The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

• Larry Lessard on Scaling Geothermal Networks for Maximum Climate Impact

    The Green Impact Report Quick take: Larry Lessard reveals why geothermal systems are 400-600% more efficient than fossil fuel alternatives and how network geothermal is revolutionizing district-level sustainability—plus the strategic insight that could reshape your approach to renewable energy priorities. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Lawrence (Larry) Lessard is an applied scientist with a career encompassing hydrogeology, contaminated site remediation, and geothermal system design and installation.  He is the founder of both Lessard Environmental, Inc. and Achieve Renewable Energy, LLC. He is also a nature and astronomical photographer, third degree blackbelt in Judo, and a Hang Glider Pilot. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Larry revolutionizes traditional HVAC approaches: Key Insight #1: Geothermal Efficiency Crushes All Alternatives The Challenge: Natural gas boiler systems max out at 92% efficiency while losing energy up the flue The Solution: Geothermal systems move heat energy instead of creating it, achieving 400-600% efficiency ROI: Equipment lasts twice as long (protected indoors) with dramatically lower lifecycle costs and zero combustion emissions Key Insight #2: Network Geothermal Unlocks District-Scale Impact The Challenge: Individual building systems can't serve properties without underground space or share thermal loads The Solution: Connect multiple buildings to shared ground heat exchangers—cooling-dominant buildings export heat to heating-dominant ones ROI: 100+ year lifespan for ground infrastructure creates generational sustainability investments, like "building a cathedral" Key Insight #3: Target the Biggest Carbon Slice First The Challenge: Many sustainability efforts focus on electricity (only 10-15% of emissions) while ignoring bigger opportunities The Solution: Prioritize building heating/cooling (30%+ of emissions) and transportation (34%) for maximum climate impact ROI: Attacking the largest emission sources delivers the biggest environmental returns and typically the best financial incentives Sustainable Soundbite "If a natural gas boiler system is maybe 92% efficient, a geothermal system, through that same calculation, is 400 to 600% efficient. You get more energy out of the operation of the equipment than you put into it." – Larry Lessard Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Calculate your building's heating vs. cooling loads to determine geothermal feasibility and efficiency potential This Quarter: Explore federal tax credits (30-50% depending on location and domestic content) and local utility rebates for geothermal installations This Year: Evaluate network geothermal opportunities across your building portfolio—identify cooling-dominant buildings that could share heat with heating-dominant ones Connect & Learn More 🌿 Learn about Achieve Renewable Energy: 🔗 Connect with Larry Lessard: 📚 New England Geothermal Professional Association: 📖 Recommended reading: 🎬 Recommended viewing: "Dark Waters" (2019 film) 🗒️ Read the transcript   Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

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• Ross Guberman on the AI-Powered Waste Management Revolution

    The Green Impact Report Quick take: Ross Guberman reveals how AI sensors and tech-enabled waste management can slash building operating costs while hitting zero waste targets—turning dumpster diving into data science. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Ross Guberman is a seasoned executive with a strong focus on sustainability and environmental management. Currently serving as the SVP of Sustainability at Recycle Track Systems, he has a proven track record of leading organizations towards high profit and impactful practices.  His diverse experience includes founding and leading Great Forest as CEO, where he honed skills in contract negotiation and program development. Ross's early career as an Environmental Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Cape Verde reflects his long-standing commitment to environmental issues.  With a strong educational background in Mathematics from Rutgers University, he combines analytical skills with strategic planning expertise. Ross is passionate about creating enjoyable workplaces while driving sustainable development initiatives. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Ross revolutionizes traditional waste management approaches: Key Insight #1: AI Sensors Turn Waste Bins Into Smart Infrastructure The Challenge: Building managers have no visibility into bin fullness, leading to unnecessary pickups, contamination, and wasted hauler routes The Solution: RTS Pello sensors with cameras and sonar monitor bin levels 24/7, detect contamination, and automatically alert haulers when service is needed ROI: Eliminates truck traffic, right-sizes service schedules, and provides real-time contamination feedback to reduce recycling stream pollution Key Insight #2: Consolidated Portfolio Management Beats Fragmented Haulers The Challenge: Large building portfolios juggle multiple waste haulers with separate invoices, no data consistency, and zero optimization across sites The Solution: Single technology platform managing 1,000+ locations with unified billing, data analytics, and sustainability reporting ROI: Dramatic time savings for accounting teams, consolidated invoicing, and leveraged negotiating power across entire portfolios Key Insight #3: Gamification Makes Waste Reduction Tangible The Challenge: Energy and water savings are invisible to building occupants, making sustainability engagement difficult The Solution: Reverse vending machines that reward recycling behavior with instant incentives like raffle entries and discounts ROI: Creates visible sustainability touchpoints that change behaviors and build environmental awareness across building communities Sustainable Soundbite "With waste, everybody touches waste. I don't know if you've been to a party, but anytime you say anything that you do anything in waste management, everyone wants to talk about it. This is a way to really engage people and let them see sustainability." – Ross Guberman Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Conduct a detailed waste audit across different floors and areas to understand your building's waste generation patterns This Quarter: Pilot AI-enabled waste monitoring in one building to demonstrate cost savings and contamination reduction This Year: Implement portfolio-wide waste consolidation and technology integration to achieve 90%+ landfill diversion rates Connect & Learn More 🌿 Explore RTS's waste technology solutions: 📚 Recommended reading: 🗒️ Read the transcript 🔗 Connect with Ross Guberman: Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

