Sustainability Research Group » Green Building and Design

Mary Ostafi

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:11:21 +0000

Mary E. Ostafi is an Architect, Interior Designer, and LEED® Accredited Professional from Madison, Wisconsin, where she practiced sustainable design and integrated building solutions for over eight years. Recently she earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) from an acclaimed program in Sweden.

Mary is fully aware of the building industry’s impact on the environment and has dedicated her professional career to innovative design methods to constitute change by transforming the ways buildings are designed, planned and constructed. Her MSLS education has added another layer to her knowledge base and provided her with tools to help lead the movement toward global sustainability.

During her Master’s dissertation, she collaborated with Dublin City Council’s Planning Department in Ireland and utilized the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development – a whole‐systems tool for planning in complex systems – to create an ideal, envisioned urban planning process. This was measured against an analysis of current planning practices resulting in recommended actions to help Dublin City Council move toward a more sustainable future.

Though the majority of her experience relates to the building and facilities industry, she is interested and capable of expanding into a broader strategic realm, working towards being a leader that brings positive change in many capacities from buildings, operations, to cities, businesses and governments.

Nick Blandford

Nick Blandford — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:59:52 +0000

Hi there ! So, how about a little background information ? Real good then - I hold a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada (2005) and a MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden (2008). For the past three and a half years, I’ve been involved with the sales, marketing and business development aspects of Schneider Electric\’s energy management solutions. Based on my personal and professional experiences in the energy efficiency sector, I’m a very strong advocate for forward-looking and holistic energy policies and strategies. I am also passionate about educating stakeholders and shareholders on sustainable business and investment strategies, and the role they play in catalyzing the movement towards a profitable, successful, and sustainable future – a result of my continued involvement with evolving the ideas of Strategic Sustainable Investing. Overall, I’d call myself a sustainability generalist with interests and ideas in many different areas: from biomimicry to behavioural change, greening the built environment to sustainability education, and stakeholder engagement to cleantech – the list goes on! I’m fortunate to reside on the beautiful west coast of Canada where I’m equally active in the outdoors as I am in the sustainability scene, and, as my friends know, I’m always more than happy to have a dialogue around the topic of the day. Feel free to contact me at: nick.g.blandford [at] gmail.com

Neil Pegram

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:53:01 +0000

Neil Pegram is a Sustainability Consultant specializing in facilitation, stakeholder engagement and organizational strategic planning. His past research experience has primarily been focused on behavioural psychology, but his work has increasingly shifted to the private sector where he has consulted in a range of industries including CSR, Human Resources, Communications and Public Relations. He uniquely combines his science background with a set of real world business skills, a light-hearted demeanor and an inclusive facilitation style.
Neil holds a BSc in Biology/Psychology from the University of Victoria, Canada and a MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from BTH, Sweden. He is trained in the use of The Natural Step Framework and is a Future Search Facilitator.
Neil is the Owner of Pegram Consulting aka Socially-Conscious Consulting and is currently contracted to develop a Sustainability program for one of Canada\’s largest real estate companies.

Ye Yan

Ye Yan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:44:31 +0000

I am an energetic, determined, and self-motivated individual with exposure to a wide range of areas since my experience and education background based on engineering and leadership. I have been working on Corporate Social Responsibility policy and Sustainable Product Development until now, and I am quite happy with what I am doing and would like to continue in Sustainability fields.

Luke Raftis

LukeRaftis — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:53:54 +0000

I recently graduated from a Sustainability Planning Masters program, and have been working for a few different organizations planning environmental initiatives, writing grant proposals, and training documents. I have three separate but connected areas of interest (and experience):

1)Sustainability planning- working with organizations looking to plan strategies towards sustainability.

2)Human needs & wellbeing research- investigating how organizational policy can better address the needs of those involved, and what indicators can be used to measure this

3)Technical aspects of green infrastructure, particularly green buildings and heating systems (mechanical engineering aspects)

I am currently working in Toronto on short-term contract and would be interested in work relating to any of these areas.

Ben R. Kneppers

BenKneppers — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:23:35 +0000

My name is Ben Kneppers and I am a sustainability consultant with Edge Environment in Sydney, Australia. My work focuses on life cycle assessment and organisational management. I am currently involved in the development of the national life cycle inventory for the Australian Federal Government’s Building Product Innovation Council (BPIC) and Industry Cooperative Innovation Program (ICIP).

I have published my Masters thesis on a principle-based decision-making tool for Sweden’s energy sector. My background has given me a range of project experience in engineering design (aerospace, biomedical, energy), natural resource assessments, research and development, quality assurance, and community development.

Hazel Henderson

ethicalmarkets — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:13:12 +0000

Hazel, right, with Christina Carvalho Pinto, president of Mercado Etico, Ethical Markets’ affiliate in Brazil

Hazel Henderson, President of Ethical Markets Media LLC author, futurist, alternative economist - see full bio at www.hazelhenderson.com

Contact info: PO Box 5190, Saint Augustine, FL 32085; admin@hazelhenderson.com

Work in Sustainability: Hazel is a visionary who has been promoting sustainability before the term was even applied within an environmental context. She has worked with the United Nations, NGOs, academia, and businesses around the world to futher sustainability. Her current focus is on growing the green economy.

Interaction with Students: Hazel delights in talking with students one-on-one and in groups, connecting them with her vast network of contacts from all parts of the globe for research into sustainability. As a practitioner, she has mentored many individuals. For Ethical Markets, she has taken on interns. In 2008, she welcomed a team of students working toward their MBA from the Presidio School of Management in furthering the EthicMark(r), now awarded by the World Business Academy.

Calendar: June 1, 2009 Sustainable Brands ’09, discussing “Economy at a Crossroad” with Woody Tasch

June 17, 2009 SAE 2009 Sustainable Mobility: A Practical Applications Approach for Engineers Symposium, panelist for “LCA and Accounting.”

Rachel Tubman

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:38:07 +0000

I would like to work with organizations to help transform their practices to achieve triple bottom line success.