This session at the MI State Capitol aimed to connect state policymakers with zero-energy-building advocates to educate policymakers on what is needed to advance zero-energy buildings in Michigan.

We had 30 different offices of House and Senate representatives and/or their staff in attendance, and this included 85 people in total who attended or checked in throughout the session.

I am thrilled that within one week of the event, the Michigan Senate passed some significant clean energy legislation that will play a role in advanced zero-energy buildings!

A huge thanks to our panelists, Matt Hollander, Kortney Lull, Matt Dunham, and Rob Kaercher, who discussed these important topics and how they impact their work.

This event is jointly hosted by:
GreenHome Institute (GHI) (Significant help from our member Dale Hulst Michigan Net Zero Homes LLC)
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
Michigan Energy Efficiency Contractors Association
Michigan Geothermal Energy Association
Michigan Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MIACCA)

If you live in Michigan (or any state), consider contacting your representatives and sharing our resources, and please tell them you support zero-energy buildings!  Here are some additional resources you may share.

Green Home & Sustainability Jobs Round-Up

Looking for a job in sustainable housing? You first need the internationally recognized sustainability credential called the LEED Green Associate. You can take our Green Associate class here on your time, any time now!

• Carpenter/Remodeler, Meadowlark Design+Build (GHI member), Ann Arbor MI
• Product Manager, aeroseal, Miamisburg OH
• Housing Rehabilitation Specialist I, City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids MI
• Senior Director – Climate and Clean Energy Programs, Acadia Center, Remote
• Climate Action Officer, State of Michigan, Lansing MI
• Director of Sales and Operations, Feyen Zylstra, Grand Rapids MI
• Energy Modeling Analyst, ARCXIS, Cumming GA
• Senior Director for Climate Equity, The Greenlining Institute, Oakland CA
• Advancement Officer, Slipstream, Chippewa Falls WI
• Senior Energy Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists, Remote
• Executive Director, Ottawa Conservation District, Grand Haven MI
• Manager of Building Decarbonization, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston MA
• Director of Software Engineering, cove.tool, Atlanta GA
• Energy Specialist, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Anchorage AK
• Policy Associate – Building Decarbonization and Gas Transition, Advanced Energy United, Remote
• Project Manager – Climate Adaptation, Anthropocene Alliance, Micanopy FL
• Policy Associate – Building Decarbonization and Gas Transition, Advanced Energy United, Remote
• Director of Sales, American Solar and Roofing, Phoenix AZ
• Engineer – Building Energy Efficiency, GTI Energy, Des Plaines IL
• Operations Manager – Geothermal Installations, Dandelion Energy, Marlborough MA
• Certifications Business Development Manager, Verdani Partners, Carlsbad CA
• Regional Director of Sales, ARCXIS, Eagan MN
• Conservation Program Coordinator, City of Austin, Austin TX
• Senior Director of Finance, Rewiring America, Washington DC
• RFP https://www.commerce.wa.gov/contracting-with-commerce/rfp-multi-family-weatherization/

Despite the national new media narrative of a “cooling” jobs market, the reality is the residential green building, affordable housing and energy sectors remain as hot as ever.  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a report last month showing county-level data on energy employment across the United States, which found that energy jobs grew in nearly every county. Of course when people think of green or energy jobs, their first thought is solar, and they would not be wrong. Solar jobs grew 3.5% in the last two years, and the industry is struggling to find talent! 

Just like every month, we want to feature some of the most interesting residential green building jobs we found that you may be interested in.

We are also now tagging every relevant job, so follow us at #greenhomejobalert to stay up to date in real-time or subscribe to our mailing list to get monthly updates on jobs and all your green home news here https://greenhomeinstitute.org/mailing-list/

 

