Tweet Robert (Bob) Chew, founder of Alteris Renewables, is launching his own renewable energy consulting company! Here is his press release below: Alteris Renewables founder Bob Chew starts new company BRISTOL, RI, November 1, 2011 – Bob Chew, renewable energy entrepreneur has launched a consulting firm that provides creative strategies and solutions to clients exploring [...]
Tweet If you visited some residences at Green Buildings Open House this past weekend and were looking for some more information or next steps, you may want to check out NESEA member Rachel White’s (of Greener Every Day) talk at the Chelmsford Public Library. Her talk is part of a two part series “Bringing Your [...]
Finally, as I’ll share with you later in my remarks, one of NESEA’s key initiatives for 2012 will involve “expanding the choir” – in other words, dramatically increasing the number of people we reach in order to serve our mission, which is to advance the adoption of sustainable energy solutions in the built environment. As an organization with deep roots in Red Sox territory, one of the most logical ways for us to do that is to expand our geographic reach into the southern part of our 10-state region, starting with New York City. And so tonight I am delighted to call myself a Yankees fan, and even more delighted to be here in NYC.
NESEA member collaborative efforts on building certification success.
Things have been quiet on the NESEA blog lately. That’s not an indication that we haven’t been busy (yes, mom, I know that’s a double negative!) To the contrary, I have felt so swamped that it’s been hard to catch my breath and update the community. I’m going to try my best to do so with a series of short blog posts over the next few weeks about what the staff and I have been up to.
At the top of my list is to introduce you to two new members of our staff, Rayna Heldt, our membership services coordinator, and Travis Niles, our communications and development coordinator.
It was heartening to see NESEA seeking candidates for two positions that I have always considered central to the success of our community and the organization that supports us. Having thought (and fought) hard about both membership and communication for over two decades I’d like to catch up with this favorable moment and offer my perspective on the prospect of establishing and growing these positions.
Last week we announced a new chapter structure for NESEA, and invited current NESEA chapters to work with us to iron out the particulars. This chapter restructuring is truly taking on a life of its own. I can hardly believe how much has happened since then – all good stuff, all worth sharing!
• Yesterday, we received our first, formal written response from a current NESEA chapter. The Board of GreenHome NYC indicated that they are interested in working with us to further design the ideal NESEA chapter. Per Andy Padian, who serves on their board, “Of course, New Yorkers always want to scream out “we’re #1” and this week, we can claim being the first (we think) existing Chapter to stay in the fold. Do we win anything?” We’ll have to see if we can come up with a suitable prize for those Yankees fans, but in the meantime, my undying gratitude to them for stepping up to the plate will have to suffice. We also have inklings from a few other current NESEA chapters that they’d like to work with us to design the ideal chapter and opt into the new structure – although no more formal commitments yet.
I just finished a call with the NESEA Chapter Caucus to update them on some changes to our chapter structure that the NESEA Board recently approved, unanimously, and inviting them to participate in a collaborative process to build a new chapter structure over the next six months. I was delighted with the level of engagement and cooperation on the call. Those who participated seemed, universally, to understand this new strategic direction and the rationale underlying it.
In the spirit of openness and collaboration, I wanted to share the same information with you, the NESEA membership.
Here’s the text of the letter I circulated for the call:
This will be my last communication for a week or two, as I’m headed off to vacation in Madison, Wisconsin with my family on Friday. But I wanted to fill you in on what the staff and I have been working on over the past few weeks.
My favorite blogger, Seth Godin, wrote yesterday about winning. He started with the toddler’s approach to winning – getting what you want, now. But he went on to describe more nuanced ways of defining a “win.,” asking instead, “What happens when you define a win as getting closer to someone who wants the same thing? Or when you define it as improvement over time? Or in creating trust?”
These three questions set the framework for what could have been a very difficult meeting yesterday.
