani.

In terms of its LEED Gold certification, green measures include glass windows designed to take in diffused natural light from the north, which Trezzani describes as “the best light,” as it allows for more control and results in less energy consumption. Additionally, the whole museum is lit with LED fixtures. “In a museum… lighting is one of the most energy-consuming [features],” notes Trezzani. “In the last five years, the market has really changed… a lot of progress has been made in the quality of LED lights and color control.”

Building project manager Larissa Gentile concurs: “Lighting is an especially sensitive issue for museums, whose whole purpose is to display art works in the way they are meant to be seen—in the best light, literally.” Traditionally, contemporary museums have gone with incandescent lighting, which is, of course, hugely consumptive. “We were waiting for advances in LED lighting to come up to where we wanted them to be, specifically for color rendering,” notes Gentile.

Other energy saving efforts included the installation of a 75-kilowatt co-generation engine and a ventilation system that makes use of outside air. “Most of what we were trying to achieve related to energy savings,” notes Gentile. That’s no small feat for a museum that needs to strictly regulate its climate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. “Looking at ways to reduce consumption was key to the design,” she says, noting that the original goal was LEED Silver certification, but she adds, “We found with a little extra hard work and a little extra commitment, we could go over and above and get LEED Gold.”

Low-flow, automated faucets and toilets, a stormwater retention tank—which retains all runoff from roofs for irrigation and for the cooling towers—a green roof, and plaza-level planters that help reduce runoff to the sewage system are all at work in the new location. Of special note are the gallery floors, which are made of reclaimed heart pine wood beams from defunct area mills. “We love them,” says Gentile. “You could only find them here. It’s a very Whitney thing.”

Additionally, the museum’s curtain wall is devised of specially insulated glass and a three-tiered shading system. “Our envelope was quite robust already,” notes Gentile, “meaning [we have] a highly insulated sandwich between the interior and exterior spaces for controlling glare and diffusing light to protect the art works.”

Affiliates discuss their green initiatives whenever possible, especially during tours. “From the museum standpoint, it is something we absolutely highlight whenever we are talking about the building,” says Gentile, adding it was never an option to not make the building sustainable: “It was very important to Renzo that our new building be designed as a sustainable building. He said not thinking of that is just wrong. You have to go forward and build with that mindset. The museum was very much on board. We wanted to do whatever we could.”

So, how has the new museum fared since its opening? “In the last three months, it has had the same number of visitors it normally has in one year,” says Trezzani. “In general, we have heard very, very good feedback.” That reaction comes not only from visitors, but also from insiders like Gentile who inhabit the building daily. “To create a new museum—the only art museum in New York City to be LEED Gold—is phenomenal, and to have a hand in that is even better.”

The new building, completed this past spring, will be the first LEED Gold-certified museum in NYC. Located in the booming Meatpacking District and sandwiched between the Hudson River and the High Line—Manhattan’s recently completed urban park built on an abandoned elevated spur from the 1930s—the Whitney occupies an extraordinary site indeed. “The city was always supporting the idea of a cultural project in this location,” notes Trezzani, who together with her team specifically designed the museum to connect visitors to the downtown community as well as the cityscape.

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“That energy audit was a good starting point. Then the thought became: ‘We have this energy audit—what’s next? What do we do with this information?’” Andrews says. “That’s where USGBC’s ADVANCE program proved useful.”

The congregations saw sustainability on a spectrum: Some saw how cost savings could help expand their mission, while others had environmental stewardship sewn into the fabric of their ministry. Along the same lines, some had been longtime sustainability proponents, while others were just getting started. “We weren’t just one organization with all of its stakeholders at the table: We were a diverse group of organizations with one or two champions at the table,” says Johanna Schweiss, volunteer and outreach coordinator for the Missouri Gateway chapter.

Meanwhile, it was a perfect opportunity for USGBC volunteers around St. Louis to share their building science expertise and gain further experience. “The cool thing about ADVANCE is that it’s a portal for both sides: Volunteers find a place that fits their passion and interest, and congregations, nonprofits, and other groups to find the assistance they need to green their buildings and their communities,” Andrews says.

At the February PLANBuilder workshop at the Lafayette Park United Methodist Church in St. Louis, USGBC volunteers versed in all sectors of sustainability gathered with representatives from 15 multifaith congregations. After summarizing each LEED credit category, the attendees paired off to talk about the needs of each congregation and set distinct goals. Those goals and the strategies to achieve them were compiled in workbooks detailing the steps each congregation needed to take. For congregations that had yet to receive an energy audit, benchmarking went to the top of the list of strategies for representatives to share with their congregations.

