evolveEA

Meet Breen Masciotra, AICP, EcoDistricts AP, a planner in many senses and member of our National Steering Committee! Based in Pittsburgh, Breen works at Mpact Partner, evolveEA. 😁 Tell us a little bit about yourself & what you do I'm a planner. An urban planner, an event planner, and a trip planner. By day, I help communities pave the way for a safer, more equitable, more sustainable transportation future; by nights and weekends, I'm socializing, camping, or walking my dogs, whether in the woods or up and down Pittsburgh's many city steps (800 sets!). 👥 What one word captures why you’re involved with Mpact? Community. The people that I get to spend time with and learn from in Mpact forums are the best ones around. I've learned so much about how to be a better planner from my colleagues in the Mpact community over the last twelve years and I look forward to all that I'll learn in the next dozen. ⬆️ What's the most underrated mode of transportation and why? Anything vertical! 🚡🚡🚡 In Pittsburgh, we have HILLS. Our inclines (a.k.a. funiculars) are critical to people getting around. We used to have 17 but now we only have two. As we look to reconnect communities, aerial trams could be the answer. Our hills provide ample greenspace and dramatic views but they also have to be overcome to achieve equitable access. 🌎 What are we not talking about enough? Climate change mitigation and the role of walkable, mixed-use communities in it. After we pick the low-hanging fruit, we must find ways to reach higher and continue to have an impact. Key to the equity and sustainability of our mitigation strategies is pursuing transit and transit-oriented communities as their backbone. Forgoing these long-term solutions to focus solely on the quickest fixes is to shortchange ourselves, particularly those of us with the fewest resources and choices. 1) Bike week at evolveEA. 2) Mpact NSC crew at Sedona, AZ. 3) Beehive at Buffalo NY’s Silo City. 4) Breen and Moira Egler, AICP (also on Mpact’s NSC!) on a flight. 5) Breen's dog, Theia, and city steps. 6) Cleveland’s Detroit Superior Bridge. 7) Breen's dogs, Zoso and Theia, cuddled up.

EMERGING PROFESSIONALS interested in or working in the green building industry, including rising college students, graduate students, and recent grads: Join us at the GBA offices at the Highline for a Q&A Panel Discussion with local industry professionals on Thursday, July 11, 4:30 – 6:30 pm, followed by a buy-your-own Happy Hour at Burgher’s Beer Garden.   Panelists will discuss and answer your questions regarding evolving industry standards and strategies for success breaking into the green building sector.  Register here: https://lnkd.in/eh7cvkSa   Meet our Panelists: Carolyn Sponza, AIA, AICP, LEED AP BD+C Carolyn is an architect, planner and urban designer whose practice is in creating memorable, contextually relevant, and sustainable places. As a Principal at Gensler’s Pittsburgh office, Carolyn is responsible for leading major transportation and commercial office work in the Pittsburgh region, including FNB Financial Center and Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal Modernization projects. Carolyn frequently speaks and writes on issues impacting the built environment, particularly around public space activation and the future of downtowns. Marc Mondor AIA, LEED Fellow An influential voice in sustainability, Marc is Managing Principal and Cofounder of evolveEA, working with greening design and construction projects to optimize performance. He has served as President of AIA Pennsylvania, and is an Appointee to the Pennsylvania Climate Change Advisory Committee, working on Pennsylvania’s Climate Action Plans. Marc is a LEED Fellow and WELL AP, and lectures nationally as USGBC LEED Faculty. Veni Mittal, EcoDistricts AP, LEED GA Veni is a Sustainability professional, works for JLL as an Energy & Sustainability Analyst, and serves as Board Secretary of Etna Community Organization. She is dedicated to building a more vibrant and sustainable future where we all have the opportunity to thrive and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.   Karma Lisa Edwards LEED AP Karma Lisa Edwards’ career spans several fields (energy efficiency, innovation and entrepreneurship, product manufacturing, education, and workforce). Karma oversees GBA’s workforce development and Green & Healthy Schools programs and spearheads the organization’s initiatives related to education and training for a variety of audiences.    

It's a beautiful night for celebrating the accomplishments of Pittsburgh 2030 District partners in achieving reductions in carbon emissions, energy and water use. Special thanks to the University of Pittsburgh for hosting us at The Assembly, the former Ford Motor Company manufacturing space. Be sure to check out the full Progress Report at https://lnkd.in/eWfFtdum.