Welcome and Opening Plenary

Resilience and Community Impact: Insights on Sustainability from the Project Team for the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center

Green Building United is thrilled to showcase the work being led by Called to Serve CDC to redevelop the historic Zion Baptist Church Educational Annex as the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center. Speakers from the project team will share their insights on how the project came about, how community needs and resilience influenced the concept, and how support from the William Penn Foundation through the new Climate Ready Capital Projects program is enabling the project team to consider sustainability in new ways.

• Rev. Michael Major, Called to Serve, CDC
• Leslie Smallwood-Lewis, Co-Founder & COO, Mosaic Development Partners JV, LLC
• Meagan Whetstone, AIA, Vice President of Development, Mosaic Development Partners
• Heidi Segall Levy, Senior Project Manager, Watchdog Real Estate Project Management
• Cara Ferrentino, Senior Program Advisor, William Penn Foundation
• Moderated by Rich Freeh, Executive Director, Green Building United

Room: Main Building Auditorium

Worth 1 GBCI and 1 AIA Credit

Session 1

Performance at Scale: Achieving Sustainability Goals Across Real Estate Portfolios

Join USGBC and several partner organizations who are working with building portfolios that are achieving sustainability goals through LEED certification with GBCI and tracking building performance in Arc. Hear how these teams are able to verify improvements around environmental performance, equity, and well-being at the portfolio scale.

• Moderator – Rhiannon Jacobsen, Managing Director, USGBC
• Dom McGraw, Deputy Director, Municipal Energy Services for the City of Philadelphia's Office of Sustainability
• Brad Molotsky, Partner, Duane Morris
• Don Anderson, Former Board Chair, GBCI
• Anna Malhari, COO, Veris

Room: Main Building Auditorium

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI & 1 AIA

Sustainability is People: B- Corp and Just AEC Firms

If you've always wondered about doing more good in your business, Architecture Engineering & Construction (AEC) firm leaders who have gone through the BCorp/Just certification process will answer your questions in this interactive session.

• Shawn Hogan, Sustainability Consultant at Re:Vision
• Homer Robinson, Founding Partner at Parkera
• Michelle Jordan, Landscape Architect at Andropogon

Room: Creese #1

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI & 1 AIA HSW

Built to Last: Holistic Retrofits in Low-income Homes

Built to Last is Philadelphia's first-in-the-nation program to deliver holistic home repairs that start with fixing basic systems and end with electrification and solar.

• Alon Abramson, Philadelphia Energy Authority 
• Aquisha Marrero, UESF 
• Carrie Rathmann, Habitat for Humanity 
• Chuck Graves, Chief Operations Officer at Energy Coordinating Agency

Room: Creese #3

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI & 1 AIA HSW

Getting to Yes: Using Advocacy to do Good?

In a conversation between the owner, architect, and sustainability consultant of Muhlenberg College's Fahy Commons, this session will review how advocacy can move a project from “doing less bad” to “doing more good.”

• Richard Waligora, Capital Projects Manager at Muhlenberg College
• Angela Iraldi, Senior Project Manager at Re:Vision Architecture
• Scott Kelly, Founder at Re:Vision Architecture

Room: Classroom 301

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI, 1 AIA, & 1 Phius

Six&Kane: Using Energy Conservation to Revitalize Rural Communities

Explore the opportunities and challenges that go along with different methods of energy modeling using Wufi, REM/Rate, and ASHRAE 90.1 models. Case studies will demonstrate costs and benefits.

• Gary Moshier, Principal at Moshier Studio
• Norm Horn, Construction Project Manager at New Ecology
• Brandy Schimp, Mayor of Kane, PA

Room: Classroom 302

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI & 1 AIA

TOUR: Reimagining Green Spaces with Drexel University

Join a tour of Drexel's outdoor spaces with Director of Grounds Scott Dunham and the Climate & Sustainability team, Jen Britton and Bo Solomon. As an urban campus, Drexel's green spaces are limited but offer a wide range of opportunities for getting creative. Porous surfaces for stormwater control, smart irrigation, a native tree canopy, and a student project to shift the management of Drexel Park to all-organic management are some of this tour's highlights. We'll also stop by the indoor biowall in the Papadakis Integrated Sciences building. 

CEU Credits: 1 AIA

A separate registration is required for each tour. 

Session 2

Policies to Stop Illegal Dumping and Increase Recycling of Construction Materials

This session discusses  policies that Circular Philadelphia and its partners are working on to stop illegal dumping and increase recycling of construction materials, and how architects, contractors, developers and haulers can benefit from these policies.

• Nic Esposito, Director of Policy and Engagement at Circular Philadelphia
• Fern Gookin, Director of Sustainability at Revolution Recovery
• Kayla Reddington, Regional Sustainability Manager for New Jersey and Pennsylvania at Turner Construction
• Brandon Castagna, Co-Founder and CTO of Rego 
• Taneesha Maxwell, Owner of T Maxwell Junk Removal and Cleanouts

Room: Main Building Auditorium

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI, AIA

The Spiritual, Ethical, and Existential Challenges Living with Climate Change

Diverse spiritual leaders will offer community, hope, and resources for navigating the spiritual, ethical, and existential challenges of living in the age of climate change with strength, faith, and compassion.

