In the spring 2010 issue of the Northeast Sun, we published an article/compilation of interviews with 13 young NESEA members, exploring what they find valuable about NESEA, and how we can make the organization relevant to those under 40. Space constraints prevented us from publishing each interview in full, but the content from these interviews was so rich that we wanted you to be able to read them. What follows is the full interview with Caroline Petrovick, 28, a project manager at Coldham and Hartman.
Caroline Petrovick completed her undergraduate degree in film at Yale, and worked on commercials and independent films as a set designer and prop master for a few years in New York, and for an architecture firm in Boston for a year before moving back to Amherst and returning to school for her Masters of Architecture degree at UMass Amherst. This year she is helping to coordinate the Public Forum at BE10. She is also involved with NESEA Night, helping to get the Solar Decathlon teams to the conference. “I’m hoping we can make NESEA Night a more inclusive event this year, and create better opportunities for younger people to meet people who have been involved with NESEA for a long time.”
NESEA: How did you become involved in NESEA and what inspired you to become involved?
Caroline Petrovick: I got involved through our office. Bruce (Coldham) and Tom (Hartman) are very involved with the BE conference. I started by contacting presenters before the conference to help coordinate their presentations for online access. I’ve volunteered at the conference, both as a general volunteer and session chair. I’ve also helped with the Public Forum.
This year I’m involved with NESEA Night, helping to get the Solar Decathlon teams to the conference. I’m hoping we can make NESEA Night a more inclusive event this year, and create better opportunities for younger people to meet people who have been involved with NESEA for a long time.
NESEA: How are you currently involved with NESEA?
Caroline Petrovick: This year, our office is coordinating the Public Forum, which I feel is always one of the most important parts of the conference. The Public Forum is something I really enjoy because it draws in a lot of people who might otherwise be intimidated or be unable to afford the conference and gets them involved. It’s also a really exciting to see who will be speaking at the Public Forum, as it draws some pretty big names.
NESEA: Are you currently active in one of the NESEA chapters? Which one and how?
Caroline Petrovick: No. I live in Worcester and commute out here to Amherst. There’s not really a NESEA chapter in central Massachusetts. I’d be interested in helping to set one up or to be involved in a Central MA chapter.
NESEA: What do you value most about NESEA?
Caroline Petrovick: I really value the opportunity to meet different people in the field that aren’t architects, the BE Conference, and the opportunity to network and meet people. It’s helpful to me to hear the perspective of an engineer or a builder, to broaden my perspective as an architect.
NESEA: What other professional and/or networking organizations do you belong to? Are there things NESEA can learn about the way they operate? Any examples?
Caroline Petrovick: Our office is involved in Deep Energy Tribe, a small network of different professionals who share information and advice about retrofits and building science. One of the things that makes it work so well is that it’s a very small circle of experts. Because of the size, there’s an element of trust in sharing information. We use basecamp to organize our discussion and our work together.
I’m also a member of NEWIEE – New England Women in Energy and the Environment. The first meeting I attended was last year, at BE09. That’s a group of professional women mostly in public relations, government, and nonprofit. I think our firm may be the only member firm actually involved in building. I’ve really enjoyed the networking opportunities that NEWIEE provides.
For both of these organizations, the main means of communication is via social networking sites. More outreach through online social networking would be very valuable to me for NESEA.
NESEA: What things, specifically, should NESEA be doing to cultivate emerging leaders in sustainability and the built environment?
Caroline Petrovick: If I weren’t involved with NESEA through my firm’s office, I don’t know how aware I would be of NESEA. In my grad school program, I think the only people who attended the BE Conference were Jesse and I – both from Coldham & Hartman. I think NESEA could do a better job of marketing to students and faculty of the NE schools.
Social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, present good opportunities for reaching out to younger potential members. I don’t mean to focus only on social media as a way to reach younger members, but I strongly believe it is the best, most efficient way to introduce NESEA to that generation.
NESEA: How can we use mentoring?
Caroline Petrovick: I think there’s an opportunity to get the universities more involved, initially by involving the professors and then engaging the students.
Again, I am not active in a chapter because there isn’t one in central MA, but I imagine that they could be a great opportunity for mentoring. I think smaller groups like the chapters would be a more comfortable setting for young members to get involved with.
NESEA: In person meet ups?
Caroline Petrovick: I’d like to see more opportunities available for smaller group meetings in Central Massachusetts. Social media might be helpful in convening such group meetings.
As I mentioned earlier, I also really like the way the public forums are set up. A series of lectures or forums similar to the Public Forum at the BE conference may attract younger members. These lectures/forums could potentially be set up at Colleges in MA.
About Jennifer M.
