September 20, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Pat Logan

Countdown to BE NYC!

With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event!

One of the professionals participating in the conference is PAT LOGAN.   Pat Logan is Director of Project Finance in the New York office of Enterprise Community Partners, a nationwide nonprofit focused on creating opportunities for low- and moderate-income people through affordable housing in diverse, thriving communities.   Pat will be appearing at BE NYC on a panel titled “Real Financing, Real Quick (Financing for People With Short Attention Spans),” which is part of the conference’s Multifamily track.  Pat’s scheduled co-panelists are: John Skipper from Con Edison; Lindsay Robbins from NYSERDA; Chris Diamond from NYC Energy Efficiency Corp.; Sadie McKeown from Community Preservation Corp.; Lou Rizzo from National Grid; and Jesse Elton from LISC.   Pat’s interest in financing affordable housing comes from his longtime commitment to the public sector.  He attended Fordham University first as an undergraduate, then earned a master’s degree there in international political economy and development.  This was followed by a stint as an 8th grade teacher at St. Elizabeths in Washington Heights and an after-school program instructor in the Fordham section of the Bronx, where he made connections that eventually led to a position on the development team of a local nonprofit, the Fordham Bedford Housing Corp.  Pat remains active in local community affairs to the present, serving on the board of the Bronx County Historical Society.   We sat down with Pat and talked about how he hopes to contribute to his BE NYC panel’s mission to introduce the audience to various funding and grant opportunities for retrofits and/or audits leading to energy-efficient renovations: (more…)

September 16, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE-NYC: Warren Liebold

Countdown to BE-NYC! With only  days until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE-NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Warren Liebold.   Warren Liebold is Director of Metering and Conservation in the Bureau of Customer Service at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  In his 21 years at DEP, he has worked on a variety of conservation and efficiency initiatives, including the world’s largest toilet rebate program in the 1990s, and the more recent Automated Meter Reading project.  Prior to joining DEP, Warren worked in energy efficiency for existing buildings.  He served on the Mayor’s Sustainability Task Force and Green Codes Task Forces (1995-2010) and was a member of NYC DEP’s Drought Variance Board in 2003.   Warren is a speaker in the “Water, Water Everywhere” workshop, in the Multi-Family Track.   (more…)

September 12, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Les Bluestone

  Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Les Bluestone.   Les Bluestone, co-owner of Blue Sea Development, a sustainable property owner, development, general contracting, and management firm, will be speaking at two sessions during this upcoming BE NYC.  Having practiced in the real estate industry for thirty-five years, Les has a tremendous breadth of knowledge, and will be sharing his insight in “My “Aha!” Moment or What made you learn the ways of the Force?” of the WHAT THE PROS WANT TO KNOW track, and “Cogen A to Z” of the BUILDING SYSTEMS track.     Together with his business partner, Avery Seavey, Les has been on the leading edge of the green building industry for decades, having developed numerous sustainable properties, some of which were the first to earn green building certification in New York.  Just a few of Blue Sea Development’s accomplishments include the first ENERGY STAR certified affordable housing building in New York state,  the first LEED certified and LEED Platinum certified affordable housing in the state, and the first rooftop hydroponic farm on a residential building. (more…)

September 9, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Jonathan Flothow

Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making BE NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Jonathan Flothow.    Jonathan studied architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, spent several years doing energy audits, and for the past fifteen years has worked exclusively on troubleshooting, retrofitting, and designing steam and hydronic heating systems. He is currently a Building Systems Analyst with Steven Winter Associates.   Jonathan will be appearing at BE NYC on a panel titled “Steam Heat: Tech Tips for Successful Operation,” which is part of the conference’s Multifamily track.   How did you become focused on this particular area of sustainability? When I was doing multifamily audits, tenants and owners alike complained that the bottom floors were so overheated theyhad to keep their windows open, while the top floor apartments were freezing. It seemed like a pretty obvious problem to address. (more…)

September 6, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Scott Schultz

Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event! One of the professionals participating in the conference is Scott Schultz.   Scott Schultz is the Business Development Director for Advanced Solar Products; a solar energy design company based in New Jersey, and has been involved in the solar industry for over ten years. His environmental roots go back to 1972 as a co-founder for Long Island’s “Save our Bays” which was instrumental in building the first Tertiary Water Treatment Plant in NY State.   Trained by the Center for Sustainable Energy in New York, Scott has been designing and installing Solar PV Systems in the New York and New Jersey area for the past 12 years. He is an active member of US Green Building Council (USGBC), Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES), plus many more, and was the former Policy Chair for the Mid-Atlantic Solar Energy Industries Association (MSEIA)  

Scott is a co-chair for the Renewable & Resilience Track at BE NYC

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September 2, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Samantha Schoenberger

Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Samantha Schoenberger.  Ms. Schoenberger, LEED AP, BPI MFBA, is the Real Estate Facilities Manager for Selfhelp Community Services.  An extremely intelligent and driven young woman, Samantha grew up modestly in Newburgh, NY.  Having wanted to be an architect from the age of seven, she received a Bachelor’s of Science in Architectural Engineering from Alfred State College of Technology in 2007.  Samantha has worked since she was fourteen; her experience more recently includes positions at Habitat for Humanity NYC, Enterprise Community Partners, and an architecture firm.  She loves drawing and is an avid runner who is currently training for her seventh half-marathon.  Ms. Schoenberger was a presenter at last year’s NESEA conference in New York City, a speaker on tenant outreach at the Supportive Housing Network of New York (SHNNY) Managing Lean and Green Program, and a panel participant on Construction Management Training at Enterprise Community Partners.   Samantha is the co-chair for the Multifamily Track of BuildingEnergy NYC 2013. (more…)