• GHI member Job – Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids Community Land Trust Manager https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3707964210
• GHI member job – Energy Equity Project Community Partnerships Manager, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
• U.S. Green Building Council – Director of Energy and Carbon – Remote
• Building Controls Research Engineer 3, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States
• Senior Research Analyst – Building Energy Codes, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, United States
• Senior Originator, National Affordable Housing Trust, Columbus OH
• Sustainable Building Scientist, Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro Maryland
• Sustainable Design Professional, HKS, International
• Program Manager for Florida, Southeast Sustainability Director’s Network, Florida
• Entry-level Modeler, Home Energy Raters, Sagamore Beach MA
• Climate and Buildings Support Programs Advisor, City of Seattle, Seattle WA
• Program Manager – Solar, Generate, United States
• Bilingual Project Delivery Lead, Elevate, Chicago IL
• Staff Accountant, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Baltimore MD
• Head of Science, WattCarbon, United States
• Sustainability Specialist, Kingspan, Deland FL
• Project Manager – Community Programs, Elevate, Michigan
• Customer Success Manager, Haven, Toronto ON (remote)
• Sustainability Planner, City of Ithaca, Ithaca NY
• Program Manager, US Department of Energy, Remote
• Manager – Building Performance Programs, Illinois Green Alliance, Chicago IL
• HVAC Engineer – Energy Analyst/Energy Modeler/HVAC Commissioning Agent, Sol Design + Consulting, Cincinnati OH
• Various positions, Enertech, Greenville IL and Mitchell SD
• Special Projects Manager, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Greenfield MA
• Various positions, PEG LLC, Fairfax VA
• Purchasing and Inventory Control, CBS Solar, Copemish MI
• Project Manager, Knauf Insulation North America, United States
• Analyst/Software Developer I/II, Ecotope, Seattle WA
• New York Communications Manager, Building Decarbonization Coalition, New York
• Energy Modeler, Earth Advantage, Oregon
• Director of Finance, HEET, Boston MA
• Traveling Field Technician, Aeroseal, Miamisburg OH
• Managing Director, Building Electrification Institute, Remote
• Outreach Coordinator – Climate and Energy, City of Detroit, Detroit MI
• Healthy Housing Specialist, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, Grand Rapids MI
• Sustainability Specialist, Pratus Group, Toronto ON
• Manager – State and Community Solutions, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Boston MA
• Clean Energy Outreach and Communications Coordinator, Citizens Utility Board Espanol, Chicago IL
• Various positions, EnergySage, Boston MA and Serbia
• Manager of Strategic Sites – RMI – REMOTE 
• Senior HVAC instructor in TX https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3704801552
• Check out this job: North East HERS Alliance – https://nehers.org/job?NewsID=179
• Check out this job at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3705396920
• Center for Energy and Environment in MN. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3707651512
• Project Administrator, ReVireo
• Steven Winter Association Green Home Jobs in  NY & DC

The success of the Residential Green Building Movement is highly dependent on increasing the construction workforce. With many young adults choosing degrees and office work, jobs in the skilled trades are in demand! The economic downturn and COVID wiped out many trades, and now, with the shortage, we can’t keep up with ensuring housing needs are met, and green building is the standard. As one recent podcast put it, if you want to save the planet, quit your desk job and become an electrician! 

In Michigan, we are proud to highlight the DTE Energy BPI workforce development in Detroit and on that note, all sustainability jobs must consider equity so we can gain diverse voices and diverse ideas to ensure all benefit from green housing and jobs.

Open Positions:

Sustainability – Energy Assessor, GHI Member, the City of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Sustainability Field Consultant with Jordan & Skala Engineers, Plano TX

Beneficial Electrification Analyst with Beneficial Electricaition Leauge, DC & Remote

Pubic-Private Partnerships Coordinator with Pearl Certification, Milwaukee WI

Territory Sales Manager at Knauf Insulation North America, Minneapolis MN

Chief Development and Investment Officer – Affordable Housing for the City of Detroit, Detroit MI

Associate, Water Programs with Elevate, Chicago IL

Executive Director, State Land Bank Authority for the State of Michigan, Lansing MI or remote

Resilience Programs Manager for the City of Miami, Miami FL

Regional Coordinators for clean energy projects, across MN

Architectural and Engineering Tool Manager for Building Transparency, United States

Project Manager at Just Air, Detroit or Grand Rapids MI

Chief Financial Officer for Pearl Certification, Denver CO or remote

Operations & Marketing Assistant with Cradle to Cradle Institute

Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries, Holland MI

Green Building Specialist – Multifamily with Steven Winter Associates, Washington DC

Vice President of Programs at Community Action House, Holland MI

Territory Sales Manager – Northern California for Rockwool, Sacramento CA

Many positions at new buildings institute, Portland OR

Resilience Policy Consultant at FUSE Corps, Jacksonville FL

Community Engagement & Climate Justice Manager for the City of Alexandria, Alexandria VA

Energy Code Specialist with Performance System Development of New York, remote

Building Technology Analyst for cove.tool, Atlanta GA

Sustainable Building Scientist at Home Innovation Research Labs, Upper Marlboro MD

Chief Resiliency officer – Miami Dade County.

