local pulse

Q&A with Alex Liftman

2016 May-June, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="22194" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="22192" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1462470713339{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]As Global Environmental Executive for Bank of America, Alex Liftman is responsible for the company’s environmental sustainability strategy. She oversees the bank’s aggressive operational goals, its environmental business initiative, and its policy positions and philanthropic investments.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.What is the Catalytic Finance Initiative? The Catalytic Finance Initiative (CFI) is a multipartner collaboration launched in September 2014 by Bank of America. The goal of the initiative is to stimulate at least $10 billion of new investment into high-impact, yet hard to finance, clean-energy and sustainability projects. The initiative is focused on developing or advancing innovative financing structures that reduce investment risk, and thereby attract a broader range of institutional investors to these projects. Bank of America began the initiative with a $1 billion capital commitment and asked others to join. Q.What are the main goals of the Initiative? The goal of the CFI is to demonstrate how we can accelerate and scale up investment into high-impact clean energy projects by making it easier for larger amounts of capital to be mobilized and invested. In general, we expect CFI to focus...

Q&A with Libby Schaaf

2016 March-April, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="21876" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="21875" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1458589799748{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Mayor Libby Schaaf was inaugurated Oakland, California’s 50th mayor on January 5, 2015. She is committed to revitalization that preserves and celebrates Oakland’s diversity and leads to direct prosperity for long-time residents and newcomers. Her four areas of focus as mayor are holistic community safety, responsive trustworthy government, sustainable vibrant infrastructure, and equitable jobs and housing.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.What are some of the threats of climate change to the city of Oakland? As a waterfront city, Oakland is threatened by sea level rise. Our airport, seaport, and low-lying neighborhoods are all at risk as sea levels rise and tidal and storm influences change. In addition, climate models predict more intense droughts and storms, which will affect our entire community as wildfires and floods grow stronger and more damaging. However, the most critical threat that Oakland faces is the impact of climate justice. Ensuring that the City can protect the lives, homes, and well-being of our most vulnerable community members in the face of a changing environment is key to our sustainability strategy. Q.Who will be most affected? Communities of...

Q&A with Katherine Hammack

2016 January-February, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="21533" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="21531" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1454011306345{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]The Honorable Katherine Hammack was appointed the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment (ASA IE&E) by President Obama on June 28, 2010. She is the primary advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army on all Army matters related to installation policy, oversight, and coordination of energy security and management. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.What are some of your responsibilities in your role with the U.S. Army? As the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, I am responsible for policy and oversight of sustainability and environmental initiatives; resource management, including design, military construction, operations, and maintenance; base realignment and closure (BRAC); privatization of Army family housing, lodging, real estate, and utilities; and the Army’s installations safety and occupational health programs. Q.What has been your greatest achievement in your 5 years in this position? I am proud to lead a team to establish the Army’s Net Zero program, publish a comprehensive Energy Security and Sustainability Strategy and create the Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI). The Net Zero Strategy is the...

Q&A with Kevin Kampschroer

2015 November-December, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="21130" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="21128" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1446143439697{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Kevin Kampschroer created the framework for which GSA responds to the challenges of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s mandate to move GSA’s Federal building inventory toward high-performance green buildings.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.When did you take over as the GSA Federal Director? I have been the Federal Director for the GSA Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings since the office’s inception in March, 2008. The Office was created by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Q.What are the sustainability goals of the General Services Administration (GSA)? GSA set goals for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, building energy efficiency, water efficiency, renewable energy use, percentage of green buildings, and GHG per mile for fleet. We benchmark these goals (and their sub-goals) across the Federal government. For example, one sub-goal is purchasing a certain percentage of alternative-fuel and electric vehicles. Another is conducting energy audits every four years on each of GSA’s larger buildings. Over the last 10 years, GSA reduced the energy intensity of our portfolio by 32 percent, and we’ve set a goal of another 25 percent...

Q&A with Pepper Smith

2015 September-October, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="20691" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] llustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="20690" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1443190217194{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Pepper Smith joined Davis Energy Group in 2007, managing the residential sustainability consulting and programs group including LEED for Homes, Enterprise Communities, Green Point Rated, and other verification programs. Currently, she is the company’s director of sustainability. She is also the current chair of the GreenBuild Program Working Group and has sat on a number of national USGBC committees. Pepper also taught LERN online courses offered at colleges around the world and at UC Berkeley Extension in their Sustainable Building Certificate Program.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.How did you get involved in LEED for Homes Provider program? I started working on LEED for Homes in 2005 as a production builder where we built one of the first LEED Homes in the country. When I came onboard with Davis Energy Group in 2007, they were already a LEED for Homes Provider (one of the original 12), and I manage that providership. Q.How are you educating homebuilders on the value of LEED? Every meeting we have with homebuilders, we discuss green building in general as we gauge where they are on the green building programs ladder. This...

Q&A with Mark Ginsberg

2015 July-August, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="20293" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="20296" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1437073949913{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Mark Ginsberg founded Ginsberg Green Strategies in January 2012 to consult on Eco-Cities, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. In Fall 2012, the U.S. Green Building Council designated Ginsberg as the first USGBC senior fellow, where he serves as a senior policy advisor and Ambassador. Prior to that, he served as a senior executive at the U.S. Department of Energy for 20 years and the Arizona Energy Office for 10 years. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.What is most remarkable about LEED’s trajectory? It still stuns me to see how far and wide LEED has grown in so little time. When Rob Watson first came to me with the idea for a green building rating system–and the hopeful promise of a full turnkey effort for just $100,000!– I could never have envisioned it being used in 150 countries with over 13 billion square feet of space rated. From a few early federal buildings and industry leaders, it amazes me to see iconic buildings like the Empire State Building, Shanghai Tower, TAIPEI 101 and Carpe Diem in Paris all LEED rated. The 2002 Olympic Oval Building...

Q&A with Helen Kessler

2015 May-June, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="19825" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="19828" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1430494071011{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Helen is addicted to continuous learning, has been a leader of green building projects for over 30 years, and currently runs a sustainability consulting practice that focuses on green building, LEED, and energy efficiency. She is a past USGBC Illinois Chapter Board member and has received numerous awards, including the chapter’s prestigious “Intent to Matter” and Chapter Leader awards. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.How and why did you get into green building and LEED? My final project in architecture school in the mid 1970s was a solar house and my first job after graduation included doing research on passive solar heating and cooling systems and designing passive homes. In 1991, I became deeply involved with the nascent American Institute of Architects Chicago Committee on the Environment. At the time, I was consulting on energy efficiency and lighting design projects. As a committee, we actively debated green building and, more than anything, we wanted to work on a green building project. Eventually we had the opportunity to work on the first municipal LEED Platinum project in the country. Q.What is the coolest project you’ve worked...

Q&A with Bryna Dunn

2015 March-April, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="19334" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="19335" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1428423242454{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]As the firm’s director of sustainability planning, Bryna is able to exclusively focus on advancing the implementation and effectiveness of sustainable and energy-saving design strategies. Admired for her passion to protect the natural environment while improving the built environment, she has become one of the region’s foremost experts on integrating green concepts into facility designs. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.How and why did you get into green building and LEED? I have always been concerned, from a young age, about the disconnect between our built environment and our natural environment. I grew up in a military family and moved around a lot as a child, and so I saw a lot of different development patterns and rates of natural destruction. It took me until graduate school to realize that I wanted to work with the folks who design our built environment—these folks have such an amazing ability to see and shape the future. I wanted to be the part of that conversation that asked about the trees, and the water, and the energy demands, and the human health impacts. I decided the best way for me,...

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