Explore trends and issues impacting our industry
The recently released report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made it clear that unless we achieve net-zero carbon emissions and reduce additional greenhouse gases over the next decade, we may be facing pronounced environmental changes, including weather extremes and severe weather events. Conversations at both the state and federal level are
Host John Sheff is joined by guests Jenna Cramer and Chris Cieslak of the Green Building Alliance to discuss the Green Building movement. Their conversation covers the GBA’s work to improve energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions in buildings in western Pennsylvania.
Rapid advancements in technology are continuing to alter the way we view the world. Over the past few hundred years we have transitioned through several different industrial revolutions and gone from work performed by steam, water, or horsepower to electrical motors. Looking back half a century, process control primarily focused on variable DC, complicated multi-pole
Jake Elder and John Sheff discuss sustainability, the kinds of goals cities should make, the challenges in implementing those changes, and provides real-world examples of cities that have had success. Jake also makes suggestions on easy and cost-effective ways cities can improve sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic has added the motivation to make changes to improve health safety, many of which will also improve sustainability.
The pandemic has upended way of life around the world — and the impact on the future of buildings, building performance, and building use is in many ways still unknown. Pre-pandemic, building design was already experiencing early waves of transformation. Now, a shaken world economy, new public health priorities, evolving standards, and a possible shift
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work. Many offices are either totally empty or operating at a fraction of their intended occupancy. Remote work, once thought of as a drag of productivity, has proven so successful that it’s likely here to stay in some
Francis Dietz calls in to the show to discuss the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ), especially in a post-pandemic world. Their conversation centers around what IAQ is, how it can impact health and safety, some of the costs associated with upgrading HVAC systems to improve IAQ, and some of the challenges businesses and schools face in improving IAQ.
A new report from Navigant shows that urban areas can get on track for the 1.5 degree target and eliminate air pollution in a cost-effective way by prioritizing investments in 1) electrifying cars, busses, trucks and vessels, 2) energy efficient heating and cooling of buildings, including district energy, 3) and sector integration.
Guest bio John Mandyck joined Urban Green Council in 2018 as its first-ever CEO. He capped a 25-year career as Chief Sustainability Officer for United Technologies Corporation, a Fortune 45 global leader in the building, aerospace and food refrigeration industries. He also serves as a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of
A recent report from Navigant shows that just from implementing existing technology solutions for electrification of transport, energy efficient heating and cooling of buildings and sector integration – urban areas can bridge half of the gap needed to reach the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target in urban areas