Director of design innovation with Cove tools, Atlanta

I am thrilled to announce my house’s (re)certification to the Pearl Platinum standard!

I was also recently able to pick up the all-electric home badge and look at the solar equity calculator to properly value my home with solar.

I am very grateful to Casey Murphy and his team there for assisting with this, and actually, I’ve been certified for two years now, but just finally getting the word out now.

I am excited about Pearl certification and why I want to get the word out. Here are three reasons why.

The first is Pearl is a great stepping stone to call GreenStar Home Certification in much the same way energy star is the energy baseline to LEED Residential. Pearl is a great energy efficiency program that can serve as a baseline so all homes and a starting point for green. A Gold Pearl Certified level meets the baseline requirements of GreenStar Homes Certification.

Next, all homes need continual improvement and maintenance, and their Green Door program offers homeowners or landlords ways to maintain their homes and make upgrades to achieve higher levels of pearl, home health, and comfort. Making sure the home is well maintained and is an easy hand-off to the next owner. In connection again with GreenStar, the silver requirements are that the owners have an operations manual, and this green door tool covers more than that.Finally, as I mentioned, the solar equity calculator has proven to help appraisers understand how to value solar properly, which is one of the biggest impediments to solar that I hear often. The complaint is that people who decide they might sell not only think they won’t get any value for the solar but worse, they think the home might not sell or have less value due to solar, which is completely untrue.

Because of Pearl, I was able to eek out 3% more value on my home appraisal from solar. So I am excited to get the word out about the solar equity calculator and provide you with more details on how it works and my reports as well. The solar equity calculator uses a discounted cash flow method to estimate the solar projection, the cost savings based on utility costs, including inflation, and a low, medium, and high estimation of the system value based on its likely energy generation value.

The bottom line is that Pearl + GreenStar Homes + Solar is a win-win for high-performance homes, ensuring home equity and value are communicated well.

You can learn more about the features of my home that helped it meet Pearl here and the details of my solar equity calculator.

My hope you and your clients do this too!

Earth Advantage Partners with the GreenHome Institute to Provide Certification Data to the Green Building Registry

[Portland, OR July 2023] —Earth Advantage^®, Inc. and the GreenHome Institute announced today a partnership to deliver GreenStar Homes certification data through the Green Building Registry^® (GBR). This partnership will provide easy access to this Certification data to the market and help facilitate inclusion in real estate listings.

Historically, important home data such as energy ratings, third-party building certifications, or solar electricity generation has not been included in sale or rental listings. This lack of data transparency has prevented appraisers and lending institutions from creating a thorough valuation, resulting in the potential loss of thousands of dollars of value per home, and preventing buyers from making a fully informed purchasing decision.

Since 2017, Earth Advantage’s self-funded, Green Building Registry has provided home performance data to the public and real estate multiple listing services. GBR partners with programs to provide verified data directly from sources such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score program, LEED^® for Homes, ENERGY STAR^®, HERS^® Index Scores, and other national and regional third-party verification programs.

“The GreenStar Homes Certification program provides a clear pathway to upgrade all homes easily to increase sustainability, but without recognition and market comparison, it’s hard to find value. As someone who lives in a certified home and derives value from these efforts, it is important to ensure the expansion of an easy-to-understand and easy-to-find listing of green-certified homes. We are thrilled to collaborate with and promote the US Green Building Registry in this regard!” says Brett Little, Education Manager at the GreenHome Institute.

David Heslam, Executive Director at Earth Advantage states “The GreenStar Homes Certification has been utilized for over ten years. Earth Advantage is excited to help make these certified homes more visible to everyone in the market.”

About the Green Building Registry

The Green Building Registry (GBR) is the largest single-source for building performance data in the United States. GBR contains over two and a half million records of data on single-family, multifamily, and commercial buildings. Additionally, the GBR API allows any MLS, lender, or other data consumer or provider to connect directly to the information contained in the registry. Visitus.greenbuildingregistry.com for a free property search.

