2023 Earth Week Speaker Series
Join our panel of experts as they present on topics critical to building design today, with an emphasis on beneficial electrification and carbon reduction strategies to achieve critical climate goals.
All presentations begin at 12pm EST via Zoom.
Monday, April 17
Grid and Resiliency
Christina Ficicchia, Manager, Smart Grid Programs at AVANGRID
Learn about how RG&E programs are encouraging business and residential customers around the region to adopt and transition to beneficial electrification technology solutions.
Tuesday, April 18
Electrification at Atkinson Hall
Heather Holdridge, Associate Partner, Sustainability Director, Lake|Flato Architects
Building electrification is one of the most important factors in decarbonizing our buildings. Shifting to using electricity rather than burning fossil fuels equips buildings to achieve net-zero energy and operate using clean resources. Cornell University’s Atkinson Hall was designed by SWBR, Lake|Flato, and AEI to be all-electric, and this presentation will cover the electrified strategies and systems that were used throughout the building’s laboratory and classroom spaces.
Wednesday, April 19
Roadmap for Low-Carbon Affordable Housing
Alex Fox, Senior Project Manager, Sustainable Comfort, Inc.
In 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), one of the most ambitious climate laws in the nation, set an action plan to reduce GHG emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050 from the 1990 levels. This presentation breaks out some of those ambitious goals while providing programs like Passive House and technologies that will be pivotal in the shift to electrification.
Thursday, April 20
The AIA 2030 Commitment
Mark Maddalina, Sustainable Design Director, SWBR
The AIA 2030 Commitment seeks to transform the practice of architecture in a way that is holistic, firm-wide, project-based and data-driven. Participating firms prioritize energy performance and carbon reductions in their designs, pursuing carbon neutral buildings, developments, and major renovations by 2030. Mark Maddalina will share insights on the national 2030 Commitment efforts as well as SWBR’s efforts, progress and lessons learned since becoming a 2030 Commitment signatory.
Friday, April 21
Energy Systems and Community Power in NYC
Andrea Johnson, Assistant Professor in the graduate landscape architecture program at the Rhode Island School of Design
Andrea’s talk will discuss energy democracy efforts in NYC, including a vision developed in collaboration with the Renewable Rikers Coalition and Regional Plan Association to convert Rikers Island to a renewable energy hub. She will also share research conducted during a Landscape Architecture Foundation Fellowship that investigates the ways in which landscape architecture might reinforce community-based energy decentralization movements.
