The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti Charlie Cichetti

    Simran Safer, WELL AP, LEED Green Associate | Wellness Real Estate Specialist at Solo Real Estate | Sustainable Designer, Social Impact, Health & Wellness, Energy Efficiency, Stakeholder Collaboration & Engagement.   In a world striving for sustainability, breaking down silos is crucial. Interoperability holds the key, enabling collaboration and integration. Each day Simran’s passions continue to guide her towards a clear set of goals that enhance my abilities through:   Broadening Perspectives: She exposes herself to diverse experiences, knowledge, and viewpoints. This broadens her perspective to approach challenges with a more comprehensive understanding and find innovative solutions.   Increasing Breadth: She explores different areas and acquires a wide range of skills and expertise to tackle interdisciplinary problems and make connections across various fields, amplifying my effectiveness.   Amplifying Impact: By aligning her passions with her goals she channels her energy and efforts towards making a meaningful impact to create a ripple effect, multiplying the positive changes she can bring about.   Show Highlights   The impact of buildings on human well-being. Green building,  and programs like LEED on sustainability efforts. Mention of the and its influence on her career path. Simran emphasizes the value of mentors, technical expertise, and seizing opportunities. Study strategies and practice test success tips for WELL AP and LEED GA exams. Focus on a holistic approach to real estate development. Discussion on the evolving narrative in the green building movement and future trends. ​​Notable focus on ecology and wellness in building design.   “The beauty of this field is that you can implement it into your own life. You don't have to start your own business, and you don't have to wait for that glittery job you're hoping for. You can start implementing health and wellness, whether it's trees on the streets, whether it's assessing your own indoor air quality, and so much more. You can start to navigate in a way that allows you to start drawing your own little booklet, your little guide, because there's these big developments and then there's a lot of small scale incremental change that needs to happen.” -Simran Safer      Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES

  Jonathan Landry is the founder and CEO of ChaAC I+N+C, he leads a team of building performance specialists, ESG consultants, and green building certification consultants who are passionate about improving the urban environment. With over seven years of experience in the green construction industry, he has developed a strong expertise in whole building simulation, advanced HVAC design, optimizing energy efficiency, interior and exterior thermal comfort, and documentation for LEED certification.   His mission is to promote the use of modeling from project inception to construction, and to make digital twins the center of an integrative building process. He uses specialized software such as IESVE, SketchUp, One Click LCA, ANSYS, and Pointwise to perform various computational simulations, such as BEM, CFD, LCA, daylighting and glare modeling. He also applied passive methods to achieve net-zero carbon buildings, and CFD modeling of pollutant and smoke dispersion.   Show Highlights   Energy-saving technologies for buildings. Impact of digital twins for energy efficiency and LEED projects. Application of digital twins in optimizing energy, natural light, and carbon emissions in buildings. Future of Green Building, and Digital Movement, including a shift towards reducing emissions. Importance of early involvement in design to optimize energy efficiency and lifecycle impact Trend towards electrification, reduced carbon emissions in construction and early expert involvement for effective designs. Action steps for a better future through eco-friendly practices in building design and operation.  Entrepreneurial Journey in creating ChaAC I+N+C specializing in energy modeling, digital twins, and optimization for buildings. Use of energy models beyond compliance for existing building optimization.     “I learned the hard way... and most people don't get it, you cannot do things by yourself. You should learn to delegate, ask for help, support yourself with great people that can help you go to as high as you aim to be, but you cannot do it alone.” -Jonathan Landry              Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES

        Today is a special episode - notes from Athens as well as LEED v5 preview. I talk about the amazing conference I recently attended in late April in Athens, Greece. The great folks that run GBCI Europe, Kay and Nicole Killmann and their entire team do such a great job promoting green buildings, especially programs like LEED, all through Europe. And every Spring, they host a LEED community reunion.   About 400 attendees that really practice green buildings and especially LEED get together in one amazing city in Europe each Spring. This year was Athens, Greece. I had never been to Athens. It was an amazing trip!    Last year was Barcelona, Spain. Two years ago I was in Munich, Germany. I want to tell you a little bit about what I saw, what I heard coming out of this amazing conference. And then one of the big topics of course, was LEED v5.   We wanted to do this special episode and put some links to the latest information on LEED v5 for all of you to make sure you're reading up on it right now.    There was an additional focus on healthy buildings and healthy communities and then really technical sessions on LEED v5. We were fortunate to hear from both Peter Templeton and Melissa Baker that came over from the U.S. Green Building Council to give us the latest information. It was great to see so many friends that practice LEED throughout Europe all in one place. ______________________________________________________ GBCI Europe Circle event  is an annual community reunion which combines the best qualities of a retreat and a conference. It is an energetic space to connect, learn and discover – a blend of familiar faces and important ideas.   LEED unites many who attend – property owners, investors, architects, entrepreneurs, engineers, consultants and more – but experience with LEED is not required, nor is our content exclusively about LEED. We discuss the topics most important to those building green and healthy in Europe, those transforming our built environment for the next generations.   Show Highlights   The event celebrated the growth of LEED in Europe, emphasizing sustainability in existing building real estate through benchmarking. European Green Building trends, programs, future Services and community focus and sustainable design. Introduction to a new platinum certification criteria to boost energy efficiency and renewable energy use while improving performance monitoring across the building lifecycle.  The shift towards emphasizing actual green building performance over design aspects was recognized as a strategic move. Highlighting the focus on LEED v5 and healthy buildings. Overview of the central areas of impact for LEED v5 - decarbonization, quality of life, ecological conservation. LEED v5 Updates Development Areas: Decarbonization, quality of life, ecological conservation Key Changes: Modified scorecards, point weighting Development Cycle: Five-year cycle, update in 2030 Focus: Continuity across building lifecycle, green building performance Certification: New requirements for platinum certification Explanation of LEED's move to a five-year development cycle and continuity across the building lifecycle.   The conference in Athens, Greece was a catalyst for positive change within the green building community, fostering a spirit of innovation and collaboration towards environmental sustainability and green building excellence.     Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-

