The Greenovate Awards recognize climate action leadership and environmental sustainability excellence in the City of Boston. Read this blog series to find out more about this year’s winners in the Buildings and Energy Category.
Designing energy efficient buildings and considering the effect that growth has on the surrounding environment are core sustainable development values for the City of Boston. Improving the places we live, work, and learn will make Boston a healthier, safer, and more prosperous city.
JEFF HANULEC – SHERATON BOSTON HOTEL, BACK BAY
About Jeff Hanulec
The Sheraton Boston hotel in the Back Bay is Boston’s largest lodging facility with 1,220 guest rooms and 70,000 square feet of meeting space. Director of Engineering Jeff Hanulec has led the green transformation for Sheraton Boston, as well as two other prominent Boston hotels, and he has influenced many other hotels to green their properties too.
What makes Jeff Hanulec an outstanding leader in creating a green and sustainable future for the City of Boston?
Since Mr. Hanulec joined Sheraton Boston, the hotel has earned several awards for its environmentally sustainable business practices. Sheraton Boston has taken many responsible environmental approaches to reduce resource use, including staff education, investments in new technologies, and supporting urban wildlife habitats (yes, even in Boston — Sheraton Boston has a peregrine falcon nesting box on their roof, and beehives!)
Jeff has also been an extraordinary contributor to Boston Green Tourism, which helps Boston area hotels reduce energy, water, waste and toxins. He often tests new green technology and practices at his hotels, and reports his conclusions to the broader group so other hotels can benefit. Mr. Hanulec has made many presentations to the hotel community, where he shares his hotels’ successes and findings. He has also earned the trust of some of the most important hotel general managers in Boston. He has showed them that going green makes business sense by making their properties more profitable and prominent.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GREATER BOSTON, NORTH END
About Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston
Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Inc. is a Massachusetts charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to building simple low-cost homes by forming partnerships with low-income families in need of decent and affordable housing. They believe homeownership is a vital step to help families break the cycle of poverty and contributes to pride in families and communities.
What makes Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston an outstanding leader in creating a green and sustainable future for the City of Boston?
Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston has installed solar panels on six Habitat homes over the past two years, with plans for even more. These solar panels reduce the homeowners’ electricity bills while teaching the adults and children in these homes about the importance of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Besides the solar panels, Habitat Greater Boston homes are extremely efficient in other ways; they use high-efficiency gas-fired hydronic heat, on-demand DHW heaters, LEDs, dual-flush toilets, extra insulation, and recycled materials when possible. Several Habitat homes are LEED certified, and recently, each successive home built has had an increasingly low Home Energy Rating System score, with the most recent two-family home receiving a rating of 31. Habitat builds these homes in partnership with many corporate, school, and church groups, along with the families selected to live in them, and all of these volunteers gain exposure to green building practices from this experience.
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