NJPA G reen B uildings
Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — Green Buildings — March 29 - April 11, 2013 — 17A
www.marejournal.com
Youth-designed and sustainably-themed play space to receive $16,000 grant Smith Playground & their partner Public Workshop named 2013 Greenbuild Legacy Project
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hiladelphia, PA — The Delaware Val- ley Green Building
Revolution Recovery. “The Smith Memorial Play- ground project presents im-
“Smith has been a treasured destination for many genera- tions of Philadelphia families and we are very excited that this project will give participat- ing youth a unique opportunity to work with us to share their play expertise and to create new play experiences that will benefit the entire community,” said Meg Wise, executive di- rector of the Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse. Alex Gilliam, director of Pub- lic Workshop, adds that there is a real need for more projects like this one throughout the city. “Philadelphia has over 40,000 vacant lots, and many of its parks and playgrounds are in need of considerable re- pair,” said Gilliam. “The Smith Playground project serves as a notable model for how we can uniquely engage youth and their communities in improv- ing these public spaces and strengthening neighborhoods through play, while leverag- ing these improvements to meaningfully educate com- munities about green building practices.” “Empowering kids is part Michael spent six years on Capitol Hill, working as an environmental policy legis- lative assistant and press secretary for three Members of the United States House of Representatives. Gross was also appointed to serve on former Pennsylvania Gov- ernor Edward G. Rendell’s environmental policy transi- tion team and the Vapor In- trusion Task Group of ASTM International, charged with crafting a uniform standard for assessing vapor intrusion risks in commercial real es- tate transactions. Gross received his Juris Doctor from Temple Univer- sity School of Law. He has his Bachelor of Arts in history from Colorado College and his Master’s Degree in Gov- ernment from Johns Hopkins University. n
programmed play spaces in Smith’s playground to nature. Construction by children and adults takes place in the Fall, with a grand opening and dedication of the new instal- lations to coincide with the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, which will be held at Philadelphia’s Convention Center November 20-22, 2013. “Each Greenbuild Legacy Project is a monument to the spirit of the green building movement, and the Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse is a worthy recipi- ent of this honor,” said Rick Fedrizzi , president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “Our young people are our most valuable asset, and educat- ing younger generations on sustainability as a societal imperative is among our most pressing tasks. The Smith Playground’s unique presen- tation of play space as an educational setting will help imbue Philadelphia’s youth with a vital commitment to both community and sustain- able practices.” n “Our goal is to improve the efficiency of the built envi- ronment across all markets,” said Barun Singh , a founder of WegoWise. “WegoWise has built the world’s largest database of utility use in multifamily buildings, and developed tools for building owners to get real value from that data. Now we’re extend- ing those insights and best practices to commercial build- ings. New energy disclosure laws are being enacted regu- larly, and there is increasing pressure to solve the split incentive issue for energy retrofits. Leading commercial property owners like Liberty Property Trust are already using our platform to reduce energy costs and simplify compliance.” n Liberty’s commercial proper- ties and will continue to be deployed throughout their 81 million-s/f portfolio.
of how we carry out DVGBC’s mission,” said Janet Milk- man , DVGBC’s executive di- rector. “The Smith project helps us reach our goal of bringing green building prac- tices to young people---they will become our next genera- tion of sustainability leaders, and they stand to benefit from green practices the most.” Working together, Smith and Public Workshop will con- vene interested children and families from Smith’s Straw- berry Mansion neighborhood to assess unused or underused spaces on Smith’s 6.5 acre playground. The youth led collaboration will design and build a series of interactive ele- ments and structures that pro- vide opportunities for natural play and invite exploration of the trees, hills, plants, flowers and other natural assets that make Smith unique. Work on the project begins in early 2013 to build community support. Participating children will meet in the Summer and Fall to explore, imagine, design and plan how they want to use recycled materials to link Malvern, PA — Wego- Wise , a building performance analytics provider announced the launch of its commercial platform, providing a simple and inexpensive solution to track and benchmark utility data across all types of com- mercial buildings. Building off WegoWise’s utility track- ing for multifamily buildings, the expanded solution quickly identifies the least efficient buildings in broad commer- cial building portfolios for tar- geted energy upgrades which maximize ROI. WegoWise’s commercial platform also offers seamless integration with Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Liberty Property Trust is one of the first commer- cial property owners to de- ploy WegoWise’s commercial platform. WegoWise is now tracking utility usage over more than 2.9 million s/f of
C o u n c i l ( DVGBC ) , host chapter for the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo (Green- build), has selected the
mediate and l o n g - t e r m bene f i t s to Philadelphia by empower- ing youth to design and build sustain- able play ar- eas that will
Janet Milkman
Rick Fedrizzi
engage and educate children for years to come,” said Gookin. Smith and Public Workshop will create a youth-designed path and obstacle course at Smith’s historic facility in East Fairmount. The project is intended to enhance the visitor experience in Smith’s Playground and help children connect to its natural environ- ment. The project unites Public Workshop’s visionary work and experience leading youth and their communities to shape the design of their neighborhoods with Smith’s long tradition of advocating for and providing opportunities for physical and imaginative play for children 10 and younger. attorneys and property own- ers. Gross will focus spe- cifically on the legal concerns and risk avoidance, including environmental due diligence, litigation and legal liability concerns, reopening previ- ously remediated site, as well as liability avoidance strategies. Gross focuses his practice at MGKF on environmental issues arising in corporate/ real estate/energy transac- tions, brownfields redevelop- ment, and regulatory compli- ance matters. He represents a broad range of clients, including industrial enti- ties, real estate developers, energy providers, and mu- nicipalities in a wide array of complex environmental matters. Prior to joining the firm,
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse as the site of the 2013 Greenbuild Host City Legacy Project. The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Green- build conference is expected to bring 30,000 attendees to Philadelphia in November. Each year USGBC works with its local chapter to select and fund a project that will be a lasting gift of public service to an underserved community in the Host City. Smith Memorial Playground and Public Workshop won a competitive application process administered by DVGBC’s vol- unteer Legacy Project Commit- tee, chaired by Fern Gookin of
Gross presents Vapor Intrusion’s Legal Landscape on May 13, 2013
Liberty Property Trust among prop. owners to reduce utility costs with WegoWise
Philadelphia, PA — Michael Gross , a partner with Manko, Gold, Katcher
& Fox, LLP ( MG K F ) , t h e e n v i - ronmental, energy and land use law firm based in Bala Cyn- wyd, will be a panelist on
Michael Gross
a webinar on Monday, May 13, 2013 from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT. It is entitled, “Vapor Intrusion – Legal Concerns, Risk Management, and Sci- entific Factors for Attorneys and their Clients” on behalf of the American Law Insti- tute. Vapor intrusion is a top environmental concern since it presents both liability and health issues for regulators,
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