SILENCING THE SUSTAINABILITY STATIC
A Panel Discussion
Tuesday, November 29
12pm-1:30pm
Creative Office Resources, 44 Thomson Place, Boston, MA 02210
Lunch will be served!
Presentation Room: The Venue
Between Berdo 2.0, Carbon Neutrality, Net Neutrality, Passive, Social and Environmental Responsibility, keeping track of the labels and intent can be challenging. Add in the regulatory requirements and clashing environmental and social interests can make proceeding feel daunting. This session will seek advice from experts and provide practical approaches that will help pave your path toward carbon reduction. From landlords to tenants, one city, suburb, or state to the next, requests are converting to requirements. This workshop style session will use case studies to illustrate the challenges and help guide you in solving for sustainable solutions. From CRE’s to Service Providers this session will establish a framework for Climate Action Planning that is in alignment with your ethos of your company or organization.
Moderator:
Jennifer McGrory, AIA, LEED AP, Fitwel Ambassador, Associate Principal, Sr. Project Manager, Perkins + Will
Panelists:
Jacob Knowles, LEED AP, Associate Principal, Director of Sustainable Design, BR+A
Cynthia Curtis, SVP & Corporate Sustainability Officer, Americas, JLL
Moderator Bio - Jennifer McGory:
By the 4th grade, Jennifer had already started her own design firm and was well on her way to becoming an architect. Under the guidance of her father, a plumber, she was able to explore construction sites of single-family homes, where she would wander and imagine how people would be using the spaces someday.
Hearkening back to these childhood experiences, Jennifer’s design focus is and has always been on people. While aesthetic value is important to her, she believes that it’s equally essential to have spaces promote positive wellness. Because of this, she’s firmly dedicated to creating buildings and spaces that can improve the lives of the people who inhabit them.
In her work, Jennifer brings people together. She acts as the conductor on projects, making sure to listen to each voice and merge together all the ideas that come forth. This resonates with her belief that everyone at the table deserves a voice, and by acknowledging all points of view, problems get solved and projects grow richer.
Panelist Bios:
Jacob Knowles
As Director of Sustainable Design at BR+A, Jacob leads our sustainability consulting team. He is a Zero Net Energy guru, spearheading millions of square feet of Carbon Neutral + Carbon Positive projects. With the help of his team, our projects have received AIA COTE Top Ten and I2SL Go Beyond awards. Jacob is also a board member of the Boston Society for Architecture. When he has a free moment between family and work, he likes to hold his breath and dive beneath the waves to spear fish.
Cynthia Curtis
Cynthia brings world-class expertise and an impressive track record gained in public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining JLL she was a senior advisor for policy and engagement at Ceres, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a sustainable economy through a network of investors and businesses. She also served as Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at CA Technologies, where she successfully extended the scope of the company’s sustainability initiatives, increased employee engagement and established a governance structure of oversight by the Board of Directors.
Cynthia’s passion for sustainability runs through her personal life as well as her work. She is a regular commentator on sustainability issues through social media and public speaking, and she designed and constructed one of the Boston area’s first gold LEED-certified residences.
