Articles
I say potato. You say potato. I say climate action plan. You say decarbonization strategy. No matter how you say it, let’s get this done.
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BERDO, BUEDO, LBER, oh my! The writing on the wall is clear: building performance standards for clean energy and emissions are taking shape nationwide. Here is a guide to the many acronyms cropping up in conversations about emissions reductions.
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Boston’s BERDO regulations can provide a model for building owners everywhere on how to approach the challenge of decarbonization using zero-over-time plans.
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With Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs) beginning this year for Boston building owners, it’s important to know your current and projected emissions when planning to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. New BERDO calculations changes may have changed your roadmap—here’s how to make sure your institution is prepared.
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With never a dull moment—and ever-present curiosity—one of GreenerU’s veteran engineers, Chris Lewis, understands a people-centric approach to building energy solutions.
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When we talk about decarbonizing buildings, the primary goal is clear: eliminate operational carbon by transitioning away from fossil fuels in favor of high-efficiency electric systems powered by renewables. Less frequently highlighted are the co-benefits of building decarbonization.
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Educational campuses have long relied on fossil-fuel-burning central heating plants. Now they are transitioning to low-carbon, high-efficiency energy systems, such as district geothermal.
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Artist Allison Newsome of Rhode Island is known for her creations of sustainable sculpture, including Three Sisters Rainkeep at Historic New England’s Casey Farm. Now she has created a new form of utility sculpture: the solar chimney.
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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provided sweeping benefits to building decarbonization efforts by expanding tax credits for certain clean energy projects such as geothermal and solar, among others. And for the first time, provisions were included to allow nonprofit institutions to participate.
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A decades-old problem of siting and permitting clean energy infrastructure expeditiously—with consideration for natural, community, and environmental justice impacts—was solved through a stakeholder-engaged, consensus-driven process. Governor Maura Healey signed the 2024 Climate Law into effect on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, ushering in a major step in the state's clean energy transition.
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GreenerU is excited to be selected as a vendor for the City of Boston’s newly launched Building Decarbonization Advisor Program. This initiative, part of the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), is designed to assist eligible building owners in identifying and developing decarbonization solutions and supporting Boston’s commitment to a net-zero future by 2050.
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In October, GreenerU’s CEO Rob Durning attended ASHRAE’s Decarbonization of Tall Buildings conference in New York City, a gathering of industry leaders focused on addressing the challenges and innovations in construction and building operations. Rob shared his insights with the GreenerU team, and we’re pleased to now share them here.
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GreenerU’s Vice President of Planning attended the Decarb New York 2024 Summit on September 19 and brought back some key takeaways about technologies, financing, and successes at higher education institutions across New York.
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From nuclear engineering to climate communications to data analytics, GreenerU's 2024 summer interns bring a wealth of interests and perspectives to the team—and we can't wait for you to get to know them better.
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With any new version of STARS comes a slew of methodology changes that can be difficult to manage and keep track of. With this in mind, GreenerU has identified the three most impactful changes that will affect your STARS process the next time you submit.
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Design is a powerful tool in GreenerU’s arsenal, and one that we leverage to tackle one of the biggest obstacles in our field: communicating about sustainability.
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The electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Massachusetts is getting a big financial boost. Learn more about what this means for drivers and the organizations looking to install charging stations.
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Whether reviewing, coordinating, or managing the entire process of submitting an inventory, GreenerU can help you with AASHE STARS.
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GreenerU strives to empower our clients in exploring pathways to lower greenhouse gas emissions and make sustainable lifestyle choices. But what do we do when no one is looking?
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GreenerU's Jennifer Haugh leans into the complex. Learn how she believes in the healing powers of stakeholder engagement—and how her background in art and music makes her the perfect fit to lead your climate action planning process.
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Rob Durning, the GreenerU CEO, talks about how climate change mitigation, energy efficiency, decarbonization, and construction project management all boil down to a simple formula: helping people.
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An ongoing tradition at GreenerU are the "cocktails du quartier," shared with team trivia winners at company all-hands meetings. Below are some of our recent favorites.
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If the toughest of customers with the highest standards for vehicular reliability can find satisfaction in the latest incarnations of the electric vehicle, think of what lies in store for other EV types, and furthermore, the future of electric vehicles.
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Is your facility ready for the future of electric vehicles? Now is the perfect time to find out. Projects may be eligible for 100% of infrastructure upgrade costs through utility incentive programs—and GreenerU is here to help you navigate the whole process.
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One of the country’s most prestigious veterinary animal care facilities charts a path to a modern plumbing upgrade—a challenge not unlike converting to low-temperature hot water systems. And all without missing a beat of regular operations. Here’s how they did it.
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We regretfully announce the passing of an Industrial-Age workhorse that has warmed many hearts, as well as the planet: the boiler.
