Please come for a free event on December 10th at 6pm at the Save The Bay Center to meet Jigar Shah and learn more about creating a successful entrepreneurial venture and how Rhode Island can play a part in the emerging $10 trillion clean energy economy of the future.

Jigar Shah is the CEO of Jigar Shah Consulting and founder of Sun Edison, the largest solar development company in the world. Sun Edison launched its business with one of its first two solar installations at Whole Foods Market on North Main Street in Providence, RI. Today, the vast majority of the solar systems installed in the country are financed using the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model that Sun Edison pioneered. After selling Sun Edison, Jigar was recruited by Sir Richard Branson to be the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room. The Carbon War Room is now the leading advocate worldwide for business-based solutions to climate change and other environmental and social challenges.

Recently, Jigar published a new book entitled Creating Climate Wealth, in which he argues that solutions to the climate challenge present a $10 trillion opportunity to transform our economy – the largest wealth creation opportunity in history. An inspirational speaker who advocates passionately for entrepreneurship and innovation as the solution to the climate challenge, Jigar will share his experience creating one of the fastest-growing companies in the world, along with suggestions on how embracing the clean energy future can help spur prosperity in the Rhode Island economy.

When: Tuesday, December 10th at 6pm
Where: This free event is located at Save The Bay in their Center at 100 Save The Bay Drive, Providence, RI. The event will be sponsored by the Slater Technology Fund, which will also be providing food and refreshments.
Who: Friends of NESEA RI
Parking: Parking is complimentary at Save The Bay

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is committed to the adoption of sustainable energy practices in the built environment. NESEA RI is the local chapter for this organization.

• To learn more about Jigar Shah and his book Creating Climate Wealth – Click Here
• To learn more about Slater Technology Fund – slaterfund.com
• To learn more about Save The Bay and link to directions to the Save The Bay Center – savebay.org/contact
• To learn more about NESEA and how to join – nesea.org
• To learn more about NESEA RI – neseari.wordpress.com

We hope you can join us!

Isocyanates contained in spray polyurethane foam insulation materials present concerns that require management. Earlier this year, 
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a new National Emphasis Program to protect workers from occupational 
exposure to isocyanates. Several organizations have joined to organize this FREE workshop on safe installation, for those 
considering or applying spray foam, and to discuss best practices concerning insulation generally.   

SAFE POLYURETHANE SPRAY INSULATION: ESSENTIALS AND AVAILABLE TRAINING
When applied correctly, spray polyurethane foam can improve the energy efficiency of a building and save owners and occupants money. When sprayed improperly, however, the foam can present a health threat to the installer, the surrounding workers and the building inhabitants, as well as cause issues relating to fire, maintenance and indoor air quality. During this session, experts will discuss the essential elements of environmental, health and safety practices and available certifications of training.

INTELLIGENT INSULATION: OPTIONS AND BEST PRACTICES
It is important professionals understand both the variety of insulation options available and the factors that impact insulation performance. Considerations include cost, proper ventilation, moisture control, and options for using different materials, perhaps in combination. Our panel of experts will discuss current practices from a variety of perspectives. Bring questions and comments!

Speakers and Organizations involved include:
-OSHA & OSHA Consultation Service
-ACC Center for the Polyurethanes Industry
-Building Performance Institute
-U.S. EPA New England
-Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Yale Medical Group
-Richard Keleher, AIA,Thompson & Lichtner
-Henri Fennell, HC Fennell Consulting
-Paul Eldrenkamp, Byggmeister Design Build
-Brian Meacham, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
-Tyler Fiske, Anchor Insulation
-Mark Hutchins, Conservation Services Group
-Tom Riley, Board of Buildings Regulations and Standards, Commonwealth of MA

To register, contact lisa.herodt@state.ma.us or visit: http://otainsulation.eventbrite.com and use the password ““insulation””

BPI CEUs pending approval.