• Katie Ruth, Executive Director at PA Interfaith Power  & Light
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center
• Rev. Jon Robinson, Metropolitan AME Church, Washington DC
• Laura Blau, Principal, BluPath Design Inc.

Room: Creese #1

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: 1 GBCI, AIA HSW

Preservation Sustainability: A New Hybrid Design Movement

Preservation Sustainability is a new movement that unifies developers, preservationists and sustainability professionals

• Rob Fleming, University of Pennsylvania
• Ian Smith, Ian Smith Design
• Nyasha Felder, Architect , Erdy McHenry Architecture, LLC

Room: Creese #3

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Practicing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Approaches & Lessons

Participants will discuss approaches to practicing and advocating equity, diversity, and inclusion through the work of their respective organizations and professional practice.

• Bahareh van Boekhold, Senior Managing Consultant, Illume Advising, and GBU Board Secretary
• Dahlia Sizer, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Saint-Gobain
• Paul Thompson, Principal, BluPath Design: Passive House Community Member and DEI Committee, GBU
• Yogesh Saoji, Global Planning Leader, DLR Group, Chair Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, GBU

Room: Classroom 301

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Lighting Design Integration: An Architect, Lighting Designer, and LEED/WELL Consultant Walk into a Bar

In this case study, the design team considered lighting design not just for energy and control, but also for quality, ambiance, and wellness.

• Sophia Lee, Sustainability Coordinator at Jacobs - Philadelphia, PA Office
• Evelyn McGowan, Senior Lighting Designer at Jacobs - St. Louis, MO Office

Room: Classroom 302

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

TOUR: Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens

Witness the excellent performance of induction technology via a live cooking demonstration, as well as learn about its human health and environmental benefits. PA Department of Environmental Protection will also share information about their related learning and funding opportunity, Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens (CHECK)..

• Heidi Kunsch, Environmental Group Manager, PADEP Energy Programs Office
• Chef Christopher Galarza, Founder/Culinary Sustainability Consultant, Forward Dining Solutions LLC

CEU Credits: 1 AIA

Session 3

Philadelphia Climate Policy in 2023

The Symposium will take place just a few days after the May primary in Philly. What do the outcomes of that election and the conversation (or lack thereof!) around sustainability mean for the city in 2023 and beyond? 

• Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval
• Tya Winn, Executive Director, Community Design Collaborative
• Julie Hancher, Founder and Publisher, Green Philly
• Katie Bartolotta, VP of Policy and Strategic Partnerships, Philadelphia Energy Authority
• Moderated by Lindsey Walaski, Portfolio Energy and Sustainability Manager, JLL

Room: Main Building Auditorium

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Buildings as Carbon Drawdown Solution: CLT, Passive House and Low Refrigerant

Combining Passive House and mass timber construction presents an opportunity to optimize both operational and embodied carbon. Two case studies will illustrate the synergies making those projects possible.

• Michael Hindle, Principal at Passive to Positive
• Christina Aßmann, Associate at Passive to Positive
• Chris Fuller, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Staengl Engineering

Room: Creese #1

Level 300/Application

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA, Phius, PHI

Community Storytelling Tranformed Into Action: Rewilding the Brandywine River/Energy Equity in Philadelphia

As communities work to tell their stories and advocate for climate justice, community leaders and policy-makers must tune in and support their efforts for an equitable environment. This panel will give three examples of on-the-ground efforts that started with stories and led to meaningful action. 

• Stacey Henry, Brandywine Valley Friends
• Cheye Flores, Program Coordinator, Energy and Infrastructure, City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability Municipal Energy Office
• B.J. McDuffie, Program Coordinator-DE-LIHEAP, Energy Coordinating Agency
• Elizabeth Shields, Graduate Research Assistant, Master of Public Policy Candidate, Biden School of  Public Policy & Administration, University of Delaware
• Moderated by Karen Igou, Green Building United, Senior Program Manager for Community Engagement

Room: Creese #3

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Energy Education Using the School Building as a Living Laboratory | Session Beginning at 2PM

This educational session will review student energy education partnerships between Practical Energy Solutions (PES) and multiple clients including the School District of Philadelphia, West Chester Area School District, Green Building United, and energy service companies (ESCOs).  PES has performed energy audits of many K-12 schools in partnership with students and educators, to help students understand how we use energy in buildings and what we can do to cut energy consumption and transition to clean energy solutions. We'll take you on a tour through our student-led energy education program - from energy audits of the schools to data analysis, to creation of recommendations and student-led school board presentations of their findings and recommendations. Other program elements will be discussed, as well, including tools for teaching any sustainability-related issue, such as leading students through debates on climate change and resource preservation, and holding Energy/Sustainability Expos in their schools, to creating poster presentations for parent back-to-school nights and other events.

