Green Schools
Adrienne Johnson Receives 2017 USGBC Leadership Award
On 15, Dec 2017 | In PEI Blog | By Larry
Adrienne Johnson, a Sustainability and Innovation Project Engineer at PEI, is a recipient of the prestigious 2017 Leadership Awards, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The awards are an annual recognition of the outstanding individuals and organizations at the forefront of the green building movement.
“Adrienne has proven her dedication to ensuring that healthy green buildings are accessible to all people, especially our most vulnerable populations, and it is only fitting that we honor her with this well-deserved recognition,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of USGBC and GBCI. She “has shown superb leadership in her community as an advocate for the green building movement and has inspired all of us to continue the charge forward in creating sustainable, healthy and connected communities through the built environment.”
Adrienne was a project manager for the Parkwood Tech Centre (PTC) Project, which is this year’s recipient of the Malcolm Lewis IMPACT! Award. A partnership between an all-female team of Stanford engineers and the South African education nonprofit, Bottomup, the PTC started as a way for the disadvantaged population in the Parkwood community of Cape Town, South Africa, to access computers and educational courses, especially for children. Adrienne helped lead the team who designed, fundraised for, and rebuilt the crumbling and unhealthy existing building. The new Parkwood Tech Centre not only connects the Parkwood community to new opportunities, it is a Net Positive Energy building that generates enough electricity to power all of Parkwood Primary School. The award included an $8,000 prize — the largest sum in its history — that will go directly to funding laptops and other technology infrastructure needs at the new center.
“It is an honor to work with Adrienne,” said CEO and Founder of Point Energy Innovations, Peter Rumsey. “I knew Malcolm when he was alive, and he was a champion of improving people’s lives through sustainable use of energy and design of buildings. Building a net positive energy technology education center for disadvantaged kids in South Africa is exactly what would have made Malcolm jump for joy.”
The award recipients were honored at the 2017 USGBC Leadership Awards Luncheon at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo on November 9, 2017 in Boston.
The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Point Energy Named Net Zero Energy Leader
On 12, Dec 2016 | In PEI Blog | By Molly
The New Buildings Institute recently recognized Point Energy Innovations as a Zero Net Energy (ZNE) leader for work on ZNE schools in California.
“Point Energy Innovations (PEI) is a leader in driving schools toward ZNE,” NBI said.
“The firm’s design of the Newcastle Elementary School, under the Prop 39 ZNE School Retrofit Pilot Program, went well beyond a simple retrofit coupled with massive photovoltaics. The team relentlessly pursued deep green measures achieving an energy use intensity of 16 (saving 36%), providing cost-effective ZNE as a package, and a healthier, quality environment for students and teachers.”
The Prop 39 ZNE School Retrofit Pilot Program provides state funding to public schools and community colleges to improve energy efficiency and increase their use of clean energy.