Build Better

02/22/2024

We have another amazing podcast to share with you, our listeners! Meet Amin Najjar of Veolia North America.
Amin sat down with to to discuss how Veolia is improving building energy efficiency, citing the company's work in Boston to help buildings meet new requirements. Listen to the full episode.

Veolia’s mission is to resource the world, helping its customers address their environmental and sustainability challenges in energy, water and waste. Najjar talks about how Veolia is helping companies improve energy efficiency, including upgrading the buildings in the city of Boston to achieve ma...

01/09/2024

https://buildbetter.space/episodes/season-4-episode-1-transforming-underserved-communities-through-technical-education

The new year marks a new season for the Build Better podcast. Aisha Francis, Ph.D. the groundbreaking president and CEO of Franklin Cummings Tech kicks off Season 4!

Dr. Francis discusses her historic role as the first woman to lead the college in its 115-year history and the importance of gender parity in technical fields and shared insights into the college's success in preparing students for roles in the construction industry.

Dr. Francis shares her dedication to breaking gender stereotypes and promoting economic equity, which led to her recognition as an Extraordinary Woman by the city of Boston in 2019.
Now stop reading and start listening!

Anastasia talks with Dr. Aisha Francis, the president and CEO of Franklin Cummings Tech in Boston. In 2021, she became the first female president in the more than 100-year history of the college.

06/02/2023

It's been almost a year, but we have finally launched our first episode of Season3!

Matt O'Malley, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Vicinity Energy sat down with Anastasia Barnes to discuss his background serving on the Boston City Council, the significance of the Building Energy Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), , and Vicinity's decarbonization plans.

Listen to the episode using the link below👇

On season 3, episode 1 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Matt O’Malley, the first-ever chief sustainability officer for Vicinity Energy. He discusses Vicinity’s Clean Energy Future, Net Zero Carbon plan, and how the company is working with its customers, communities, and local go...

09/21/2022

MHSA released the latest edition of The Cornerstone! Inside this edition: Message from MHSA’s Board Chair Ben Josephson MHSA’s appearance at a Worcester Red Sox game The newest project from A Bigger Vision Films: “Beyond the Bridge: Solutions to Homelessness” Ways that you can help end homel...

07/11/2022

We're back with another episode! 🎉

In season 2, episode 16, Anastasia talks with Reverend Jeffrey Brown, co-founder of My City at Peace and associate pastor at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, and Tom O’Brien, founding partner and CEO of The HYM Investment Group.

They recently presented a proposal to the City of Boston for Parcel 3 in Roxbury that would set an example of a truly diverse and equitable development for the city.

Brown and O’Brien share more about this unprecedented development, and the ways they are ensuring that it would have a positive impact on those that live and work in Roxbury for years to come.

Listen now at https://buildbetter.space/episodes/season2/episode16, or on any podcast platform.

On season 2, episode 16 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talked with Reverend Jeffrey Brown, co-founder of My City at Peace and Associate Pastor at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, and Tom O’Brien, founding partner and CEO of The HYM Investment Group.

06/19/2022

Happy !

Learn more about the newest federal holiday below, and consider what you can do to celebrate and uplift the Black community — not just today, but every day.

06/01/2022

June is Pride Month. It's time to celebrate the LGBTQ community.

Learn about its history, and how to celebrate in wild, and colorful ways! Visit https://nationaltoday.com/pride-month/ to learn more.

04/26/2022

Happy Tuesday!

We are back with our latest podcast episode with Marc Margulies, principal and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi and Joe Finn, president and executive director of the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance.

They are working to change the ways in which homelessness is addressed in , something that continues to be a complex issue and one that demands immediate solutions.

Listen now:

On season 2, episode 15 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Marc Margulies, principal and senior partner at Margulies Peruzzi , and Joe Finn, president and executive director …

04/05/2022

We are back with another episode! This week's episode is all about GHOST KITCHENS!

On season 2, episode 14 we welcomed Meredith Sandland, co-author of the book, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant.”

Meredith has served as the chief development officer at Taco Bell and as the COO of Kitchen United.

Sandland has created and driven disruptive growth at both Fortune 100 and start-up companies, and has spent a decade navigating changing consumer demands and real estate environments for restaurants.

She shares more about the recent shifts in consumer behavior, and how the emergence of ghost kitchens and other methods of food delivery are impacting the restaurant industry.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE NOW:

On season 2, episode 14 of the Build Better Podcast, Anastasia welcomes Meredith Sandland, co-author of the book, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant.” Previously, she served as the chief development officer at Taco Bell, and as the COO of Kitchen United…

03/15/2022

Tune in to our latest episode: Achieving Sustainability Goals with CLT Building Projects with Jonathan Rossini and Marc Perras! 🎧

On season 2, episode 13 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Marc Perras, associate principal at Jones Architecture, and Jon Rossini, project manager at BOND Building Construction, about the new building for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA).

The building is the Commonwealth’s first project of this scale, using only public funds, to use cross-laminated timber in its construction. Perras and Rossini talk about the sustainable design elements of the DUA building, and how cross-laminated timber can be used to achieve sustainability goals in a variety of construction projects.

Listen Here:

On season 2, episode 13 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Marc Perras, associate principal at Jones Architecture , and Jon Rossini, project manager at Bond Building Construction , about…

03/08/2022

Happy ! Today is all about celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

We are celebrating all the amazing women we featured in our latest season of our podcast. Take a listen to some of the episodes:
S2 #1 - Elevating Women in Architecture with Julia Gamolina of Madame Architect
S2 #2 Building the Framework for Equitable and Inclusive Workplaces with Yiselle Santos Rivera
S2 #3: A Commitment to Giving Back with Bolanle Williams-Olley
S2 #4: Building the 'Hazard Girls' Community with Emily Soloby
S2 #8: Achieving Equitable Diversity in Architecture with Pascale Sablan of Beyond the Built Environment

03/01/2022

We're back with another episode! 🎉

On season 2, episode 12 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Barry Reaves, the BBoston Planning & Development Agency’s (BPDA) first ever director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

He is responsible for the development and oversight of the racial equity and diversity priorities and works to establish collaborative partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to foster a more inclusive, equitable, welcoming, supportive, and diverse agency.

Reaves shares what the BPDA is doing to encourage minority- and women-owned businesses to participate in contracting opportunities, and the ways industry stakeholders can contribute to achieving equitable outcomes in the long term.

Listen Here: https://buildbetter.space/episodes/season2/episode12