The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti Podcast Por Charlie Cichetti arte de portada

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

De: Charlie Cichetti
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Do green buildings matter to you? This podcast fuels your fire with inspiring interviews from industry and nonprofit leaders across the built environment. Not sure if green building matters? Listen to the personal stories of our guests and let Charlie's passion help convince you why green buildings are essential to our shared future. Each episode illustrates a unique journey through sustainability and towards resilience. Charlie explores the challenges and celebrations of the movers and shakers in the green building industry. Hear behind the scene stories from the inner world of green and healthy building design, construction, and management.© 2020 GBES Arte Economía Exito Profesional
Episodios
  • Turning Winery Waste into Climate Action with Megan Hernandez

    Turning Winery Waste into Climate Action with Megan Hernandez
    Apr 15 2026
    🎯 The Green Impact Report Quick take: The wine industry produces mountains of packaging waste most people never see. Megan Hernandez is proving that when vineyards collaborate, that "trash" can become a powerful lever for sustainability — and even revenue. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Megan Hernandez is a wine industry professional based in Sonoma County, California. With a background in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, Megan has spent her career deeply connected to agriculture and winemaking. Today she works with wineries supplying organic yeast and cooperage while leading sustainability initiatives across the region. Megan is also a driving force behind the North Bay Zero Waste Collective, a collaborative effort helping wineries transform waste streams — like plastic film, cardboard, and packaging — into recoverable commodities rather than landfill. Her work demonstrates how industry collaboration can unlock scalable environmental solutions. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building 🧠 Key Insight #1: Waste isn't garbage — it's an untapped commodity stream. The Challenge: Many wineries — and businesses in general — assume their waste belongs in recycling or landfills. But large portions of materials like plastics and packaging never actually get recycled.The Solution: The North Bay Zero Waste Collective aggregates waste materials from multiple wineries to meet volume thresholds required by recycling and reuse markets.ROI: Wineries reduce landfill costs, create potential revenue streams from recovered materials, and dramatically reduce environmental impact. 🧠 Key Insight #2: Sustainability becomes scalable when competitors collaborate. The Challenge: Individual wineries rarely generate enough recyclable material to meet the large volume requirements needed for viable recycling or commodity markets.The Solution: By organizing wineries across Napa and Sonoma into a shared waste collection network, Megan's initiative consolidates materials into full truckloads (~40,000 pounds).ROI: Collaboration unlocks economies of scale, turning sustainability into a financially viable system rather than an individual burden. 🧠 Key Insight #3: Education is the gateway to real sustainability. The Challenge: Many employees and business leaders assume that anything placed in a recycling bin automatically gets recycled.The Solution: Megan leads ongoing education conversations with wineries about where waste actually goes — and how supplier choices impact recyclability.ROI: Better awareness drives smarter procurement, reduces waste upstream, and increases participation in circular material systems. 🗣️ Sustainable Soundbite "Most meaningful progress happens when people come together and decide to solve a problem side by side." – Megan Hernandez ♻️ Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next sustainability initiative with these steps: 1. This Week: Audit one waste stream from your organization (packaging, plastics, or shipping materials) and identify where it actually ends up. 2. This Quarter: Connect with nearby businesses or industry peers to explore shared recycling or waste diversion programs. 3. This Year: Build partnerships with suppliers that prioritize recyclable materials, circular packaging, or zero-waste logistics. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: https://gbes.com/podcast/ 📄 Read the transcript here 👩🏻‍💻 Connect with Megan Hernandez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-hernandez-48361076/Learn more about the North Bay Zero Waste Collective: https://zerowastenorthbay.org/about/ 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.gbes.com 📚 Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe to our FREE newsletter here: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe 🤝 Today's Episode Is In Partnership With: BUILDINGPLAQUES.COM ****→ Get your FREE LEED Recognition Plaque evaluation kit today! Green Building Matters, Inc © 2026 | Good Green Fun.
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    32 m
  • Electrification, Microgrids, & the Future of Buildings with Jordan Lerner

