Education and healthcare institutions and the residential sector have unique needs, budget pressures, and very different stakeholders. GRT has developed green building policies and initiatives tailored to meet the special needs of these communities.
Sector Specific
Educational
GRT works with the Healthy Schools Network (the Department of Education and Renewable Energy Trust's Green Schools Working Group) to draft revised regulations for the Department of Education's School Building Assistance Program. The proposed revised reimbursement regulations will address energy efficiency, long-term operations and maintenance costs, and negative impacts on public health, natural resources and the environment.
A capital construction bonus of 2% will be available to schools meeting criteria for Green Schools. GRT helped develop grant programs for schools that made up to $660,000 per project available for energy efficiency, renewable energy and overall green building. As a member of the Mass. Tech. Collaborative's Green Building Advisory committee, GRT has helped create and implement an outreach and education program supporting the grant program.
Health Care
Healthcare Symposium - GRT collaborated with Healthcare Without Harm to launch "Design for Health" which was attended by 130 Healthcare institution CEO's and CFO's. After participants expressed a desire for follow-up opportunities, GRT and HCWH are implementing 5 follow-up workshops with institutions. The workshops will facilitate the implementation of standards and policies for all future building projects, maintenance and operations to eliminate toxic materials and cleaning policies to safeguard indoor air quality and environmental impacts.
Residential Sector
Residential Market Transformation Program - GRT is part of a core team (including Northeast Sustainable Energy Associates and What's Working) that has been funded to launch a state-wide residential green building program aimed at market transformation. This program is implementing GRT's three pronged approach engaging multiple stakeholder groups in educational efforts (from real estate agents, to home builders, developers, unions, lending institutions, etc.), local and regional policy makers in creating incentives and standards and providing technical assistance on pilot projects.
Government and Non-Profit
Incentive Coordination - GRT convened the first meeting to coordinate incentive programs within Massachusetts for design and construction. Participants included utilities, state agencies, Trusts and private foundations. This meeting was meant to identify areas of mutual coordination, find areas lacking in incentives that could be addressed and discuss better implementation efforts to encourage their use. GRT also participated in a forum for private foundations to coordinate that funding pool to better leverage existing programs to support sustainable design.
Grant Program Consulting - GRT's executive director, Barbra Batshalom, has been active in reviewing and advising on the development of various green building grants programs. She also is on the advisory committee for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (Renewable Energy Trust) for the development of their Green Buildings Programs. Her work with RET has included helping to develop initial programs, reviewing implementation and process and helping to refine programs as they were carried out and implemented. She also has been an advisor to private foundations that are transforming their guidelines and criteria for capital grants, and has been retained to provide Technical Assistance to grantees in up-front planning phase of design.
National Policy Initiatives - GRT's executive director was elected to the Core committee of USGBC's National Local Government Initiatives to assist in the development of green development policies nationwide. GRT has pioneered "transferable strategy" toolkits focusing on the process and implementation of green building policies to protect public and environmental health that bridge the public and private sectors and are high leverage catalysts to market transformation.