• Paul Spiegel, PE, Director, Energy & Sustainability Services at Practical Energy Solutions, a division of Spotts Stevens & McCoy
• Dianne Herrin, CEM, Project Manager - Energy at Practical Energy Solutions
• Megan Garner, Sustainability Manager with The School District of Philadelphia Office of Environmental Management & Services
• Sonia Saunders, 5th Grade Teacher and Green Schools Pathway Program Lead at Brandywine Springs School

Room: Classroom 301

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Health and Environmental Justice Roundtable

This panel will explore the intersectionality between our sustainable building community and the healthcare community through the lens of the built environment and environmental justice in our region.

• Laura Blau, AIA, Principal, CPHC, CPHB at BluPath Design Inc
• Dr. Pouné Saberi, MD, MPH - Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology at University of Pennsylvania and Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania
• Peter Barnard, AICP, Planner Supervisor, Department of Planning and Development, City of Philadelphia 
• Lorna Rosenberg, Women for a Healthy Environment

Room: Classroom 302

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA HSW

TOUR: Schuylkill Yards West Tower Project with Brandywine Realty Trust

The West Tower at 3025 JFK Blvd is an elegant new addition to University City's skyline, rising directly adjacent to Amtrak's 30th Street Station. Designed for a mix of office, life science, lifestyle, and residential uses, the West Tower delivers integrated, elevated work + life experiences in Philadelphia's most exciting new neighborhood. 

Safety note: Since this is an active construction site, the number of attendees will be limited to 20 people and hard sats and safety vests will be required.

CEU Credits: LA CES

Session 4

The Carbon Balance: Harmonizing Operational and Embodied Carbon

This presentation discusses a methodology to balance the goals of reducing embodied carbon and operating carbon by analyzing the time value of carbon. The proposed methodology utilizes traditional life cycle cost analysis to determine if the reduction in embodied carbon taken today is offset by long-term gains in operating carbon. 

• William Smarzewski, Associate at EwingCole

• Jason Fierko, Principal and Director of Energy Management at EwingCole

Room: Main Building Auditorium

Level 300/Application

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA

Mitigating Climate Risks Through Stormwater Management Policy

Environmental engineering company AKRF proposes a three-part presentation and discussion of how new stormwater management policies can help communities adapt to the fast-evolving effects of a changing climate.

• Glenn Schwartz, Senior Consultant- Climate Change and Resiliency at AKRF
• Kevin Flynn, Senior Vice President at AKRF
• Carolyn Paone, Sr. Technical Director – Flooding Resiliency and Climate Adaptation at AKRF

Room: Creese #1

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA, LA CES

Exploring Global Application of Passive House: Culture, Climate, and Challenges

Through recorded interviews with practitioners around the world, a diverse panel of women architects will highlight how Passive House principles need to be adapted to human behavior, cultural context, and climate.

• Ilka Cassidy, Co-founder, Principal at Holzraum System
• Christina Aßmann, Associate at Passive to Positive
• Sangeetha Sambandam, Associate, Designer at WRT

Room: Creese #3

Level 200/Understanding

CEU Credits: GBCI, AIA, Phius, PHI

The Present and Future of ESG and Sustainability

Over nearly two decades, ESG has become a trusted standard by which companies, their investors, and their clients, use to understand a company’s environmental, social, and governance operations. In recent years, however, ESG has come under fire for not being robust enough to have real meaning. This panel offers audience members a variety of perspectives on how and why ESG emerged, what its value is, and what its future could hold.

• Devi Ramkissoon, Sustainable Business Network
• Jennifer Bravo, Entrust Financial LLC
• Tom Paluszynski, Morgan Stanley

Room: Classroom 301

Level 100/Awareness

CEU Credits: AIA

A Climate Resilience Research Agenda for the Greater Philadelphia Area: Updated CMIP6 Projections for the Region and a Panel Discussion with the 2021 Working Group Co-Leads 

We invite you to join a panel discussion with the co-leads of the Philadelphia Region's Climate Resilience Research Agenda (CRRA) Working Groups and to hear the updated CMIP 6 climate projections for the Philadelphia Region.

• Franco Montalto, Drexel University and Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN)
• Dan Bader, CCRUN
• Charles Ellison, WURD & ecoWURD

Room: Classroom 302

Level 200/Understanding

• CEU Credits: AIA

TOUR: Drexel's URBN Center

Drexel's URBN Center at 3501 Market Street houses the offices and departments of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. This building, originally created as the Institute for Scientific Information by the firm Venturi Scott Brown, had a redesign that was completed in 2013, by Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle LTD. The new design is about facilitating collaboration and complex problem-solving across disciplines. Inviting in natural light, and with features that allow shifting and flexible use of the spaces, the URBN Center is one of Drexel's campus treasures. Kim Miller, head of Drexel's Planning, Design, & Construction division, will lead this tour along with Nicholas Haas, Assistant Vice President of Technical Services.

3rd Floor Patio of the Bossone Research Center, located at:

3140 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104