Project Green Home is a low impact home being designed and built by the Thesen-Kramer family in Palo Alto, California. The aim is for the house to be “Zero Net Energy” - to produce as much energy as it consumes. The energy produced would not only balance electricity and gas consumption directly for the home, but also the hidden energy costs of water usage. The project is attempting Passive House and LEED for Homes certification.

Collaborators: ARKENTILT ARCHITECTS

CLAM, the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin, taking seriously its mission of creating environmentally responsible affordable homes, is constructing a small affordable home in Point Reyes Station with a goal of reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. This project is en route to become the first new construction Passive House in CA, and is on track for GreenPoint and LEED for Homes certification as well.

Collaborators: ZERO IMPACT ARCHITECTURE

The owners of Peche Merle Winery are endeavoring to build a winery that uses Dry Creek Valley grapes and supports artisan winemakers with a production facility that caters to small lot vineyard designated wines. The majority of the winery will be underground. Features include water re-use, solar electric panels, green roof, energy conservation devices, water-saving systems, and other green construction methods. The tasting room is designed as an earth-sheltered structure. The winery is designed to be LEED Gold Certified, the first winery in Sonoma County with this designation. Currently, most of the Dry Creek grape crop is exported outside the valley. As a local winery, PMW intends to source grapes from within the valley, operating a sustainable practice that benefits local grape growers, wineries and the local economy.

Prudence Ferreira is the founder and Principal of Integral Impact Inc. She is a LEED AP, LEED for Homes Rater, GreenPoint Rater for New and Existing Homes, Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), Certified Permaculture Designer, T24 Certified Energy Analyst (CEA), and HERS I, II + PV Rater. Prudence’s passion is employing building science and systems thinking to inform the creation of ultra low-impact, high-performance business and built environments.

Prior to founding Integral Impact, Prudence pioneered and directed the Corporate Social Responsibility Program at Amy's Organics and worked as an independent green building and business consultant. She is active in the green building and business communties and serves as Acting President of the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). In the past, she has also served as President USGBC Redwood Empire Chapter, as a founding board member and President of Passive House California, and as Treasurer of the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA).

Prudence’s clients include commercial and residential property owners and developers, business owners, building professionals, non-profits, governments, building materials manufacturers, and ecopreneurs. Areas of special focus include cost-optimized low-carbon building strategies using the Passive House building energy standard, LEED for wineries and CSR Program Development based on LEED EBOM, the Natural Step, and ISO 14001. Ms Ferreira holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree recieved on a full academic scholarship from Marymount Manhattan.

Justin Lee is a Project Manager at Integral Impact Inc. He is a LEED A.P. and Certified Passive House Consultant. What gets Justin excited is achieving, tracking and sharing the manyfold results that come from sustainable design and construction. He views each project as an opportunity to make sustainable construction the new standard, and feels very fortunate to be part of this exciting field.

Before moving to the Bay Area Justin spent a year traveling across the US and Europe, including a 3700 mile bicycle ride from his hometown of St. Paul, MN to his new home here in San Francisco. While in Minnesota he developed and co-directed the Sustainability Office at Macalester College both as a student and as one of the first sustainability employees. His work helped establish Macalester College as a nationwide leader in Sustainability in Higher Education, and he is thrilled to be involved in the same work here in California. Justin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Macalester.

Sarah Egerman, LEED AP, is a Project Manager at Integral Impact Inc. She currently works on both commercial and residential projects, and is thrilled to be part of an industry that promotes efficiency and sustainability.

Prior to becoming involved in the green building industry, Sarah studied music and taught elementary and middle school band at a private school. After an eye opening and life changing trip to Costa Rica, where she worked on an organic farm, she changed her major to Environmental Studies and Sustainability. Prior to working at i3, Sarah worked on the California Energy Commission's Household Energy Use Survey for KEMA, as well as worked for an Interior Designer, where she helped incorporate sustainable practices into home design. Sarah received a Bachelor's from San Francisco State University.

Adam Nielsen Is an animated, enthusiastic designer from San Diego, CA . In June of this 2010 he received a Bachelor of Architecture Degree, with a minor in Business Administration form the University of Oregon. During his education he worked diligently to improve both his design and interpersonal skills. This was affirmed through his multiple extracurricular, and leadership positions.

In the fall of 2008 he accepted the Volunteer Coordinator position with the Ecological Design Center (EDC). He would hold this position until his graduation. He got involved with the Ecological Design Center because he feels that architecture must be both socially and environmentally responsible.In the winter of 2009 he took on two additional volunteer positions. First as a Graphic Design Intern for the Springfield School District in Springfield, Oregon, and second as a Teaching Assistant for the University of Oregon.

Adam is deeply passionate about design, architecture, and environmental design. In his free time he enjoys drawing, painting, hiking, and playing with his niece.

Angela’s dedication to ecological, social, and financial sustainability has taken many forms over the past eight years. She has worked with businesses, non-profit organizations, and governments on a wide variety of sustainability initiatives, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions, carbon accounting, ecological literacy, energy efficiency, environmental legislation, sustainable agriculture, urban poverty and women’s rights.

Angela believes that the challenges of moving towards a more sustainable future present enormous opportunities for businesses. Her passion is to help businesses go beyond corporate responsibility to find competitive advantage in these opportunities. Angela is a certified Permaculture Designer, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. with in Community Planning from the University of Massachusetts, and is currently pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Enterprise (Green MBA) at Dominican University.