September 5, 2018

Make Your Voice Heard and Your Vote Count – Special Environmental Forum on the 2018 Elections

  This year’s elections will be key in determining the fate of environmental and climate change policy, and New Yorkers will have a lot to weigh in on. The NY State Attorney General’s race could even impact nation-wide policy. In what could be a pivotal election year, it’s crucial that we become educated voters before we head to the polls in November.   Please join GreenHomeNYC, the New York League of Conservation Voters, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice on September 20th for an election-focused environmental forum.   Learn about: The results of the September 13th New York State primaries Which offices are up for election and who is running in November Where all the candidates stand on the environment Environmental legislation that is before the New York City Council and New York State Legislature How YOU can get involved in local environmental justice initiatives (more…)

August 8, 2018

August Forum: The Community-Driven Sustainable Economy with Hunter Lovins

How can an individual drive sustainable economic development in a city of 10 MILLION?   On August 23rd, join Hunter Lovins, global sustainability pioneer and Founder of Natural Capital Solutions, to explore the power and potential of local action on sustainable business growth and community development.   In our busy 21st century, technology-bound lives, the idea of community is in some ways diminishing. Why do there seem to be modern dimensions of life that actually reduce the importance of local communities? Are we distorting the very meaning of life when local communities are set up to feed larger societal systems?   As part of this forum, Hunter will introduce us to LASER – Local Action for Sustainable Economic Renewal. The LASER platform’s purpose is to create wealth that provides people with long term economic security and the ability of future generations to live healthy and fulfilled lives. Real wealth is inextricably linked to the satisfaction of our human needs and overall well-being. The LASER approach provides a structure for how individuals and organizations can impact economic advancement within their communities and sustainably improve the lives of others.   It may be easy to get lost in the speed and vastness of New York City, but there are powerful tools and techniques for individuals to discover what community really means and first-handedly drive economic and social impact in this concrete jungle.   We look forward to seeing you at the August forum with Hunter!   The forum is presented by GreenHomeNYC in collaboration with Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability program. We thank Bard in advance for kindly hosting this event at their NYC satellite campus within the LMHQ collaborative workspace.   Date: Thursday, August 23rd, 2018 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Location: LMHQ, 150 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10038   Register here!   Our featured speaker will be:   L. Hunter Lovins is the President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS), a non-profit formed in 2002 in Longmont, CO. A renowned author and champion of sustainable development for over 35 years, Hunter has consulted on business, economic development, sustainable agriculture, energy, water, security, and climate policies for scores of governments, communities, and companies worldwide. Within the United States, she has consulted for heads of state, departments of defense, energy agencies and hundreds of state and local agencies.   Hunter believes that citizens, communities and companies, working together within the market context, are the most dynamic problem-solving force on the planet. She has devoted herself to building teams that can create and implement practical and affordable solutions to the problems facing us in creating a sustainable future.   Hunter has co‐authored fifteen books and hundreds of articles, and was featured in the award‐winning film, Lovins On the Soft Path. Time Magazine recognized her as a Millennium Hero for the Planet, and Newsweek called her the Green Business Icon. She has taught at numerous universities around the world and is currently a founding professor of Sustainable Management at Bard MBA.  

July 9, 2018

July Forum: Certified Living – The Living Building Challenge

Certified Living – The Living Building Challenge Dissected     The concept of buildings performing as an ecosystem is becoming a reality as advancing design strategies and certifications strengthen the integration of the natural and built environments. Living Building Challenge, administered by the International Living Future Institute, challenges buildings to function as a sustainable system by encouraging thoughtful and holistic design.   Join GreenHome NYC Wednesday July 18th to deepen your knowledge of healthy, impactful building design. Learn about the positive impacts and potential ramifications of buildings pursuing the Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification from LBC and construction experts.   Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Time: 6:30-8pm Location: BrightPower, 11 Hanover Square, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10005   Register here! (more…)

June 19, 2018

June Forum: Sustainability & Social Justice

With a growing awareness of sustainable development practices in the built-environment, it is critical to assess whether the people involved are the ones whose communities are being directly affected by the development. For instance, it might be the case that a highly energy efficient building is celebrated but at the cost of a local marginalized community. It is important that we are taking care of the environment while also taking care of its people.   At this month’s forum focused on Sustainability & Social Justice, several speakers will discuss the actions that are being taken through community organizing and campaigning with the needs of potentially marginalized communities at the forefront of their efforts. As we hear from these organizations, we invite you to think about how we can develop sustainably with all parties’ interests involved.   Date: Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 Time: 6:30-8:00pm Place: Knoll Showroom, 1330 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019   Click here to register! (more…)