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A new requirement of BERDO 2.0 in 2022: third-party verification of buildings must be completed by a qualified energy professional. GreenerU is here to help you not only with verification, but with preparing your institutions, buildings, and facilities for a climate-neutral Boston.
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Participating utilities to offer incentives for Massachusetts ratepayers for heat pumps in the transition to electrification.
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The GreenerMass deadline for the expenditure of remaining funds has been extended. This program offers capital for energy-efficiency projects requiring no up-front costs to institutions.
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Understanding the ins and outs of financing energy projects is not everyone's strength. But getting more familiar with the different, sometimes creative ways you can help your institution figure out how to pay for efficiency and renewables could make a difference. This presentation was designed to help you develop more familiarity with the terms, the pros, the cons, and the contingencies to make conversations with your institution's CFO go more smoothly.
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With everything else competing for funding, bandwidth, and attention, how do you integrate climate neutrality efforts with other campus priorities?
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As institutional campuses are exploring ways to draw down greenhouse gas emissions, one of the largest sources of ongoing emissions is heat via fossil fuels. Many campuses use steam, a century-old technology that relies on coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy to heat water into steam that is piped through buildings through radiators. But technology has greatly advanced to the point of requiring nearly ambient-temperature water to heat our buildings. Moving toward climate neutrality means moving away from these old technologies and towards approaches like strategic electrification that can be fueled by renewable sources.
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From college presidents to the U.S. President, there is a growing drumbeat from leadership nationwide to address the climate crisis. The general consensus is that the path to mitigating climate change is clear: achieving climate neutrality. This article is a look at the current state of climate neutrality on college campuses, zeroing in on efforts, challenges, and solutions.
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What is leadership? You might think it’s your campus President—and you might be right. But campuses are more complicated than straightforward hierarchies, and there are tried-and-true ways of empowering and engaging leadership and supporters of climate mitigation that draw from best practices in grassroots advocacy and strategic communications.
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On May 20, GreenerU hosted the first in a discussion series aimed at collaborating to overcome common institutional hurdles to achieving climate neutrality. The following are tips and takeaways from our discussion with representatives from public universities, private colleges, and independent schools about navigating the steps to climate neutrality.
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Navigating the steps to climate neutrality is hard. But we're in this together. From big-picture planning and programming to detail-driven project orientation, GreenerU helps institutions navigate the organizational, operational, and infrastructure changes required to reach climate neutrality. Join us for a series of facilitated peer discussions oriented to support each other through the process of achieving climate neutrality.
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Getting started on the path toward climate neutrality means establishing a baseline accounting of your institution's greenhouse gas emissions. Whether you choose to account for Scopes 1, 2, and/or 3 emissions, we have the skills to help you—or you can use these tools to conduct your own greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
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After twelve years of experience in the business of sustainability consulting, energy-efficiency engineering, and construction project management, we are focusing all of those capabilities on tackling a single (enormous) challenge: helping educational and community institutions achieve climate neutrality.
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“It is easy to know that your meetings aren’t being productive, but knowing why is much harder. Learning what an effective meeting looks like, and how to run such a meeting, is such a valuable skill that I didn’t even know I needed.” — facilitation training workshop participant
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“We are now doing capital planning more intentionally than ever, and sustainability has become a default factor in those projects.” —Mary Fischer, manager of sustainability programs
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As the coronavirus shutdown has threatened nonprofits’ funding, opportunities to find cost savings are more important than ever. Simultaneously, Boston-based nonprofit institutions are striving to meet the City’s carbon neutrality goals. But installing energy-saving measures can require investments that many nonprofit institutions are unable to make. The Tax-Exempt Lease Program, or TELP, through the Boston Industrial Development Financing Authority, is an energy-efficiency financing opportunity that makes these investments possible.
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Whether through turnkey energy solutions or owner’s project management, GreenerU’s eye for detail, customer-first service, and communication style keeps the trains running on time.
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Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, drought, and other severe weather conditions have made life more difficult in nearly every corner of the United States. What can we do now to increase our resilience to the elements during a pandemic?
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COVID-era building operations have included suggestions such as increasing filtration or ventilation rates “as much as systems will allow.” But as the colder weather approaches, how will facilities manage energy use—and costs?
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The U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® provides a platform for campus-wide data collection and benchmarking the energy performance of all kinds of commercial buildings. Energy managers on college campuses, however, often face a challenge in both accurately metering energy at the building level and categorizing buildings under the Portfolio Manager framework of use types. Now the new Higher Education Benchmarking Initiative seeks to collect campus-wide data from colleges and universities across North America—and offer energy scorecards in return.
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Sustainability and facilities professionals are uniquely positioned to lead campus efforts to encourage safe behaviors among campus occupants during this pandemic due to their experience with behavior change principles. What is your plan to keep students, staff, and faculty engaged in prolonged physical distancing and other measures to prevent coronavirus surges?