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• Caroline Vanderlip on Scaling the Circular Economy with Re:Dish

    The Green Impact Report Quick take: Caroline Vanderlip reveals how to tackle the trillion-unit packaging waste crisis by making reuse as convenient as disposal—and why the built environment holds the key to scaling circular economy solutions. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Caroline Vanderlip is a high-energy senior executive who pivoted from building digital media empires (including launching CNBC) to revolutionizing the circular economy. Four years ago, she discovered the burgeoning concept of moving the world away from single-use toward reuse—and it came to define her life's work as founder of Re:Dish. With a background spanning journalism at Stanford, media innovation at NBC, and EdTech ventures, Caroline combines strategic vision with operational expertise to make reuse an everyday reality for corporate clients like Barclays Bank. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Caroline revolutionizes traditional waste management approaches: Key Insight #1: The Built Environment is the Reuse Bottleneck The Challenge: Buildings lack space and infrastructure for dish rooms needed to make reuse feasible at $150+ per square foot The Solution: Outsource reuse operations just like laundry and linens—centralized washing, sanitizing, and tracking systems ROI: Eliminates the need for expensive in-building dishwashing infrastructure while enabling massive waste diversion Key Insight #2: Closed Environments Trump Consumer Behavior Change The Challenge: Open-loop consumer reuse programs struggle with adoption and logistics The Solution: Target "closed environments" like corporate cafeterias, K-12 schools, and campuses where you can influence groups collectively ROI: Complete system transformation—Barclays switched all single-use cups and containers to reusables across NYC, New Jersey, and Delaware locations Key Insight #3: Data-Driven Sustainability Sells to Decision Makers The Challenge: Companies need concrete metrics to justify sustainability investments and track progress The Solution: Life cycle assessments on every product plus real-time tracking of waste diversion, carbon savings, and water conservation ROI: Clients receive comprehensive data showing exactly how much carbon wasn't emitted and how much water was saved through their reuse program Sustainable Soundbite "Before Coke went to aluminum cans, they washed the bottles and refilled them. Reuse is not a new concept. We just as a society became more accustomed to the convenience of disposable." – Caroline Vanderlip Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Audit your building's single-use packaging consumption in cafeterias, break rooms, and meeting spaces This Quarter: Calculate the potential waste diversion and carbon savings from switching to a reusable system This Year: Pilot a closed-loop reuse program in one building to demonstrate ROI and scalability for your portfolio Connect & Learn More 🌿 Learn about Re:Dish's reuse solutions: 📚 Recommended reading: 🗒️ Read the transcript 🔗 Connect with Caroline Vanderlip: Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

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• Bonny Gray on Revolutionary Water Systems, Building Re-Use, and the Future of Prefab Construction

    The Green Impact Report Quick take: LEED Fellow Bonny Gray reveals how she built the world's largest cistern under a parking garage, battles "LEED-like" terminology that's undermining green building credibility, and why prefabricated construction might be the key to scaling sustainability. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Bonita Tice Gray, AIA LEED AP BD+C, is Director of Sustainability and Quality at Method Architecture and a 2022 LEED Fellow—the green building industry's most prestigious professional designation.  Selected as one of only 20 distinguished green building professionals worldwide, Bonny has made exceptional contributions to sustainability in Texas over her decade-plus career. Her achievements include administering diverse LEED and Austin Energy Green Building projects, serving as Author/Liaison for SXSW Eco from 2013-2016, and leading as USGBC Central Texas Co-Chair. She created the LEEDv4 Green Associate Professionals class and authored the Texas Green School Symposium.  Starting her journey in Iowa farm country with a coal-heated 1916 home, Bonny discovered her passion for architecture walking through the beautiful red brick Architecture Hall at University of Nebraska—where she was one of only two women in her graduating class. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Bonny Gray revolutionizes traditional construction approaches: Key Insight #1: Massive water capture systems can solve regional scarcity challenges The Challenge: Texas faces severe water scarcity, forcing buildings to compete for limited municipal resources The Solution: Bonny designed the world's largest cistern underneath a parking garage at AMD's campus, capturing all roof and site water runoff for irrigation and cooling tower systems ROI: This butterfly-roof design with integrated water management eliminated municipal water dependency while creating a replicable model for water-stressed regions Key Insight #2: "LEED-like" terminology undermines legitimate green building credibility The Challenge: Developers use "LEED-like" language to appear sustainable without third-party verification or actual performance standards The Solution: Bonny advocates for clear binary thinking—you either have a LEED-certified building or you don't, with no middle ground ROI: Eliminating misleading terminology protects building owners from greenwashing liability while ensuring they capture actual energy savings and operational benefits Key Insight #3: Prefabricated construction is the next frontier for sustainable building The Challenge: Traditional construction creates massive waste streams and unpredictable carbon footprints The Solution: Bonny champions pre-assembled facades, 3D-printed buildings using carbon-negative concrete, and manufactured housing approaches with precise material planning ROI: Prefab reduces construction waste to near-zero, enables exact carbon accounting, and scales sustainable practices faster than traditional building methods Sustainable Soundbite "You can take the most mundane building and make it into something brand new that is just amazing and sustainable because you are not putting any more embodied carbon out into the world when you use an existing building." – Bonny Gray Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Audit your current projects for misleading "green-like" or "LEED-like" language. Replace with specific, measurable sustainability claims or pursue actual certification. This Quarter: Investigate water capture opportunities on your sites. Calculate potential cistern capacity and irrigation offset for your climate zone using Bonny's butterfly roof approach. This Year: Explore prefabricated building components for your next project. Research local manufacturers offering sustainable pre-assembled facades or investigate modular construction options that reduce embodied carbon. Connect & Learn More 🌿 Connect with The Lawrence Group: 🗒️ Read the transcript 📚 Read Bonny's recommended books: Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