    Electrification, Microgrids, & the Future of Buildings with Jordan Lerner
    Apr 8 2026
    ✅ The Green Impact Report Quick take: Electrification isn't just about swapping out equipment — it's about rethinking how buildings, transportation, and infrastructure work together. In this episode, Schneider Electric's Jordan Lerner shares how microgrids, fleet electrification, and creative funding strategies are transforming schools, cities, and public facilities. 🙋‍♂️ Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Jordan Lerner is a sustainability and energy infrastructure leader at Schneider Electric, where he oversees teams designing and delivering energy efficiency, electrification, and resiliency projects across the western United States. Over his career, Jordan has helped implement more than $1 billion in energy efficiency and sustainability projects, particularly for schools, cities, and public sector buildings. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Jordan Lerner explores how electrification, microgrids, and innovative financing are reshaping sustainable infrastructure. 🧨 Key Insight #1: Electrifying Transportation Infrastructure The Challenge: Traditional school buses run on diesel, producing emissions directly at child breathing height and requiring fossil fuels to operate.The Solution: Deploy electric bus fleets supported by new electrical service infrastructure, including fast-charging stations and grid upgrades coordinated with utilities.ROI: Cleaner air for students, reduced operational costs, and future capabilities like mobile Wi-Fi hubs for communities during emergencies or remote learning. 🧰 Key Insight #2: Microgrids for Community Resilience The Challenge: Wildfires, extreme weather, and utility shutdowns are increasingly causing power outages that disrupt critical services like schools and food storage.The Solution: Deploy microgrid systems integrating solar, battery storage, and backup generators to maintain power during outages.ROI: Facilities can operate independently from the main grid for extended periods — protecting food storage, keeping schools running, and safeguarding community infrastructure. 🎯 Key Insight #3: Funding Sustainability Through Operational Savings The Challenge: Many sustainability projects stall due to limited capital budgets for infrastructure upgrades.The Solution: Energy-based contracting that converts operational savings — like reduced energy costs — into funding streams for capital improvements.ROI: Grants, incentives, and energy savings combine to finance projects that otherwise wouldn't happen, enabling schools and cities to modernize without new tax burdens. 🎙️ Sustainable Soundbite "Electrification isn't just swapping equipment — it can mean redesigning the entire electrical backbone of a building." — Jordan Lerner 🧩 Your Green Building Action Plan Transform your next project with these steps: 1. This Week: Evaluate where energy waste exists in your facility — lighting, HVAC, or electrical distribution are common starting points. 2. This Quarter: Explore electrification opportunities such as EV infrastructure, heat pumps, or renewable integration. 3. This Year: Develop a resilience strategy using microgrids or energy storage to protect operations from outages. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: https://gbes.com/podcast/ 📄 Read the transcript here 👩🏻‍💻 Connect with Jordan Lerner: Website: http://seadvisoryservices.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-lerner-20a6419/ 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe ♻️ Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe to our FREE newsletter here: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2026 | Good Green Fun.
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    50 m
  • Embedding Sustainability Into Core Real Estate Operations with Ethan Arbiser

    Embedding Sustainability Into Core Real Estate Operations with Ethan Arbiser
    Apr 1 2026
    🎯 The Green Impact Report Quick take: If you need to transform sustainability from an isolated department into a core business driver, this episode delivers the blueprint. Ethan Arbiser shows how to embed sustainability into daily real estate operations using resource optimization, AI, and high-visibility engagement strategies. 🎓 Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Ethan Arbiser is a Senior Manager of Energy & Sustainability at CBRE, bringing a unique blend of environmental science, analytics, carbon accounting, and built-environment project experience. An Atlanta native and two-time Emory University graduate, Ethan's career spans teaching, software-based energy analytics, corporate carbon accounting at Cox Enterprises, and now leading sustainability integration across major real estate portfolios. He focuses on embedding sustainability into core facilities, workplace, engineering, and leasing functions through data, AI, and impactful employee engagement initiatives. 🌱 Breaking Ground on Better Building In this episode, Ethan Arbiser revolutionizes traditional real estate operations with a sustainability-first mindset. 🧠 Key Insight #1: Sustainability Evolves When It Focuses on Resource Optimization The Challenge: Sustainability programs were historically driven by voluntary reporting and altruistic goals, often disconnected from financial priorities.The Solution: Position sustainability as resource optimization — reducing operating costs, lowering risk, and improving efficiency across all real estate functions.ROI: Increased financial savings from smarter utility and operational decision-making, Stronger cross-functional alignment, Triple-bottom-line benefits (people, planet, profit). 🎯 Key Insight #2: AI and Data Intelligence Are Reshaping Real Estate Decision-Making The Challenge: Teams lack accurate forecasting tools and real-time insights to manage energy, utilities, and contracts.The Solution: Deploy advanced AI tools for utility budgeting, forecasting, contract evaluation, and building intelligence — creating razor-sharp accuracy and smarter planning.ROI: Greater confidence for clients facing volatile utility markets, Significant operational savings, Accelerated decarbonization pathways. 🧨 Key Insight #3: Waste Engagement Is the Most Visible Sustainability Lever The Challenge: Employees rarely see or interact with energy or carbon reduction efforts, limiting awareness and cultural adoption.The Solution: Use waste sorting, gamification, and employee engagement technology to make sustainability visible and personal in the workplace.ROI: Higher landfill diversion rates, Stronger culture of sustainability across teams, Low capital investment with immediate behavioral impact. 🎙️ Sustainable Soundbite "Chaos brings opportunity — and sustainability thrives when you embed it into the core functions of real estate." — Ethan Arbiser 🧗‍♂️ Your Green Building Action Plan 1. This Week: Identify one core real estate function (FM, engineering, workplace) where sustainability can plug in immediately. 2. This Quarter: Pilot an AI-assisted workflow to improve forecasting, waste engagement, or energy performance. 3. This Year: Build a cross-functional sustainability roadmap that unites decarbonization, resilience, and workplace experience. 🔗 Connect & Learn More 🌿 Access full episode resources: https://gbes.com/podcast/ 🗒 Read the transcript here 👩🏻‍💻 Connect with Ethan Arbiser: Website: https://www.cbre.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-arbiser/ 💚 Join the Green Building Movement: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe 📌 Want More Green Building Insights? Get sustainability tips 2x a week. 👉 Subscribe free: https://www.greenbuilding.news/subscribe Green Building Matters, Inc © 2026 | Good Green Fun.
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    39 m
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