Symposium 2010 Speakers

KEYNOTE:

Green Building, Codes and Beyond: A Bigger Picture

DAVID Eisenberg
David Eisenberg, director and founder of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT) in Tucson, Arizona. His three decades of building experience range from troubleshooting construction of the steel and glass cover of Biosphere2, to building a $2 million structural concrete house and a hypoallergenic structural steel house, as well as masonry, wood, adobe, rammed earth and straw bale structures. Since 1995, David has led the effort to create a sustainable context for building codes. A former two-term member of the U.S. Green Building Council Board of Directors, he founded and chairs the USGBC Code Committee. He was lead author for the 2009 Cascadia Green Building Council report, "Code, Regulatory and Systemic Barriers Affecting Living Building Projects," and, in 2007, received both the International Code Council (ICC) Affiliate of the Year and USGBC Leadership awards.

David recently completed his service on the ICC Sustainable Building Technology Committee, creating the first draft of the International Green Construction Code. Recent presentations include keynote addresses at the Green Building Focus Conference in Birmingham and the 2009 European Straw Bale Conference in Belgium; two sessions at Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix; facilitation of the Bright Futures Workshop on energy policy at the Mid America Regional Council; and international events in England, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:

Basic Mechanical Engineering for Houses
Advanced Mechanical Engineering for Houses

ISRAEL GAPHNI
Upon graduating from the University of Washing with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Israel Gaphni worked for the Mac-Donald Miller Company in Seattle primarily designing commercial, institutional and multi-family HVAC systems. During that time, Israel became the lead energy analyst – devising, analyzing and coordinating energy conservation measures.  Well-known Seattle projects included the REI flagship store and the Real Networks office and headquarters. He also spent time on sabbatical in the Arava desert in Israel, participating in regional solar and wind energy projects. In 1998, Israel formed Sound Mechanical Consulting, Inc. to provide mechanical engineering design and consulting for a wide variety of commercial, institutional, and single and multi-family residential (including net-zero energy) projects around the Puget Sound area, as well as over 40 REI stores nationwide.

Green Design in Rural Communities

BRUCE MILLARD
Bruce Millard is a practicing architect in Sandpoint, Idaho and heads the Studio of Sustainable Design. Bruce’s experience in green design began in the 1970’s as an early pioneer in the low-energy and solar space, working on projects with the community in mind. A small town inland Northwest professional since 1985, his focus is designing within an ecological approach and aiming for a closer relationship between people, their community and the earth – to create human environments while protecting the health and beauty of the surrounding natural environment. Bruce was the founding and past president of the Inland Chapter of Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, and recent president of the NWEBG Regional Board of Directors. His work and insights have been featured in numerous regional and national publications.

Social Media and Your Business: Blogs, Facebook and Twitter

MEGAN HILFER
Megan Hilfer is the social marketing and new media specialist at Parsons Public Relations.  She serves as a vital resource for the team in navigating the sometimes murky waters of 21st century communication. A passionate advocate of sustainable practices, Megan’s interest in sustainability and green building was ignited after working as a marketing assistant at Vulcan Real Estate’s South Lake Union Discovery Center, which led her to Parsons Public Relations. Megan is currently an account executive, supporting the team through project management, coordinating events, conducting research, writing and editing, community relations, conventional and social media outreach, and more. She volunteers her time as the assistant coordinator for the annual Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Symposium and is a certified Master Home Environmentalist with the American Lung Association of Washington.

New Opportunities for Experienced Green Remodelers

JON ALEXANDER
Jon Alexander, president of Sunshine Construction, has specialized in green building and remodeling for the past 19 years. He is one of the founders of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, served as the Guild’s Treasurer for its first 6 years and was the original organizer for the Guild’s Seattle chapter. He has long been involved in the Seattle area’s Built Green program, playing a key role in making it a more rigorous standard. He has given numerous presentations and workshops on green building at local and national conferences. Jon is a partner in the newly formed TM4 Group, which is dedicated to training a new generation of green builders through workshops and seminars. He earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington and is a 4th  generation construction contractor.

