Building a Sustainable Boston: Carbon Footprint, Berdo 2.0 & Emerging Green Technology

Joëlle Jahn is a Senior Associate and New England Leader of the Deep Carbon Reduction Group at JB&B. She has worked closely with clients to provide energy and carbon benchmarking, Net Zero Carbon strategy, renewable energy analysis, and broad sustainability strategy for new and existing buildings. Joelle brings an ability to organize, analyze, and manage data while leading clients to develop Net Zero Energy and Carbon goals. Joëlle is a Technical Advisor to the City of Boston’s Net Zero Carbon Zoning Code. She is a published author for the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) in which her design research seeks to influence passive strategies for climate-responsive emergency shelter design around the world. She has been invited as a guest lecturer and design critic at the BAC, Wentworth, Northeastern School of Architecture, Cornell, and the Academy of Art University.

Heather Henriksen has served as Harvard University’s chief sustainability officer since 2008, advising the President and senior leadership on strategy and building an organizational change enterprise. Heather directs the Office for Sustainability which oversees the implementation of the Harvard’s comprehensive Sustainability Plan (co-created with faculty and students in 2014) and the University’s ambitious new Climate Action Plan (to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 and fossil fuel-neutral by 2026), which builds upon the 2016 achievement of Harvard’s initial science-based climate goal. The Office for Sustainability has expanded a multi-disciplinary living laboratory research program that partners with faculty and students to use the campus as a test bed for piloting and sharing innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges. A nationally recognized leader in healthier building materials, Heather is leading an effort with faculty within Harvard to translate research into practice, in partnership with business and non-profit leaders, to address the use of chemicals of concern in common building products, as well as more broadly addressing health and well-being in the built environment. Heather also advises courses throughout Harvard College and the professional graduate schools and speaks nationally and internationally on sustainability. Heather is on the Board of Directors of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative and Built Environment Plus. Heather serves as Advisory Committee Co-chair of the International Sustainable Campus Network, and she is a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). She advises the Higher Education Working Group of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, co-managed by Harvard, and the City of Cambridge’s Compact for a Sustainable Future. She is a member of the Sustainability Working Group for the Council of Ivy Presidents. Heather holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Kimberly Cullinane supervises Eversource’s tri-state residential and commercial new construction energy efficiency team, which brings support for net zero, Passive House and ultra-efficient, decarbonized homes and commercial buildings to Eversource’s customers in MA, CT and NH. She has worked in the field of energy efficient and sustainable buildings since 2002, as a program manager for state-supported renewable energy installations on green schools, as a net zero program development and delivery lead, and as a thought leader in the decarbonized buildings space. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University.

Over the course of his career, Conor has evolved through a variety of roles in the construction industry, from carpenter to project manager and estimator to the Director of Sustainability. Now leading Columbia’s sustainability initiatives, Conor truly enjoys being involved with projects from start to finish, helping to foster strategies that find the most cost effective construction solutions that meet the owner’s sustainability goals. Following his passion for building better projects that account for human health inside the buildings and environmental health beyond the property line, Conor is committed to delivering a substantial value to the owner and project team. His work on Massachusetts’s first Zero Net Energy (ZNE) office building is one of the most significant projects in the history of the state. For Conor it is the first domino of many to come and signifies that a project can inspire and normalize the concept and practice of designing and building ZNE projects. Conor is all about positive change and growth. His favorite quote is “don’t find fault, find a remedy,” which he tries exemplify in his own life by volunteering his time to good causes like creating a marked lane Bike Network for safer riding and driving in his hometown, or by trying challenging things for fun such as stand-up paddle boarding on the ocean. Spending time with his young family is very important to Conor, and after working hard on renovating his c. 1870 home with his wife, he is looking forward to devoting more time to camping and hiking with his family.

Mr. King is an environmental justice and clean energy workforce development consultant with deep expertise in renewable energy and building energy efficiency. Mr King's work involves the intersection of innovation, workforce development and environmental justice. He is currently the Managing Director of TSK Energy Solutions LLC, a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) focused on delivering innovations to environmental justice and workforce development program design. At TSK Energy Solutions, Mr. King’s work is focused on diversifying the clean energy industry in Massachusetts. Mr King is also an experienced facilitator of community involvement in energy justice matters. His energy justice work is focused on reshaping how we collaborate for social and climate impact. He facilitates and enhances community engagement in complex social and environmental issues by using technology to encourage learning, innovation and collaboration.

Mike comes to Nuveen Green Capital with a background in lighting controls and utility efficiency program implementation. He is a Certified Energy Manager, and a Certified Lighting Efficiency professional endorsed by ACEEE. He has a passion for business development working with contractors to design, implement, and sell unique energy solutions that best match their customer’s needs. In his spare time Mike is a happily terrible golfer and enjoys traveling whenever the chance arises.

Jennifer Schultz is a partner at the law firm Nixon Peabody, LLP, and the Leader of the Nationwide Real Estate Development Team. Jenn specializes personally on large-scale complex mixed-use development in and around the Boston area, Worcester, and Providence, RI. She and her team have successfully permitted over 10 million square feet of development over the last 6 years, including over 4 million square feet of lab/R&D space. Nixon’s national development team includes more than 26 lawyers and professional staff across seven offices.