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Volunteer Committees

The USGBC MA Chapter is a member and volunteer based organization dependent on committee participation for its success. Currently there are nine different committees or interest groups to become involved with:

  • Fundraising *new
  • Special Events *new
  • Communications
  • Advocacy
  • Education
  • Deeper Green
  • Regional and Statewide Outreach
  • Emerging Green Builders
  • Membership

If you are looking for a leadership opportunity within the Chapter or just excited to network, learn and engage with fellow green building professionals, the committees are the place to start. If you're interested in getting involved, feel free to contact the Committee Chairs who are listed below. If you're not sure where you would best fit, or would like to find out more about taking on an open Chair position, feel free to email us at info@usgbcma.org and we'll help you determine the best committee for you.

Fundraising Committee

The fundraising Committee is new to the Chapter and we are looking for volunteers with fundraising experience to lead this committee and help carryout it's goals.

This Committee is specifically responsible for working  with the Board of Directors, Chapter staff and other committees to seek grants and sponsorships to help sustain the Chapter. The committee will  work closely with Chapter sponsors to foster long term relationships and ensure sponsor needs are met.

If you are excited about becoming engaged with Chapter fundraising please contact the Chapter Treasurer, Emily Greenstein at emily.greenstein@gmail.com today!

Special Events Committee

The Special Events Committee is also new to the Chapter and for this group we are looking for volunteers  who enjoy and have experience with event coordination and planning.

The role of this committee is to lead the organization and planning of significant Chapter events such as the Earth Day Gala and annual Membership Meetings. The committee will work with Chapter staff to develop green event guidelines and then communicate regularly with the Board and other committees to ensure consistency and adherence to the guidelines.

If you love planning events and are excited to be part of growing the Chapter's presence in the region, then the Special Events Committee is the place for you. Contact Stacy Boyden at stacy.boyden@colliersmg.com and let us know your interests.

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter is responsible for promoting national and regional activities to the Forum members as well as promoting members, member services, events and products, to the general public.

The committee works on developing avenues for member networking and communication. They will promote and make visible to the public, green building and sustainable development cutting edge news, events, information etc., through a monthly newsletter, website and media engagement.

Interested in helping the Communications Committee develop a new website, put together a monthly newsletter, write press releases and promote the Forum across the Commonwealth? Contact us today and find out when the next meeting is!

Contact Carrie Havey at carolinehavey@gmail.com to learn about upcoming meetings and how to get involved.  

Advocacy Committee

Due to the overwhelmingly large amount of green building legislation written in 2008 (over 500 bills submitted for consideration in Washington alone), it is clear that the USGBC and its local Chapters need to play a role in both framing and supporting the cause for sustainable development.

The role of the Advocacy Committee is to coordinate and inform statewide advocates of current USGBC supported legislation and products, and to aid in the strengthening of local green building knowledge and the support and implementation of green building practices throughout the Commonwealth. 

In addition to these activities, the Advocacy Committee works as needed with the National USGBC Advocacy Committee to support national initiatives.  

Interested in joiningthis committee? Contact Marcus Springer at mspringer@sasaki.com to find out the 2010 program goals and specifically how to get involved.  

Education Committee   

Our Vision is building a culture of green stewardship in the region.

Our Mission is to facilitate education and advocacy throughout the region with the goal of building a culture of green stewardship.

Our Role is to be the center point, information clearinghouse, or manager of green education in the region.

Our Strategy is to identify existing resources, needs, and gaps, and then make the necessary connections to fill these gaps. We intend to apply that approach to education needs, advocacy needs, and outreach needs.

Are you passionate about developing green building educational resources for the New England community? Are you interested in reaching out to local schools or universities, small businesses, manufacturing, developers, green building professionals, home owners and others? Then please take this opportunity to learn about what the Education Committee has to offer you!

Contact Chris Shaffner at chris@greenengineer.com to receive updates on how to get involved.

Deeper Green Interest Group

The mission of the Deeper Green group is to further and disseminate the understanding of innovative, sustainable design, construction and facilities management products and practices; going beyond LEED to foster a built environment that supports the flow of the natural environment.

We will research, share and discuss green topics. From there we will share this knowledge with the larger community through seminars, white papers, case studies, challenges, guidelines and awards.

Are you passionate about cutting edge green building technologies? Interested in promoting sustainable design events and commitments such as Architecture 2030? Are you excited about engaging innovative green building organizations?

Then please contact J'Aime MacFall at macfallj@gmail.com to learn more about the group and get involved today!

Regional & Statewide Outreach Committee

The Chapter recognizes that interest in sustainable design and green building is wide-spread across the North East region, and that the number of people, businesses, and institutions looking for resources, events, and support on these topics is expanding. The Regional and Statewide Outreach Committee will work to foster regional connections and provide greater access to green building services that are mostly offered in the metro-boson area.

The committee is responsible for maintaining relations with the USGBC through the Regional Council. The Committee will work to develop relationships and collaborate with other green building groups, and Regional Chapters. They will promote and distribute information that is specifically useful to  members, identify, coordinate and resolve sustainability issues specific to our North East Region and represent local interests to USGBC regionally, nationally and to the USGBC membership nationwide.

Are you interested in helping coordinate and foster regional connections with organizations and individuals in the green design field? Are you a green building professional or green advocate wanting to see Massachusetts Chapter programming expanded across the Commonwealth?

Contact Mark Webster at MDWebster@sgh.com to get involved.

Boston Emerging Green Builders

Boston Emerging Green Builders (EGB) is a local committee of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter. The Chapter is organized around advancing USGBC activities and the green building community here in Massachusetts. EGB is an organized group of young green building professionals working to have a presence in Boston and throughout MA.

The mission of the group is to provide students and young professional's affordable and accessible resources for integration into the growing green building industry as active and qualified employees and professionals. The primary purpose of the Boston Emerging Green Builders shall be to provide educational and career development opportunities to students and young professionals that promote the conservation, regeneration and stewardship of natural resources through sustainable building practices.

Visit the Boston EGB website to connect with the appropriate committee leader. To sign up and learn more about EGB please visit the website: http://bostonegb.ning.com/.   

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee is responsible for identifying and implementing strategies to build new Chapter membership and to retain and engage existing membership. The group will work to orient members to the Chapter activities, and the green community at large, as well as set membership categories, standards, benefits and dues. In addition, committee members will work closely with the Board, the Communications Committee and the Regional and Statewide Outreach Committees to accomplish goals.

Contact Suzanne Robinson at suzanne.robinson@iesve.com to become involved.