August 30, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Josh Lehman

  Countdown to BE NYC! With only days until the conference, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Josh Lehman.   Josh Lehman, Program Manager at WinnCompanies, an environmentally-focused real estate development and management firm, is chair of the Building Systems track at BE NYC.   Josh earned a degree in Environmental Science from Brown University, and was an active NESEA member during, and since, his studies.  Having been involved with the real estate industry since 2006, he has witnessed first-hand the recent advancements and progressions that have been made within the green building field.  WinnCompanies continues to promote and enhance the presence of sustainability in the development and management of properties through a multitude of initiatives that are part of their “WinnGreen” program.  While the company is based in Boston, they manage 9,000 units in New York City, providing a great opportunity for impact in a dense urban environment.   (more…)

August 26, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Steven Winter

  Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until October 16th, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making the BE NYC conference an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Steven Winter.    Steven Winter spent his educational years studying architecture and architectural technology in Sydney and New York.  During Steven’s early professional life, he focused on approaches to making energy-efficient pre-fabricated buildings.   After working for twenty five years in the field of building science, Mr. Winter founded and is currently the President of Steven Winter Associates, which has provided research, consulting, and advisory services to improve commercial, residential, and multi-family built environments for private and public sector clients since 1972.   Meanwhile, Steven has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council and has taught at both Columbia University and the Pratt Institute.  He earned the Evergreen Awards Perspective in 2009, and was named a “Hero of the Planet” by Builder Magazine in December 2002 for his contributions to sustainable building in the U.S.   Steven is the co-chair for the Commercial & Institutional Track of Building Energy-NYC 2013.   (more…)

August 19, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Dan Rieber

  Countdown to BE NYC! With only days until October 16th, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making BE NYC  conference an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Dan Rieber.    Dan Rieber is the Weatherization Director at NMIC (Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation) as well as a frequent speaker at GreenHomeNYC forums. He has a BA from SUNY Stony Brook. Over the past 20 years Dan has given numerous presentations on various weatherization topics at the National Affordable Comfort conferences (ACI), National Multi Family Buildings conferences, National Weatherization Training conferences, Regional Weatherization Program conferences, NESEA, and GreenHomeNYC.   Dan will  be speaking about “Steam Heat: Tech Tips for Successful Operation” as part of the Multifamily track at BuildingEnergy NYC.   What is weatherization and why is it important for residential buildings? How does it affect the resident’s quality of life? Weatherization, in our Northeast climate, is mostly about keeping your building as efficient as possible during the heating season. This means making sure your walls are insulated (if they can be), insulating the roof, insulating pipes (heating and DHW), air sealing wherever you can, tuning your heating system to maximize its efficiency or replacing it for a more efficient unit. Repairing windows for drafts and replacing them if necessary. Being sure that you are making domestic hot water in as efficient a manner as possible can have a big impact on your energy bill. Domestic hot water is made all year round and can use more energy than heating in some buildings. Energy efficient lighting is an important part of the energy efficiency equation too, but has less of an impact on the heating side. Mechanical ventilation is another item to be looked at. Over ventilating can have an effect on heating use and the resident’s comfort. Resident quality of life is a big issue if people are cold in their homes. Seniors and young children are most susceptible to colder temperatures. On the flip side if people are overheated then the building is wasting money on fuel going up the chimney and there are health issues related to poor indoor air quality in this case. This leads to open windows in the winter time as well. (more…)

August 12, 2013

The Green Spotlight on BE NYC: Erica Brabon

  Countdown to BE NYC! With onlydays until October 16th, GreenHomeNYC is shining the spotlight on the experts who will be making BE NYC  conference an exceptional industry event!   One of the professionals participating in the conference is Erica Brabon.   Erica Brabon is a Senior Multifamily consultant at Steven Winter Associates. She is a frequent speaker at NESEA’s Building Energy conference and GreenHomeNYC events.  Erica will serve as co-chair of the Multifamily Buildings track for the upcoming BuildingEnergy NYC conference.  She will also be speaking at the workshop, “What Local Law 84 & 87 Mean and How to Get the Most Out of it”, at BE NYC.       What sparked your interest in sustainable building? Environmental activism is something I’ve been involved in since middle school. When I realized what an impact I could make working to make buildings more efficient in their use of energy and water, but also providing healthier living environments, I jumped at the opportunity.   Please reflect upon your experiences in speaking at GreenHomeNYC forums and Building Energy conferences? What are your thoughts on the programs? NESEA BE is my favorite conference because I not only learn from the pros but have a chance to meet them and talk shop in a unique environment. I’m a lifetime member and look forward to any NESEA events as well as GreenHomeNYC events. The connections made from both organizations have been integral in my professional development. The programs from both are great avenues for new ideas to not only reach the industry but the public. (more…)