281: BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Part 1

About this episode

Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin discuss the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference with various guests about sustainability and climate goals.

In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin are at the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference (Sponsored by New Energy Works ). Ilka and Jacob speak with: Gregory Smith, Architect at Moody Nolan Clay Tilton, Existing Buildings Program ManagerBuilt Environment Plus (BE+) Arlen Li, Fitwel Ambassador, Planning PrincipalHGA Anthony Michetti, Director of Sustainability, Cell Signaling Technology Julie Newman, PhDDirector of SustainabilityMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Steve Hessler Building Systems Specialist at New Energy Works | Certified Passive House Consultant at Holzraum System Bryan Bleiere, Director of Offsite Construction at New Energy Works Luke Winston-Almanzar CEO, Co-Founder Reservoir They discuss the conference mood amid political and economic headwinds, the theme “Don’t Stop Us Now,” and a keynote on “The Cost of Pausing” featuring MIT and Cell Signaling Technology, emphasizing business cases and co-benefits for maintaining climate goals. Conference co-chairs Clay Hilton and Greg Smith highlight curation, community-building, and student participation. Trade-floor interviews feature Reservoir’s smart heat-pump water heater…

People in this episode

Host: Ilka Cassidy

Guests: Jacob Racusin, Gregory Smith, Clay Tilton, Arlen Li, Anthony Michetti, Julie Newman, Steve Hessler, Bryan Bleiere, Luke Winston-Almanzar

Topics covered

• BuildingEnergy Conference
• sustainability
• climate goals
• community-building
• smart technology

Keywords

• BuildingEnergy
• sustainability
• climate goals
• smart technology
• community-building

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Moody Nolan, Built Environment Plus (BE+), HGA, Cell Signaling Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), New Energy Works, Reservoir

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