Learn more about the businesses, organizations, and individuals nominated for the 2017 Mayor’s Greenovate Award nominees in the Climate Preparedness and Resiliency category.
Although climate change will inevitably shape our city in big ways, our response can make sure it is for the better. We can do that by using climate preparedness and resiliency measures to spur economic development, create jobs, invest in public green space, and improve our air and water quality.
You can vote for your favorite Greenovate Award nominees, based on the description above, now through April 7th. Votes will determine the top 3 finalists, and the winner will be announced live at Greenovate’s Earth Day Party on April 19th — be sure to save the date and stay tuned for more details! Vote for Greenovate Award winners
The Trust for Public Land – Downtown
Through partnerships with the City of Boston and the Metro Mayors Coalition, the Trust for Public Land is demonstrating how parks and open space can prepare Boston for a growing population as well as a warmer, wetter, low-carbon future. By planning, funding, protecting, and creating new parks and open spaces that benefit vulnerable populations, The Trust for Public Land is cooling heat islands with new trees, connecting neighborhoods with improved pedestrian corridors, absorbing stormwater with urban farms, and protecting neighborhoods from coastal flooding by promoting new funding sources for coastal resilience. Learn more about the Trust for Public Land’s Climate Smart Boston program today.
Garage at Post Office Square – Downtown
At The Garage at Post Office Square, blue water is really GREEN. In 2016, the Garage installed a groundwater reclamation system to pump groundwater from below its lowest level up to the toilets in its restrooms. The water is dyed blue because it is not potable – saving over 1,500 gallons of drinking water.
Sam Sleiman – East Boston
Sam Sleiman has provided the leadership and resources that have made Massport a model for resilient port authorities, nationwide. He has worked to integrate resilience in Massport’s normal business practices and oversaw the creation of dedicated staff positions focused on climate change resilience and mitigation. Sam continues to take a keen interest in the latest developments in the region and is supportive of the efforts to protect East Boston from coastal flooding.
Jamaica Plain Green House – Jamaica Plain
Have you ever seen people live in a greenhouse? You can at the Jamaica Plain Green House. It maintains a comfortable temperature throughout the year through “passive” design. Large south-facing windows, heat-absorbing flooring, and thick insulation keep the house warm in the winter; awnings block off the high summer sun allowing the shade to keep the house cool in the summer. It also produces more solar energy than it consumes, feeding the surplus into the grid.
The vast garden that surrounds this house follows “permaculture.” Plants and practice are chosen not only to benefit the human owners of the space, but also to benefit the wider ecosystem: conserve water, remediate soil, benefit pollinators, and sequester carbon in the soil to tackle climate change.
After several years of providing tours to educate neighbors and visitors, in 2016, the Jamaica Plain Green House launched its sustainability education program, Jamaica Plain Green School for elementary and middle schoolers. Children do gardening, cooking, and small building exercises, learning relevant STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) aspects while interacting with nature, driven by curiosity, asking questions, and working collaboratively with peers and teachers to find answers.
Contact us for a tour or to drop by and check out our alternative educational offerings.
JP Green House won a ‘Green Home Conservation’ Greenovate Award in 2011.
ACE Action Fellowship – Citywide
The Alliance for Climate Education’s (ACE) Action Fellowship program empowers high school students from Greater Boston to increase public support for climate action and hold elected officials accountable on climate science and the need for just solutions to the climate crisis. The 2016-2017 ACE Action Fellows have shown immense leadership in pushing for a climate future that is equitable, just and stable. Their campaign seeks to make the City of Boston more prepared and climate resilient by educating and activating Boston’s youth residents on this critical issue and by calling for systemic change that is commensurate with what the realities of science and principles of justice demand.
Loie Hayes – Mission Hill
Loie Hayes has brought the Mission Hill neighborhood together on the common cause of climate action. Her involvement with Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN) has brought community members to environmental consciousness and the importance of renewable energies. Loie currently works at the Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, and is actively interested in wind energy for Boston. Loie has also demonstrated significant leadership with the Lawn Street Community Garden and the Butterfly Garden on Bucknam St., and continues to demonstrate positive energy and continues to be a leader in her community to this day!