April 28, 2018

May Forum: Resilient Solar

As the solar energy industry continues its breakneck growth, more questions arise around how we can use this intermittent source of energy and still have reliably consistent power. This issue becomes even more critical in an era of more frequent and catastrophic climate events that can and have taken down the electrical grid.   In 2018, we are seeing the rise of Resilient Solar: the pairing of solar energy systems with complementary technologies to provide stable, continuous power to buildings and communities even when the electrical grid is down as we experienced in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Maria, among other events in recent years. We’re talking about energy storage technologies, community solar, on-site generation, microgrids, cogeneration (combined heat & power) and more.   As startups, developers, tech companies, governments, utilities, and community groups dedicate themselves to creating new solutions towards building a resilient energy infrastructure, we invite you to join the conversation on May 16th at GreenHomeNYC’s May forum hosted by Urban Future Lab, to meet experts, ask questions, and learn about what’s happening here in NYC and beyond.   Date: Wednesday, May 16th, 2018 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Place: Urban Future Lab, 15 MetroTech Ctr, 19th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201   Register here!   We highly encourage attendees to register in advance, as fees increase at the door. If registering at the door, credit/debit card is strongly preferred.   (more…)

April 11, 2018

Monthly Forum: Sustainable Policy 201

For many years, GreenHomeNYC has dedicated an annual Policy Forum in the name of Patty Noonan, a GreenHomeNYC Founder and a trailblazer in sustainability who helped change the industry before we lost her way too soon. Her work with the Housing Partnership started the first replicable efficient affordable housing demonstration in the region, and paved the way for the high performance affordable housing that we see today.   At this years forum, four building energy professionals will discuss the local policy that affects sustainability in the NYC region. The “Sustainable Policy 201” forum will engage students, professionals and interested citizens from across the sustainable spectrum in order to gain a deeper understanding of the different environmental policies and regulations currently in place and how they are interconnected to influence future policy standards. At the conclusion of this forum, we hope to better understand where we have come from, where we stand today, and where we want to go to collectively move the city forward in its sustainable goals.   Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Time: 6:30-8:00 pm (Doors at 6pm, Forum will start promptly at 6:30 pm) Place: Knoll Showroom, 1330 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 *Note on the venue directions: Please do not enter through the ground level storefront. Walk through the revolving doors and the reception desk will guide you to the correct floor.   Register Here!   Speakers joining us for this discussion include: (more…)

March 18, 2018

February Forum Recap: How to be Cool and Efficient

by Yiran Song   Air conditioning is increasingly considered to be a required amenity in both residential and commercial settings. But concerns about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions gives us no time to waste in achieving more energy efficient AC systems. In the February GreenHomeNYC Forum “How to be Cool and Efficient”, three industry experts provided a detailed description of the mechanics of AC systems and the industry as a whole.   Systems and Relative Energy Efficiency Brendan Casey, of Fujitsu General America, believes that the Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) or so-called Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system is the future of AC systems. Even though VRF can be carried as cooling only, building owners and management companies in places like New York City should consider either heat pump or heat recovery systems which provide both cooling and heating. The heat recovery system carries higher installation cost, but it can provide both heating and cooling at the same time to different zones based on demand with only one control.   (more…)

February 1, 2018

Monthly Forum: How to be Cool and Efficient

As air conditioning is increasingly considered to be a required amenity in both residential and commercial settings, even as concern about global warming and greenhouse gasses has grown, this forum will discuss the key air conditioning system types and their related energy efficiency.  We will also discuss some design issues, troubleshooting installation problems and, finally focus on the need for expanded technician education and training.

 

Forum Agenda:

 

System Types and Relative Energy Efficiency – Brendan Casey, Fujitsu General America

Brendan will provide a brief overview of system types and focus on the fundamentals of Variable Refrigerant Flow technology and how these systems can be installed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

 

Design and Installation Issues – Michael Hlinka, Lightning Mechanical

Michael will provide an overview of design and installation issues that he faces and how problematic installations are identified and resolved.

 

Education and Training and Gaps in the Field – Craig Gallagher, Lightning Mechanical

Craig will provide an overview of the training and that his employees receive and speak about the education and training gaps that exist in the HVAC design and installation industry.