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• Sean Ronnie Hill on Passive House Design and the Future of Low-Energy Buildings

    The Green Impact Report Quick take: Sean Ronnie Hill shares how his journey from a freezing, poorly built Belfast home to founding Rise Design Studio led to breakthrough insights on passive house principles, embodied carbon calculations, and the massive shift toward all-electric buildings—essential knowledge for green building professionals navigating today's sustainability landscape. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Sean Ronnie Hill is the Director and Architect at RISE Design Studio, a Sustainable & Regeneration Architect, Passivhaus Designer, Retrofit Expert, and Member of The Green Register, dedicated to creating better homes and spaces for a sustainable future. As the founding director of RISE Design Studio (established in 2011), Sean brings over 20 years of experience from award-winning UK practices, including John McAslan + Partners, Arca, and Technē Architecture + Interior Design. Based in London with expansion into Barcelona, RISE specializes in residential architecture, listed building consent, conservation area projects, and community buildings. Sean's design ethos centers on four key principles: design-led approach, commercial mindfulness, innovation, and sustainability. He's committed to nurturing the next generation of architects, having mentored at several UK universities, and believes in creating places that respond to contemporary challenges, including the climate crisis. 🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Sean Ronnie Hill revolutionizes traditional construction approaches: Key Insight #1: Passive House principles create ultimate comfort while achieving lowest energy consumption The Challenge: Traditional buildings leak energy through poor insulation, thermal bridges, and drafty construction—like Sean's childhood home where the family slept in sleeping bags indoors The Solution: Passive House design eliminates thermal bridges, maintains constant filtered fresh air, and creates super-insulated building envelopes that recover heat from exhaust air ROI: Buildings achieve near-zero energy consumption while providing optimal temperature control, eliminating cold spots, preventing mold growth, and delivering unmatched occupant comfort Key Insight #2: The shift to all-electric buildings is accelerating beyond just environmental benefits The Challenge: Most London homes rely on gas for heating and hot water, creating carbon emissions and energy price volatility The Solution: Rise Design Studio now cuts gas connections entirely, implementing air source heat pumps and induction cooking in retrofit and new construction projects ROI: Clients gain energy independence from volatile gas markets (especially post-Ukraine war price spikes), reduce operational carbon, and future-proof their buildings against incoming regulations Key Insight #3: Embodied carbon calculations are becoming essential for every design decision The Challenge: The industry focuses on operational energy while ignoring the massive carbon footprint embedded in materials—every brick, beam, and insulation board carries significant carbon storage The Solution: Rise collaborates with structural engineers using software that calculates embodied carbon for timber, steel, and concrete structures, while exploring natural materials through partnerships like ACAN (Architects Climate Action Network) ROI: Clients receive comprehensive carbon impact data for informed material choices, preparing for future building permit requirements that will mandate total carbon planning beyond just operational efficiency Sustainable Soundbite "More and more clients are wanting to be aware and they want to make sure that whatever work that they do…that the building be able to perform sustainably in terms of its operational energy, but also longevity." – Sean Ronnie Hill Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: This Week: Assess your current projects for thermal bridge elimination opportunities. Start conversations with structural engineers about embodied carbon calculations for your next design. This Quarter: Develop a client presentation template that explains the comfort benefits of passive house principles alongside energy savings. Begin researching air source heat pump solutions for your regional climate. This Year: Partner with structural engineers who can provide embodied carbon data for material selections. Explore natural material suppliers in your area and consider pursuing passive house training or certification. Connect & Learn More 🌿 Connect with Sean Ronnie Hill: 🗒️ Read the transcript 🏢 Visit RISE Design Studio: 📚 Recommended reading: Want More Green Building Insights? Newsletter coming soon! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

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