Reverend Mariama White-Hammond – Citywide
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond has been a lifelong leader in Boston, passionate about utilizing her own experiences and organizational skills to work across Boston communities in the fight against climate change. She serves the Boston community as a board member of FOCUS Inc., and UP Academy in South Boston and Dorchester, and also holds advisory roles at ArtsEmerson, Green the Church and Right to the City VOTE Boston. Rev. Mariama White-Hammond shares her powerful voice and resiliency to continue to make positive impacts in the Boston community.
Madhu Dutta-Koehler – Back Bay
Dr. Dutta-Koehler has over fifteen years of experience in the field of urban planning, design, serving on the Faculty Advisory Boards for the Initiative on Cities and the Institute of Sustainable Energy. Dr. Dutta-Koehler is an Associate Professor of Practice and Director, in Boston University’s City Planning and Urban Program. Her teaching reflects a praxis-oriented pedagogy, through which she challenges students to connect classroom lessons to real-world issues in socio-cultural, economic, physical, and political contexts to explore critical aspects of the built environment, both from a technological and a policy-oriented perspective. She is an active member in the Boston University Climate Action Plan. Read more about Dr. Madhu Dutta-Koehler.
ABT Associates Inc. – Citywide
ABT Associates Inc. has supported several projects in Boston including work with nonprofits, the public schools, and several Boston based federal programs. As part of corporate initiatives, the company has made a conscious effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Olga Faktorovich has taken a leading role in helping the company achieve its corporate initiatives by leading the Global Sustainability Program (GSP).
Dennis Carlberg – Fenway/Kenmore
Dennis Carlberg was hired as BU’s first Director of Sustainability to help establish its sustainability program, and reduce the University’s environmental footprint by integrating sustainability in education, research, and operations. During his tenure, Dennis has played a leading role on the City’s Green Ribbon Commission’s (GRC) Higher Education Working Group, and is chair of BU’s Climate Action Plan Energy Working Group and Energy Efficiency Steering Committee.
In 2014, Dennis mentored BU students in the BU remote sensing and GIS program to create BU’s first climate vulnerability assessment, Climate Ready BU, subsequent to Climate Ready Boston. Through this work, Dennis and his students were able to alert the City to a potential vulnerability in the Fort Point area which the City then deemed an area of first concern for its sea level rise/storm surge vulnerability.
Dennis also co-chairs the Climate Resilience Committee at the Urban Land Institute-Boston, serves on the Climate Ready Boston Infrastructure Advisory Group, the Massachusetts Statewide Resilience Master Plan Technical Advisory Group, and the Museum of Science Environmental Sustainability Committee.
Through Dennis’ leadership, Boston University was awarded ‘Sustainable Food Leadership’ (2012) and ‘Climate Preparedness and Resiliency’ (2015) Greenovate Awards.
“E” Inc. – Charlestown
“e” inc. is the host to a brand new Environment Science and Action Center in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The inaugural exhibit is Weather to Climate: Our Changing World. The exhibit is a hands-on exploration of weather vs. climate, greenhouse gases, the impacts of a changing climate on animals, and the role of humans in both causing and fixing climate change. While at the museum, students are provided with a fully guided and interactive tour, including conducting weather experiments, observing demos, putting on “climate change” plays, building weather-measuring tools, and interacting with the museum displays and activities. At the end of their visit, the students take a quiz to determine their own Carbon Footprint. Then, as a class, they choose a take-home action project to reduce their carbon footprint. The classes are 3rd grade and up and come from local Boston Public Schools.
Architerra – South Boston
Architerra is a Boston architecture and planning firm known for award-winning green buildings and resiliency planning. Architerra’s winning submission for the 2015 Boston Living with Water Competition proposed a Boston resiliency exposition based on IBA Hamburg in Germany, featuring innovative green buildings, district energy, green-blue infrastructure, coastal resiliency, and low-carbon transportation. Twenty-two Architerra renderings illustrated the potential of such an exposition to transform the 100 acres along the Fort Point Channel into an exemplary district showcasing innovation and promoting liveability, equitability, and economic development. Architerra continues its resiliency focus. In 2016, Architerra co-founder Ellen Watts co-led a Boston Climate Bridge trip to Denmark. In 2017, Architerra engaged a team of summer interns who are excited to examine how a Boston resiliency exposition can extend to all Boston neighborhoods and further the goals of Climate Ready Boston and Imagine Boston 2030.
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