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The coronavirus pandemic is the largest global health crisis of the past century. The American death toll hit a terrifying 100,000 milestone on May 27, 2020. While the curve is gradually flattening and businesses are reopening, history shows that resurgences can create new waves of outbreaks, leading to more periods of shutdown and delayed economic recovery. What can schools do to prevent the spread of coronavirus via HVAC solutions and behavior change initiatives?
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An internal strategic plan does a great job of helping organizations gain alignment and focus on common outcomes. But one of the trickiest parts about developing a plan is actually implementing it. Here at GreenerU, we put ourselves to the test. This is Part II of a two-part article.
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GreenerMass contract with Williams James College will allow GreenerU to replace an obsolete energy management system for the Newton-based private school for undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology with no upfront cost. Program funds are still available for Massachusetts nonprofit institutions.
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Coronavirus has left unoccupied buildings on campus in places that were designed to be operating 24/7. When spring turns to summer and heat and humidity kick in, do you have a transition plan to prevent maintenance issues on campus? Are you staying ahead of potential health hazards associated with stagnant water?
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Social distancing in the wake of COVID-19 does not mean we can’t still connect. Here are the best ways to make use of remote meetings.
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An internal strategic plan does a great job of helping organizations gain alignment and focus on common outcomes. But one of the trickiest parts about developing a plan is actually implementing it. Here at GreenerU, we put ourselves to the test. This is Part I of a two-part article.
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Thanks to help from GreenerU, the MSPCA’s Angell Medical Center in Jamaica Plain is set to receive the first alternative energy certificates from Massachusett's APS program for a large air-source heat pump system—one of several ways energy-efficient technologies are sound financial investments. Maybe now is a good time for your school to make the switch.
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Whether you have skin in the game or able to play a neutral role, as facilitator, you are there to help guide the room from Point A to Points B, C, and D. You are in charge of keeping the momentum going, ensuring you have created an inclusive agenda, and helping your group meet their goals. So, what do you, as facilitator, do to run productive meetings?
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Nearly 4 million people participated in worldwide climate strikes last September, in solidarity with 17-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who made the trek to New York City across the Atlantic by boat. It’s no coincidence that teenagers are some of the most engaged climate activists today. How is sustainability at K12 schools being addressed?
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Campus operators know when a heating system is inefficient. But what happens when we humans have inefficiency issues? Here are four ways to address productivity challenges in the workplace.
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Massachusetts may enact the first state-wide legislation requiring compliance with minimum building performance standards. Find out if your institution's buildings are affected.
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The much-anticipated STARS v2.2—Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System—has launched, and there are some new opportunities for points by reviewing the data before submitting to AASHE. A panel discussion at the AASHE conference in Spokane that GreenerU moderated helped participants figure out how to tackle one of the most important tools available for measuring sustainability on college campuses.
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AICUM and GreenerU launch GreenerMass, a finance program for schools, health centers, and other nonprofits to kickstart energy savings from energy-efficiency measures requiring no upfront capital costs. Past program participants are saving upwards of $100,000 annually on energy costs following payback period. Here's how to find out if your institution is eligible.
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Many campus sustainability offices are challenged with the urgency of climate change against the pace of academia. So why are so many sustainability efforts still trapped in meetings that resemble institutional zombies?
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Large-scale sustainability action doesn’t happen by accident. It takes collective action and organized effort to make an impact.
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Rebates for energy-efficiency projects can be just the financial boost schools need to take them on. But discerning which ones will yield the greatest savings—not to mention which projects will have the best return on your investment—can be time-consuming, confusing, and downright frustrating.
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Great ideas fail because they lack the strong, process-based foundation of diverse perspectives, troubleshooting, idea testing, and consensus that only conflict can unearth.
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With the right design perspective, planning, and project experience, any existing building can strive toward optimal efficiency. What’s your greatest energy-savings opportunity?
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The Real Time Energy Management program offers $60 million by way of a 30% cost-share incentive to support building energy analysis and control, using software that draws data from building automation systems and programmable to a building’s custom settings.
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This article is a summary of a discussion by AASHE community members who collaborated to host an extended session on funding sustainability through the advancement office at the 2018 AASHE Conference in Pittsburgh (Advancement & Sustainability: Partnering for Fundraising and Alumni Engagement).
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Right now is a particularly exciting time in the lighting industry—one that is about as revolutionary as when Dorothy stepped outside her door to the Land of Oz into brilliant Technicolor—but there are a few common lighting mistakes college campuses are making.
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Truly serious efforts to get to zero recognize that the obligation starts with lowering demand. Buildings alone use 42% of the nation’s energy. Without tackling excessive building energy use, campuses are not going to hit carbon neutrality.
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As we continue to march through the 21st century, schools are increasingly turning an eye on being greener and saving green. One way to do this is by investing in lighting.
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STARS reporting is a bit like filing joint taxes in your first year as a newly married homeowner…with a business…and a baby. Sure, you could probably figure it out. But you could also hand it over to someone who knows how to maximize your refund.
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