YVES VETTER
Yves Vetter is the field manager for Vesta Home Performance Retrofitting , a full-service home performance contracting company in Seattle.  Vesta’s mission is to responsibly retrofit single-family residences to be more comfortable, healthful, energy-efficient and valuable, using a whole-house approach with 21st century technology and building science.  Yves has 20 years of experience in residential construction – over a decade of which was spent as the owner of a green residential remodeling company.  He earned a PhD from the University of Washington in environmental sciences and bioremediation. Yves also serves as the vice president of Home Performance Washington, the state’s non-profit trade association for companies and auditors in the home performance industry.

DOUG KENNEDY
For over 35 years, Doug Kennedy’s overlapping careers in residential construction, real estate appraisal and property management have helped to shape his beliefs regarding the importance of the symbiotic relationship between individuals, their residences and the environment. He is committed to providing the employees and clients of Pathway Design and Construction, as well as others in the community, with the useful information needed to make informed decisions regarding their construction and remodel projects. He serves on the American Lung Association’s Master Home Environmentalist steering committee and Master Builders/Built Green remodel committee – both of which are committed to furthering community education. He won the 2008 Governor’s Award of Excellence for outstanding volunteer service with the Master Home Environmentalist program and the 2009 Master Builders Built Green Pioneer Award for his efforts in helping to implement the Healthy Homes for Building Professionals courses.

Building Salvage and Deconstruction in Seattle/King County

JOEL BANSLABEN
Joel Banslaben is a sustainable strategies specialist in green building for Seattle Public Utilities. His current areas of interest include market development for construction and demolition waste, integrated water reuse strategies and green roofs for low-impact development. Joel has a MPA from Columbia University in Environmental Policy and a B.A. from Colorado College. A transplant from Brooklyn, Joel spent the past decade working on coastal development strategies for the Coastal Marine Resource Center.

SANDY HOWARD
Sustainability strategist Sandy Howard leads the operations sustainability group with the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and an AICP planner with 20 years experience in Washington and California. In 2007, she completed the MBA certificate programs at Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Sustainable Business and Intrepreneurship. As manager of DPD’s emerging green permitting services, Sandy supports the implementation of the City of Seattle’s green building strategies.

KINLEY DELLER
Kinley Deller provides construction-related waste reduction and recycling assistance to project managers, contractors, architects and developers for the King County “GreenTools” program. Building on over 11 years of experience in the waste reduction field, Kinley is an expert in deconstruction techniques and practices, and has been instrumental in promoting the concept of design for disassembly to maximize the potential for future building reuse.

Airtight: Air Barrier System Design and Construction for Light Frame Buildings

HAYDEN ROBINSON
Hayden Robinson is a Seattle architect and Certified Passive House Consultant specializing in high-performance, very low-energy use buildings. He serves on the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Board of Directors, was the founding president of Passive House Northwest and has served as president of the Passive House Alliance. More information is available at www.haydenrobinson.com.

Maximizing Efficiency Through Thermal Bridge Analysis

DAN WHITMORE  
As a designer and builder, Dan Whitmore will be completing construction of the first full-scale Passive House residence in Washington State in the fall of 2010. With a focus on translating environmental and affordable design ideas into built reality, he specializes in hyper energy-efficient structures. Since 1986, Dan has been exchanging sweat for money in the construction industry, starting as a carpenter’s apprentice and in his current role as a builder and general contractor. He is the owner of Seattle-based Blackbird Builders, llc and is a Certified Passive House Consultant. Dan is a founding member of Passive House Northwest and currently serves on its Board of Directors.

