net positive

How Building Decarbonization Can Transform HVAC

 
Buildings in the US account for 40% of carbon emissions. Eighty percent of that is from electricity use and the remainder is from the combustion of fossil fuels for heating and other uses at the building. As many states, utilities, and large corporations are moving to get electricity from clean, carbon neutral sources, it is clear that electricity is becoming the carbon free choice of energy for many in the US. Buildings that use natural gas and other fossil fuels for heating will be stuck producing carbon emissions, as electricity becomes increasingly carbon free. Natural gas can now be replaced with electric systems that provide equivalent or better service. An all electric building coupled with a renewable or carbon free source of electricity is considered to be a decarbonized building.
 
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Tags | decarbonization, green building, green design, net positive, Net Zero Energy, Net Zero Energy Leader, solar

Adrienne Johnson Receives 2017 USGBC Leadership Award

 
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.

Tags | green building, green design, Green Schools, net positive, solar, Stanford, USGBC Leadership Award, women in engineering