 

Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 Time: 6:30-8:00pm Location: Fujitsu Airstage, 1450 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

  RSVP HERE (more…)

January 5, 2018

January Forum: Green Catwalk 2018

Happy New Year from the GreenHomeNYC Forums Planning Committee!   As 2018 gets going, we’re starting off the year with our classic Green Catwalk forum, where we bring in speakers to present on new, innovative, unheard of, and just plain interesting topics, technologies, trends and organizations within the sustainability space. This year will include presentations on sustainable food, the recently approved VDER order and its potential impact on New York’s solar industry, and health optimization, among other subjects. Join us!   In addition, our first volunteer orientation of the year will take place right before the event, starting at 6 PM. If you’re interested in joining GreenHomeNYC as a volunteer, please sign up at https://greenhomenyc.org/get-involved/   Date: Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Place: Fujitsu Airstage, 1450 Broadway, 42nd floor, New York, NY 10018   Register here!   We highly encourage attendees to register in advance, as fees increase at the door. If registering at the door, credit/debit card is strongly preferred.   Event speakers include:   Ricky Stephens, Co-Founder at AgTech X ///// Speaking about sustainable food projects in NYC Ricky Stephens is a founder of AgTech X, which facilitates learning, collaboration, and inspiration in Urban Agriculture and other forward-looking solutions to urban food system challenges. The startup currently runs NYC’s only AgTech-focused co-working lab in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Ricky began his career in digital marketing and sales operations for marketing-tech firm Red Ventures, where he helped to launch and scale their first international office in Brazil. Alessandro Ciari, Director of Communications at Movers Not Shakers ///// Speaking about green moving services Alessandro is the Director of Communications at Movers, Not Shakers! an eco-friendly moving and logistics company based in Brooklyn. He has a major focus on source reduction as he has developed their reusable bins program to eliminate waste, has led a grassroots environmental initiative to reduce the use of plastic water bottles among campus communities and has worked on finding solutions in NYC to reduce waste produced by Styrofoam food containers. Michael Brown, Co-Founder & CEO at LogCheck ///// Speaking about mobile inspection software for building operators LogCheck is a mobile and web application that helps facility managers and their staff stay on top of routine inspections and maintenance tasks, enabling them to find, fix, and prevent problems everyday. The software is being used in hundreds of facilities across the U.S and Canada. Before founding LogCheck in 2012, Michael worked for several years in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental consulting, construction, and renewable energy. Maureen Mahle, Managing Director of Sustainable Housing Services at Steven Winter Associates ///// Speaking about ventilation to optimize health Maureen McGeary Mahle is the Managing Director of Sustainable Housing Services at Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA). Maureen has certified over 10,000 green housing units in 10 states under LEED for Homes and other green rating systems. She works to tie human health to energy efficiency and green building, and she has spent the past dozen years training developers, designers, and builders to think holistically and build meticulously. Tom Sahagian, Independent Energy-Efficiency Consultant ///// Speaking about heat pumps, insulation and PV Tom Sahagian began his energy-efficiency career working on a windmill in the South Bronx in the early 1980s. He subsequently spent a lot of time in basements, boiler rooms, electrical closets and rooftops troubleshooting building systems for the USDoE Weatherization program, NYC’s Dept. of Housing Preservation & Development and various engineering firms. He has designed steam and hot water heating systems, cogeneration systems and a control package for a hydro generator. He speaks and teaches widely and served on former mayor Bloomberg’s Green Codes Task Force. Now retired, he continues to work as a consultant and serves on the board of GreenHomeNYC. Celeste McMickle, Founder at Celestial Solutions ///// Speaking about holistic sustainability solutions for businesses Celestial Solutions was founded and is run by Celeste McMickle. Celeste’s has been using her energy and enthusiasm to support people and the environment for as long as she can remember and has been working in the sustainability industry for more than a decade. She received her B. Arch from Syracuse University and her Masters in Green Building from the San Francisco Institute of Architecture. She is a certified permaculture designer, master composter, Green Rater, LEED-H AP, and gardener. Celeste uses her mixed background of architecture, permaculture, composting, and recycling knowledge to make a positive impact on the environment wherever possible. She has published articles on the role of community involvement in recycling diversion programs and building certifications. Her projects have received national and international recognition for green building and sustainability goals. Linnea Paton, Senior Energy Analyst at JLL ///// Speaking about the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) & local government sustainability policies Linnea is an energy efficiency professional with experience working in corporate and institutional real estate. She holds a Master’s in urban sustainability from the City College of New York and a Bachelor’s in civil engineering and environmental policy from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is passionate about addressing climate change through innovation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy deployment. Currently she works as a senior energy analyst in the Energy and Sustainability Services division of JLL, an international real estate firm. She is a WELL building accredited professional.  

November 7, 2017

November Forum: Innovations in Transportation: Mobility in Smart Cities

  Join GreenHomeNYC for “Innovations in Transportation: Mobility in Smart Cities” at the fabulous new Hafele Showroom to learn about the ways cities are adapting to the latest innovations in technology coupled with the greater demands on infrastructure due to increased density and aging assets. The forum will target innovative solutions that are being championed to get people and goods where they need to be while reducing their carbon footprint. We’ll hear from five thought leaders on mobility and transportation in NYC as it strives to be a true Smart City.   Where: Hafele America Co, 20 West 22nd St Suite 201 (2nd Floor) New York, NY 10010 Date:  Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM xxx Register HERE!   (more…)