Net Zero Energy Houses

GEORGE OSTROW
George Ostrow is an architect in Seattle specializing in environmentally-responsible design. His firm, VELOCIPEDE architects inc, designs single-family, multi-family, office and grocery store projects. George has accepted the 2030 Challenge, calculating his annual carbon footprint at three tonnes of CO2 equivalent thanks in part to his daily commute by bicycle. VELOCIPEDE projects include two Built Green 5 Star remodel/additions, a LEED Gold grocery store, a Passive House, and a house targeting net-zero energy and net-zero water.  In 2009, VELOCIPEDE received a Built Green Washington Remodeler Award, a Built Green Hammer Award and the Master Builders Association Green Remodeling Excellence Award.

DONNA SHIREY
Donna Shirey is president of Shirey Contracting Incorporated, a 28-year-old remodeling and custom building company. Shirey Contracting has an energy conservation philosophy which has been brought to life in their Zero Energy Idea House Project. Recently completed, the house is performing as anticipated and is creating energy with PV solar panels and a wind turbine, and is saving energy with solar hot water evacuated tubes and structural insulated panel construction. Donna has lead many house tours with goals of educating consumers and construction industry associates on air sealing, indoor air quality and energy conservation. She is the current 2010 chairman of the NAHB Remodelers Council and is a past president of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. She has also been recognized as Remodeler of the Year both locally and statewide.

BRIAN CLOWARD
With a background rooted in ecological design and sustainable building, Brian Cloward is dedicated to designing, building and encouraging communities where people are engaged and aware of the restorative powers and aspects of our natural environment. Brian combines his technical experience with creative design and building knowledge gathered from 26 years of working to facilitate the creation of healthy and energy-efficient homes and communities. As a leader in sustainable shelter, he is engaged locally and nationally to promote more sustainable building practices with a particular focus on affordable housing. Brian recently completed work as an indoor environmental quality technical advisor with Enterprise Communities on a Hope San Francisco neighborhood redevelopment called Hunter’s View. Notable award-winning projects include work on the residential portions of Islandwood on Bainbridge Island, as well as the High Point neighborhood in West Seattle.

Net-Zero Energy on a Low Carbon Diet: How Does Passive House Do It

JAMES JENKINS
 James Jenkins is a Certified Passive House Consultant and sustainable building consultant, instructor and project manager at O’Brien & Company. James consults on a variety of commercial and residential green building projects, including those targeting LEED, Built Green, Passive House and Living Building Challenge certifications. He currently serves as interim vice president of Passive House Northwest and is as a member of the steering committee of the Central Puget Sound Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.

The Prefab Revolution:  How this re-emerging industry will lead to a more sustainable future for our planet, homes and economy

JOHNNY HARTSFIELD
Johnny Hartsfield is the founder of Greenfab, a Seattle-based provider of sustainable, affordable and well-designed modular homes and communities. Greenfab’s prefab demonstration home, designed by HyBrid Architecture, is currently under construction in Seattle’s Jackson Place neighborhood. Johnny has extensive experience in architectural and landscape design, development, construction and sustainable ecology education. After leaving the design profession with Seattle-area firms Mithun and Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd., Johnny pursued a career in the Seattle real estate market as an investment strategist. This experience with a regional broker gave him a full understanding of real estate market trends, factors and opportunities. With his entrepreneurial foot forward in starting GreenFab, Johnny has become a strong driver behind sustainable building projects. Johnny received a Bachelors of Environmental Science from Western Washington University and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington.

BARRETT EASTWOOD
Barrett Eastwood, LEED AP, is a project manager and prefabrication specialist with HyBrid Architecture and Assembly in Seattle. While at HyBrid, he has managed the design and construction of a series of wood modular projects in British Columbia, and an upcoming modular net-zero ready house in Seattle. Prior to moving to Seattle, he gained exposure in the modular industry as the construction director for the University of Virginia’s ecoMOD projects, building ecological modular homes for the city of Charlottesville. Barrett also owned and operated WOOD design build, LLC, a small design/build business in Charlottesville, VA.