GBR is a wholly owned and self-funded initiative of Earth Advantage, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Earth Advantage is helping the US housing industry to create a more informed and humane residential real estate market. For more information on Earth Advantage visit: earthadvantage.org

About the GreenHome Institute

The GreenHome Institute is a Grand Rapids, MI-based non-profit that works around the US with a mission to empower people to make healthier and more sustainable choices in the renovation and construction of the places we live.  GHI provides education, consulting, and certification services for residential green buildings, including our GreenStar Homes Certification Program, which offers free tools and resources to help anyone green up their new or existing residential project. GreenHomeInstitute.org

If you want to start your GreenStar Homes Certification project, go here https://greenhomeinstitute.org/greenstar/

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Meg Garabrant at 503.310.9138 x162, or email meg@greenbuildingregistry.com

Ralf is passionate about climate sustainability and social justice. As a board member of the GreenHome Institute, Ralf looks forward to applying his extensive entrepreneurial and business experience to promoting and supporting the organization’s mission.  Ralf works as International Product Manager for building envelope systems at Sparta MI-based tesa tapes, focusing on air and waterproofing solutions for energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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As the Chief Expansion/Program Officer at CEDA John is seasoned professional in the field of Home/Building Performance, with a passion for net zero construction with a strong emphasis on equity, indoor air quality, and project management. With extensive experience and expertise in the industry, John has consistently demonstrated his commitment to sustainable building practices that minimize environmental impact and promote energy efficiency.

Throughout his career, John has played a key role in leading and managing projects that prioritize equity, ensuring that communities have access to high-quality, energy-efficient homes. His deep understanding of the importance of indoor air quality has driven him to implement solutions and technologies that create healthy living environments for occupants in marginalized and disinvested communities.

With a passion for net zero construction and a dedication to sustainability, John stays at the forefront of industry trends and innovations. He is a strong advocate for incorporating renewable energy systems, energy-efficient materials, and advanced building techniques to achieve optimal energy performance in residential and commercial buildings.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, John is actively involved in professional organizations related to Home/Building Performance. He is a respected member of the industry and serves on the board of directors for the Building Performance Association and is dedicated to advancing sustainable building practices and promoting equity in the industry.

Kahryn Riley is an attorney and native Michigander dedicated to working on the most pressing social and economic issues. She began her career in public policy as the director of criminal justice policy at one of the nation’s premier state-based think tanks, where she published peer-reviewed papers on the state penal system, juvenile justice system and bail scheme, and helped lead a bipartisan coalition to raise the age of adult criminal liability in Michigan from 17 to 18. Today she works in energy policy and clean energy technology, leveraging her experience with administrative law to pass more effective electricity regulation and open new markets for demand-side technology resources that help make the grid more reliable. She resides near Lansing with her husband and their two young boys.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahrynriley/

A GreenHome Institute member since 2018 she is as a licensed architect for over 30 years.

Debbie has designed hundreds of low-energy passive solar homes for clients across the United States and Canada in many climate zones.  She obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and has been a licensed architect for over 30 years. In 2002, she founded Sun Plans Inc. which specializes in internet-based, sun-inspired, passive solar home design. Debbie authored The Sun-Inspired House: home designs warmed and brightened by the sun which is available in the ever-expanding eBook from Sun Plans with over 150 house designs.

Her design philosophies incorporate Passive Solar Design Strategies; Guidelines for Home Building developed by NREL and are continuously evolving to adapt to the ever-changing low-energy construction methods and climate changes as well as other housing and energy technologies related to green building. She believes in efficiency first and building as small as possible as prerequisites to good house design.  Her work has been published in Solar Today, Mother Earth News, Fine Homebuilding, Home Power, and Home Energy. In December 2022, she presented The Basics of Passive Solar Home Design webinar for GHI. (

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As a member of the American Institute of Architects, she understands architects, but with her typical services, her services align well with designers, draftsmen, engineers, and builders. Debbie has worked in construction, been the general contractor on her previous home, and coordinated a renovation on her current home. She is a LEED-GA and an active member of the American Solar Energy Society where she serves on the board of directors, the solar buildings technical committee, and the committee for the National Solar Tour that showcases many forms of sustainable living and buildings across all 50 states.

Debbie is passionate about how the sun can warm and brighten the interior of homes but enjoys being outside more than inside. She works very hard at connecting the two by bringing in the outdoors with careful attention to window placement which varies with each climate, piece of land, and family preferences with custom designs. Debbie has lived in a variety of places with cold, moderate, warm, humid, and dry climates. She enjoys traveling and exploring new places from the mountains to the sea, and being with others who share her love of the sun.