For congregations that already had energy audits, next steps ran the gamut from low- and no-cost tweaks like changing thermostat and hot-water heater settings, all the way to budgeting for capital investments. “One congregation said they expect to need a new roof within a few years, and after the workshop, they’ve made getting a high-reflectance roof into a priority,” Schweiss says. Additionally, USGBC encouraged every congregation to take the 25 x 20 Pledge, a benchmarking initiative that’s part of its campaign in St. Louis to reduce buildings’ energy consumption 25 percent by the year 2020.

The workshop also allowed congregations to share some of their sustainability success stories, like organizing initiatives to mitigate the waste generated during after-service coffee hours, using church gardens to grow food for local food banks, and using carpooling as a way to help needy congregation members make it to Sunday services—while reducing single-occupancy vehicles in the parking lot. “We had such great things already happening, and it was lovely to see people share those projects and give each other the appreciation they deserved for work they had already done,” Schweiss says. Thanks to ADVANCE, the experts and the enthusiasts have a rapport with one another, a vital step in bringing those PLANBuilder strategies to fruition. Now, it’s time to make the community they all cherish a deeper shade of green.

Workshops held at the congregations spread the word about mitigating waste, growing vegetables in the church gardens, and carpooling. Top right photo: Kathy Arnold; Left and bottom right photos: Kari R. Frey, FREYtography

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“That energy audit was a good starting point. Then the thought became: ‘We have this energy audit—what’s next? What do we do with this information?’” Andrews says. “That’s where USGBC’s ADVANCE program proved useful.”

The congregations saw sustainability on a spectrum: Some saw how cost savings could help expand their mission, while others had environmental stewardship sewn into the fabric of their ministry. Along the same lines, some had been longtime sustainability proponents, while others were just getting started. “We weren’t just one organization with all of its stakeholders at the table: We were a diverse group of organizations with one or two champions at the table,” says Johanna Schweiss, volunteer and outreach coordinator for the Missouri Gateway chapter.

Meanwhile, it was a perfect opportunity for USGBC volunteers around St. Louis to share their building science expertise and gain further experience. “The cool thing about ADVANCE is that it’s a portal for both sides: Volunteers find a place that fits their passion and interest, and congregations, nonprofits, and other groups to find the assistance they need to green their buildings and their communities,” Andrews says.

At the February PLANBuilder workshop at the Lafayette Park United Methodist Church in St. Louis, USGBC volunteers versed in all sectors of sustainability gathered with representatives from 15 multifaith congregations. After summarizing each LEED credit category, the attendees paired off to talk about the needs of each congregation and set distinct goals. Those goals and the strategies to achieve them were compiled in workbooks detailing the steps each congregation needed to take. For congregations that had yet to receive an energy audit, benchmarking went to the top of the list of strategies for representatives to share with their congregations.

For congregations that already had energy audits, next steps ran the gamut from low- and no-cost tweaks like changing thermostat and hot-water heater settings, all the way to budgeting for capital investments. “One congregation said they expect to need a new roof within a few years, and after the workshop, they’ve made getting a high-reflectance roof into a priority,” Schweiss says. Additionally, USGBC encouraged every congregation to take the 25 x 20 Pledge, a benchmarking initiative that’s part of its campaign in St. Louis to reduce buildings’ energy consumption 25 percent by the year 2020.

The workshop also allowed congregations to share some of their sustainability success stories, like organizing initiatives to mitigate the waste generated during after-service coffee hours, using church gardens to grow food for local food banks, and using carpooling as a way to help needy congregation members make it to Sunday services—while reducing single-occupancy vehicles in the parking lot. “We had such great things already happening, and it was lovely to see people share those projects and give each other the appreciation they deserved for work they had already done,” Schweiss says. Thanks to ADVANCE, the experts and the enthusiasts have a rapport with one another, a vital step in bringing those PLANBuilder strategies to fruition. Now, it’s time to make the community they all cherish a deeper shade of green.

Workshops held at the congregations spread the word about mitigating waste, growing vegetables in the church gardens, and carpooling. Top right photo: Kathy Arnold; Left and bottom right photos: Kari R. Frey, FREYtography

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