This month’s WMGC sponsor is Loren Walker, Director of the UMASS-Amherst Office of Research Development. Find Loren on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenwalker

The Western Mass. Green Consortium’s (WMGC) monthly Green Night information and networking event features a presentation by UMASS-Amherst building energy professor, Ben Weill, who will help us learn about the real world efficiency and performance of water heating technologies including: tankless, indirect, heat pump hot water heaters, solar hot water, and others. If you are in the water heating install business or are considering a water heater replacement or upgrade to more efficient technology, you’re in good hands with Ben to learn more about how the performance of different water heating technologies impact overall building efficiency. A good moment to get your questions answered before you move ahead with a project. (Water Heater replacements qualify for 0% interest MassSAVE HEAT loans — you can borrow up to $25,000 for 7 years using MassSAVE loans.)

Ben Weil is a Professor of Building Energy at UMASS/Amherst where he teaches and conducts research in energy efficient building technology. He has worked as a consultant, building analyst, and retrofit installer. He serves as a building energy expert advisor for EcoShift Consulting, PEAR, LLC, Embue, and several municipal energy and building committees.

Green Night begins with networking at 4:30 pm followed by announcements at 5:00 pm (if you have sustainability-related information or events to share, this is your moment). Ben’s presentation on hot water systems begins at 5:20 pm with Q&A at 6:00 pm. At 6:30 pm those who want to stay move down the hall to the pub for eats and drinks and more networking. We thank the Clarion for their free hosting of Green Night by patronizing their pub!

For more information about Green Night and the Western Mass. Green Consortium, visit the WMGC web site or Facebook page at westernmassgreenconsortium.org.

The Clarion Hotel is located at 1 Atwood Drive in Northampton, just off Route 5 south of the Exit 18 ramps to I-91. Free parking is available at the Hotel.

The march continues toward a new international agreement on economy-wide emissions-reduction commitments. Warsaw, in November, hosted the Nineteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Next stop: Paris, COP-21, in 2015, where the treaty will be concluded, as determined at Durban, COP-17, in 2011. According to plans, the treaty will be effective beginning in 2020.

Though it seems so far away in distance, time and accessibility to us, we are fortunate to have a firsthand report from Adam Greenberg, a locally-based attendee who served as a delegate for U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development. Who did he meet on his journey? What insight has he gained into the process? How has the experience inspired his continued commitment to environmental and social policy work?

Despite the big-picture, high-level view of the UNFCCC COP meetings, can we see a connection to our life, work and efforts?

Keith Burrows has delved into the data of Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). While the EIA employs site Energy Use Intensity (EUI) for regional and national projections, Keith has seen a way to parse the numbers and apply simple models to arrive at operational ratings for single and multifamily residences. These models allows us to easily understand our energy use. As presented in last month’s BASEA Forum, gaining a meaningful understanding of one’s energy use leads to energy use reduction.

Come to this BASEA double-feature and help make the case for how our local action contributes to the global movement towards climate security.

SPEAKER BIOS:
Adam Greenberg is a Media Coordinator for 350 Massachusetts, works for an energy efficiency company, and recently returned from the COP-19 negotiations in Warsaw, Poland. He has conducted field work internationally, concentrating on environmental justice and peace studies. He worked on solar power legislation in New York and managed the Mass. Office of a solar company. He is an active writer and a graduate of Global College.

Keith Burrows is a recent graduate of Boston Architectural College’s Master of Design Studies – Sustainable Design program. His thesis focused on the creation of an operational rating system for homes based on the benchmarking of Energy Use Intensity (EUI). He was awarded the Greene Master of Design Studies Award in Sustainable Design for his thesis work. Keith has a background in operations management and computer science and currently works as an information technology manager while continuing to advance the work started with his thesis.

No modern building can function properly if the design program and construction detailing fails to account for the thermal and moisture dynamics of the building envelope and its relation to the internal and external environment. This class will be an in-depth building science investigation of hygrothermal issues, including steady-state heat loss, internal and external heat gains, wind & solar radiant impacts, temperature gradients within the building envelope and the effect of relative humidity, air convection and mean radiant temperature on human comfort. This will be the context to explore the often misunderstood issues around indoor and outdoor moisture, moisture migration through the building envelope, moisture storage (or buffering) capacity of materials, effects of relative humidity within the thermal envelope and inside the building, and moisture control methods that minimize mold, rot, corrosion and warping while optimizing durability of the structure and human comfort.

Course start time: Saturday, 9am
Course end time: Sunday, 5pm

Competency Level: Intermediate to Professional
AIA credits: 14 — Qualifies for HSW and SD requirements.