282: BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Part 2
From Passive House Podcast by Matthew Cutler-Welsh, Zack Semke, Mary James, and Ilka Cassidy
April 8, 2026 · 52 min · Season 5 · Episode 282
About this episode
Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin recap day 2 of the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference, featuring discussions on leadership, meditation, and energy retrofits.
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 recap day 2 of the conference including a keynote by Melissa O’Mara and Kevin Stack, “Unstoppable Inner Resilience and Generational Leadership,” which guided attendees through a meditation connecting to ancestors and future generations, highlighting accountability, leadership, and the “knowing-doing gap” via the Inner Development Goals. Ilka then interviews architect Phil Kaplan about a deep energy retrofit of a mid-century Acorn Deck House involving unexpected conditions, major structural changes, and questions about cost and embodied carbon versus rebuilding. The day’s highlights also include sessions on tools and strategies to balance operational and embodied carbon, evaluate deep versus moderate retrofits, and push manufacturers toward healthier, lower-impact materials. Episode with Rachel White & Michael Hindle: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/podcast/building-energy-boston-with-rachel-white-michael-hindle Meditation that is similar to the one described in the episode…
People in this episode
Host: Ilka Cassidy
Guests: Jacob Racusin, Phil Kaplan
Topics covered
- energy retrofit
- sustainability
- leadership
- meditation
- carbon impact
- architecture
Keywords
- BuildingEnergy Boston
- energy retrofit
- sustainability
- carbon
- leadership
- meditation
Sponsors
New Energy Works
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Unstoppable Inner Resilience and Generational Leadership
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- 289: High Design, Low Carbon: A Conversation with Nathan Kipnis · May 27, 2026 · 49 min
- 288: Insights from Wolfgang Feist at the International Passive House Conference · May 19, 2026 · 31 min
- 287: Global Insights on Scaling Passive House · May 12, 2026 · 1h 1m
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