SES Consulting, Recollective, Pulse Energy and HiVE are playing around with a cool new way to celebrate Earth Day this year. We are going to pay our employees to have some fun making a difference in a creative way. We start at 9 am at the HIVE (128 West Hastings, Suite 210), split up our various folk into small teams of 4, each company gives each employee a budget of $22 per person to hit the street or their computers and make a difference.

• EarthWork will occur this year on Friday April 20.
• Participant’s names will be provided to the organizers on or before April 12.
• EarthWork Teams will get assigned on Friday April 13, and are invited to meet at the HiVE at 5:00 pm on April 13th to mingle, and develop/pitch their ideas for feedback. Beers and snacks provided.
• EarthWork Teams will collaborate, and co-create their vision for the day.

All EarthWork Teams will be collecting stories, taking photos/videos and assembling back at the HiVE for a party at 4:00 pm (on April 20) to share and celebrate our contributions.

Anyone and everyone are welcome to join, or create your own version!

RSVP at earthworkday.eventbrite.ca

Twitter / Flickr / YouTube Hashtag: #earthworkday

In 2006, Brenda co-founded Recollective with the shared aim to create an innovative green building company that does business differently – one with little hierarchy, one that collaborates with its competition, and one that builds capacity through education and mentorship. Over the past 5 years, her shared vision has been realized through her shared leadership. Recollective has proven to be one of the top green building companies in Canada, boasting some of the most high profile projects such as the LEED Gold and Platinum Southeast False Creek Olympic Village, and the Okanagan College of Excellence, targeting the Living Building Challenge.

Brenda’s commitment to green building education and advocacy has been a critical ingredient to the success of Recollective, and has become embedded in the DNA of the organization. As a faculty member of the Canada and Cascadia Region Green Building Councils, as well as UBC’s green building programs, Brenda has taught numerous workshops across Canada in LEED and the Integrated Design Process. As Brenda retires from Recollective, she will continue her passion for education and will remain as faculty.

I am thankful for Brenda’s dedication to the company and her leadership style. All of us at Recollective will miss her passion, her intensity and her sense of humour. We wish Brenda the best of luck in her new path as a writer and educator, and look forward to witnessing the next chapter in her life. The following is a personal message from Brenda:

“Anyone who works in our field knows that it’s not just a career, it’s a calling. Once you know how the building industry affects the environment, it’s impossible to “unknow” it. Each of us works in our own way, whether on policy, projects, research or other avenues to affect change – to seek that place where what we build integrates into a sustainable society.

I have reflected on the time I have spent in the industry, and have come to the conclusion that my greatest contribution is through education and advocacy. I’ll be leaving Recollective in order to focus my efforts in this regard. I can do so without concern – Recollective has a solid knowledge base, creativity and leadership, and these attributes are distributed throughout the company. This has allowed Recollective to thrive, and I anticipate their continued achievements and innovation.

It has been a privilege and my pleasure to work with all of you, and with the members of Recollective in a consulting role, and I look forward to redefining a new role and contributing in a different capacity.”

To celebrate this transition, we’ll be hosting at special “Retirement” Party for Brenda at HiVE on March 30th. Music, food and drinks will be provided. I hope you can make it. Please RSVP using the following link: partyforbrenda.eventbrite.com

Warm regards,

Eesmyal Santos-Brault
Principal, Recollective

Peter Cox: Currently pursuing a BCIT advanced certificate in Sustainable Business Leadership; previous studies included Graduate Studies in Housing Futures (University College of London, England), Master of Environmental and Energy Management (University of Twente in the Netherlands), BA in History and Politiial Science (UBC). Peter has a specific interest/passion in EB:O&M.

Jenn Bryden: Currently pursuing an Award of Achievement in Sustainability Management (with a great deal of coursework in the area of Sustainability Accounting). Jenn has a specific interest/passion in sustainable business development.

Taran Binning: BCIT Diploma in Architectural and Building Engineering Technology. Taran has a specific interest/passion in energy and energy modelling.

With a Bachelor of Architectural Studies tucked under one arm, Melissa started her career by working for design-build firm Fresh Fruit & Architecture in Montreal. Sustainability was at the core of the company philosophy and projects incorporated re-purposing of industrial scrap material as design elements.

Landing in Vancouver in 2005, Melissa’s next move was working for non-profit and community based clients as a Development Manager for Terra Housing Consultants. Projects in her portfolio included residential, commercial and student union spaces. A highlight for Melissa at that time was spearheading the Inclusive Cities Conference of 2009, bringing consultants from the US and UK to share their affordable housing expertise.

Melissa integrates these complimentary architecture, project management and real estate development skills into her new role with Recollective and is driven to encourage green dialogue and promote sustainability in BC’s built environment.

