Events
Events
A nominee for best documentary at the Environmental Media Awards, “Carbon Nation” is a film very close to Sieben Energy Associates. CEO Craig Sieben was a producer on the film which was released in February 2011. The Environmental Media Association (EMA) advocates for environmental responsibility in the entertainment industry. EMA’s annual Environmental Media Awards honors films and television programming that demonstrates achievements in delivering effective green messages. “Carbon Nation” discusses the issues and the solutions surrounding climate change through interviews with a diverse group of people combating climate change. The film documents how a low-carbon economy would provide not only solutions to climate change, but also address current pressing social and economic problems; including job creation, public health, and national security. The EMA presents their awards October 15, 2011.
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On Sunday, June 26th, Jerry Burin and Chris Philbrick presented “Monitoring Based Commissioning Success” at the International Conference of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) in Washington, D.C. Their presentation explored the monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) process, an innovative, data-driven approach to achieving improved energy efficiency. SEA’s MBCx assignment at 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, served as a case study for the presentation. 311 S. Wacker is one of the city’s most recognizable skyscrapers.
The presentation provided attendees an overview of the new technologies driving MBCx and the benefits of tracking and acting on building performance data. MBCx uses web-based data tracking that enables SEA to identify energy saving opportunities. Jerry and Chris demonstrated how MBCx generates information that enables building owners to optimize HVAC performance while maintaining occupant comfort. Data-driven energy management is nothing new to SEA. MBCx is an emerging tre ...
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Craig Sieben, SEA’s founder and CEO, has been chosen to join Chicago Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel’s Transition Team. As a member of the Energy, Environment, and Public Space Committee—a team of community, business, and non-profit leaders from the Chicago-land area –he will help draft and provide recommendations to Mayor-Elect Emanuel concerning a number of issues facing the city . The insight and expertise of the Energy, Environment, and Public Space committee will help the Mayor-Elect address the impact of environmental and energy policy on Chicago’s economy, public safety, efficiency in social services and healthcare, and energy use.
I attended the 2011 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference January 12-14 in Chicago. This annual gathering, produced by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) and sponsored by the utility industry, brings many of the region’s experts together to network and strategize about energy efficiency.
As a MEEA member, Sieben Energy Associates follows the energy efficiency marketplace very closely so that we can provide our clients with the best service and information. This conference makes us aware of the latest utility programs, products, and new players in the region. This year we were updated on the progress of energy efficiency programs from several Midwestern utilities, including Detroit Energy, DTE, Ameren, and ComEd. And we were reminded that the U.S. will invest more than $1 billion in energy efficiency in 2011. This annual amount is expected to double by 2015.
The highlight of the conference for me was attending the Inspiring Efficiency Awards Dinner. The awards dinner is a chance to honor and r ...
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Sieben Energy Associates (SEA) was proud to sponsor Team CANopy from Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Penney Architects in the recent CANstruction design/build competition in Chicago
Canstruction® (a foundation of the Society for Design Administration), holds competitions in hundreds of cities around the world benefitting shelters, food pantries, and elderly and day care centers. The 4th annual Chicago competition took place May 14- June 2 at Merchandise Mart Plaza. The event brought together the design and building community to raise awareness and benefit the 678,000 people the Food Depository feeds each year.. Teams of design and building professionals created sculptures made entirely of canned food items. After the event, all 70,000 cans were donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Team CANopy took home Honorable Mention for their impressive giant tree (made of tuna and baked beans). Congratulations! It’s amazing what an innovative design, a supreme team, and a remarkable amount of ba ...
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The Pew Center on Global Climate Change held an energy efficiency conference in Chicago on April 6 and 7. This year it was entitled From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency and coincided with their release of a report on the best practices in corporate energy efficency.
Interesting keynote and luncheon speakers ranging from Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the City of Chicago’s Commissioner of its Department of Environment to John Rowe, Chairman and CEO of Exelon Corporation, to former Senator John Warner, helped set the context for the conference—that the world is changing, and that fossil fuel-generated carbon emissions will surely become an economic factor within our society—with an associated cost borne by consumers.
Sustainability and environmental representatives of household name companies such as Toyota, IBM, Best Buy, PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett Packard, Coca Cola and the Mars Candy described their companies’ efforts to establish and attain sustainab ...
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The energy (reduction) potential in America’s building stock is a tremendous resource, equivalent to tapping a second Saudi Arabia. The energy appetite of America’s buildings is enormous, but we can begin to cut back on the excess without sacrificing comfort or performance.
Craig Sieben spoke to this theme last week before the Realty Club of Chicago in a speech entitled “America’s Building Stock – The Second Saudi Arabia.” Craig referenced the excellent work of Art Rosenfeld, an award-winning scientist, one of the earliest promoters of energy efficiency in the U.S.—and one of Craig’s personal mentors.
In his speech, Craig emphasized smart and simple examples of what building owners and managers can do to cut back on their energy consumption. Reducing the energy appetite of our buildings is one small step towards a goal of U.S. energy independence. How can this be? Let’s do the math.
In 2008, the U.S. imported 1.5 million barrels of oil per day from Saudi Arabia. We consumed about 19.5 million barrels per d ...
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What is the realistic potential for energy and cost reduction in our nation’s buildings through energy efficiency? Craig Sieben will be answering that question during an address before the Realty Club this Friday, March 19. This private event will be held at the Union League Club of Chicago. The Realty Club, celebrating its 100th birthday this year, consists of a group of developers, architects, attorneys, economists, brokers, appraisers, and other professionals involved in real estate. They invited Craig to speak about the value inherent in making our existing buildings more energy-efficient. The title of his speech, "America’s Building Stock – the Second Saudi Arabia," hints at a value that may greatly surpass most people’s expectations. What does Craig mean by the "second Saudi Arabia" in our buildings? Check out this blog again the week after this event for a summary of his message to the Realty Club.
On Wednesday, March 3, Jerry Burin and I will be attending the North American Energy Conference sponsored by Enbridge Gas Services. This annual event, to be held this year at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, provides background on the U.S. natural gas market—where it has been, where it is now, and where it may be going.
The first of two scheduled keynote speakers is a director from the American Gas Association. He is expected to provide fundamental analysis of natural gas supply, demand, production, and consumption. The second speaker, a vice president from United ICAP, is expected to provide a technical and financial perspective on the natural gas market and the economy as a whole. Previous conferences have provided a wealth of information. This year, it will be particularly interesting to hear what the speakers may have to say about prospects for climate legislation, including cap-and-trade.
Over the past few years, the natural gas market has certainly been in flux. Prices rose to multi-year highs in t ...
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Next week, March 3-5, the Wall Street Journal is once again hosting its premier environmental event for chief executives and policymakers "who are shaping the green business market." This year’s ECO:nomics Creating Environmental Capital Conference will be held in Santa Barbara, California at the Bacara Resort and Spa.
Just a few of the many leaders who will be participating are Dr. Steven Chu (Energy Secretary), Robert A. Iger (President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company), Peter Voser (Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell), Michael G. Morris (Chairman, President, and CEO of American Electric Power), T. Boone Pickens (Chairman of BP Capital Management), and Amory Lovins (Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute).
The Wall Street Journal describes the motivation for the conference as follows:
At this critical moment, with prospects for a global carbon emissions regime in flux, there is an urgent need for new answers. Corporate CEOs and entrepreneurs alike must alter their strategies to a ...
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