  Jeff Hochberg is credentialed as a WELL AP, LEED GA, ActiveScore AP and Fitwel Ambassador, and has spent over 35 years in the fields of healthy building and wellness and population health management, serving in leadership roles within the corporate, hospital, health plan, public not-for-profit and consulting sectors.   Along with Jeff's WELL AP credential, which signifies knowledge in human health and wellness in the built environment and specialization in the WELL Building Standard, Jeff is a member of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) WELL Faculty.   Jeff is a Fellow of the former Association for Worksite Health Promotion (AWHP), is passionate about building healthy, livable, and sustainable communities, and working to integrate total person wellness into the built environment.   Show Highlights   Sustainable buildings and well-building initiatives, underlining the importance of employee health in corporate environments. Exploring the role of analyzing health trends in organizations. Emphasizing the importance of a value proposition in sustainability for companies and mandates Initiatives with the International Wealth Building Institute focusing on integrating sustainability education in various disciplines. Collaborative program focusing on practical application of wellness concepts. Outlining steps to achieve the healthiest building and various certification credentials. Jeff highlights the need to align with organizational goals for successful implementation, ESG investments, and mental health impacts.  Importance of well-building standards and certifications in the industry. Approaches to sitting down with prospective clients aim to alleviate feelings of being overwhelmed while also establishing clear expectations.   “My mentors were really great in helping me take that passion, as you described, and say, ‘Okay, but you've got to put good business sense behind it. You have to put a value proposition behind this.’ That's what speaks to companies. Nobody disagrees that Wellness is a good thing, but somebody's got to make a decision to spend some money on it.” -Jeff Hochber      Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES  

    is a Regenerative Practitioner. He is a highly communicative, practical, and reliable individual who lives in the world of the five senses. He is curious and needs mental variety in life. He has an analytical and critical side and is an eternal student, enjoying rapport and exchanging ideas with people.    He is ambitious, enjoys material comfort and everything sensual and nature-related. When we look at the way we design and build our buildings, the only way forward is by creating good green buildings. Buildings that lead to improved health for homeowners, reduced impact on the environment and profit for the building industry. Emmanuel is a strong believer in a new paradigm for the Real Estate Industry which is based on trust based team formation, early collaboration, built-in sustainability and transformational leadership.   Show Highlights   Evolving beyond traditional sustainability practices towards regenerative thinking, creating systems for new possibilities.  Emmanuel highlights courses emphasizing understanding life and applying it strategically to project development. Regenerative Design's innovative nature as a "thinking technology" transforming construction processes.  Upcoming initiatives on integrative processes and facilitation roles to enhance professional capabilities in line with regenerative principles. The shift towards regenerative thinking incorporating principles from living systems science and fostering systemic understanding.  Regenerative design presented as a meta technology in policymaking at a European level. Exploration of new roles and opportunities for professionals in evolving sustainable practices. Strategic decision-making and intervention points in regenerative design processes.   “Regenerative development design is a thinking technology that has the same power that can really change the way we're going to work. And in that sense, for me, it's a real innovation. Because without regeneration there is no future.” -Emmanuel Pauwels     Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES

    Jon Berkoe, PE, named to Builtworld’s Top 50 Tech Adopters in 2021.The current built environment is confronted by unprecedented challenges to planning and delivering projects on time and on budget, which is why his passion is putting technology into practice to lower cost and reduce risk.   He’s led digital transformation initiatives at the executive level for one of the world's largest AEC companies (Bechtel), one of the largest builders in the water industry (MWH), and one of the industry's most innovative AEC technology solution providers (Synchro Software - acquired by Bentley Systems).   Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) principles, tools, and practices are essential to advancing the productivity and value delivered in the built environment - from design to construction to commissioning to operations. Jon has gained a tremendous amount of insight and practice in navigating the challenges to VDC success with agility and resourcefulness.   His strategy has always been based on customer value - outcome driven, team-oriented, and pragmatic approaches that encourage innovation while staying focused on key goals and constraints. But that success has been achieved first and foremost by building and leading diverse high performing teams across a wide range of business environments.   Show Highlights   Visualizing data results for effective communication Change Management and Best Practices Importance of success broadcasting for encouraging adoption of new practices Excitement about connectivity of outcomes with day-to-day work processes Potential future tools include robots, augmented reality, and virtual reality Understanding the relationship between business and innovation. Impact of small innovations highlighted in the AEC industry. Organizational focus on creating value, efficiency, and sustainability       Show Resource and Information Connect with Charlie Cichetti and GBES   GBES is excited our membership community is growing. Consider joining our membership community as members are given access to some of the guests on the podcasts that you can ask project questions. If you are preparing for an exam, there will be more assurance that you will pass your next exam, you will be given cliff notes if you are a member, and so much more. Go to to learn more about the 4 different levels of access to this one-of-a-kind career-advancing green building community!   If you truly enjoyed the show, don't forget to leave a positive rating and review on .  We have prepared more episodes for the upcoming weeks, so come by again next week! Thank you for tuning in to the !   Copyright © 2024 GBES