5:30 – 6:30pm social

6:30 – 8:30pm design challenge

BYOB and potluck!

• Time: 6pm onwards, June 10, 2011
• Location: 5 W. Pender St. Suite 109 (and on the rooftop patio)
• 10pm we move over to the HiVE @ Suite 210 – 128 W. Hastings St.

Phone Book Drive!!!
Help us build a privacy booth at the HiVE with your phone books! What better building material than this ubiquitous, largely ignored resource? For every phone book brought to the party we will donate $1 to the Pivot Legal Society “Hope in the Shadows” campaign.

Learn from the pros, get exposed to over 100 different projects, gain experience in green building & LEED needed to pass LEED AP exam, become a superhuman. Apply for our Spring 2012 internship today!

Arvin has worked in the high performance building industry  for over three years, with experience in energy modeling and HVAC systems design.  Specializing in energy conservation strategies and other sustainable strategies for LEED energy compliance, Arvin uses advanced building simulation tools (EE4, eQuest, Ecotect, IES, TAS) to provide energy and cost analysis for early feedback to owners and design teams.

Arvin’s skills, knowledge of building science, and building energy analysis expertise enable him to communicate effectively with his clients and other members of the design team to successfully achieve high performance building designs. His previous work experience with Schneider Electric provided him valuable experience in energy audits and energy management services.  He is a LEED AP and holds a masters degree in Human Settlements from Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium.

We are about to embark on one of the most ambitious experiments any of us has yet known: a collaborative chaos, a working man’s and women’s Walden. HiVE Vancouver will be a reality, and the coolest coworking space in the City will soon open its doors.

But, yea! That day has not yet arrived. And so we find ourselves in a strange vortex, where we have 9,000 square feet of unfinished office space to play in, but no office to speak of. Whatever will we do with all this space?

Have a party, of course! Friday, March 25th we’ll have a Warehouse Ball. Put on your very finest scrubs and come prepared to engage in a variety of activities you’ve never done in an office… and most likely never will again!

DJs:

• SOMA vs. elrizzy
  
• Leigh Christie
• Oker
• Saul Dusty
• GoreMay

and more!

`the Bees at HiVE Vancouver
www.hivevancouver.com

Gain in-depth familiarity with the LEED-NC 2009 Rating System in preparation for the Professional Accreditation Exam. Current LEED AP’s can complete all 36 LEED BD+C prescriptive continuing education requirements. Explore the synergies between green building strategies and implementation processes using a range of examples and case studies and practise using LEED Letter Templates and other tools to develop certification documentation.

Two Options:

April 4 – June 2, 2011 (weekly) – Robson Square, 800 Robson, Vancouver

July 11-15, 2011 (1-week intensive) – Robson Square, 800 Robson, Vancouver

Registration: http://www.cstudies.ubc.ca/leed/

Without clear direction from the municipality/agency, how should one respond as developer or consultant?  Should we as developers and consultants in Vancouver try to agree on what LEED Equivalency means to us, or can municipalities do this?  Can developers and consultants agree on what it means?

Also, as many of you know, LEED Equivalency is a contentious issue with the CaGBC, as it dilutes the LEED brand and generally leads to relatively poorer performing buildings.  Or does it?

Join us on March 11 at 4pm at our office (with beer!). We’re inviting city policy planners from as many municipalities in BC as possible, along with staff and board members from the CaGBC and Cascadia, as well as several private developers, and the general green building community to have an informal conversation about what LEED Equivalency means.

Panelists include:

• Thomas Muller, President, Canada Green Building Council
• David Ramslie, Sustainable Development Program Manager, City of Vancouver
• Heather Tremain, Principal, Urban Fabric (formerly of reSource reThinking Building)
• Mona Lemoine, BC Director, Cascadia Region Green Building Council
• and more!

Please spread the word!

RSVP here: http://leedequivalency.eventbrite.com/

Recollective worked with the project team including Acton Ostry Architects to complete a Life Cycle Assessment of the building. This work estimated the avoided environmental impacts of retaining existing elements of the building, rather than building new. The resulting major renovation has greatly enhanced the learning and working conditions in the building.

Learn More: Friedman Building

Recollective worked with the project team including Acton Ostry Architects to complete a Life Cycle Assessment of the building.  This work estimated the avoided environmental impacts of retaining existing elements of the building, rather than building new.  The resulting major renovation has greatly enhanced the learning and working conditions in the building.

Learn More: Friedman Building

Recollective worked with the project team including Acton Ostry Architects to complete a Life Cycle Assessment of the building. This work estimated the avoided environmental impacts of retaining existing elements of the building, rather than building new. The resulting major renovation has greatly enhanced the learning and working conditions in the building.

Learn More: Friedman Building