Why I Will Pay It Forward to NESEA

Dear Friend,

Until a year ago, I never imagined that, by swinging my hammer, I could mitigate climate change. All that changed when I found NESEA.

My “NESEA conversion” began in October 2015 when I attended a BuildingEnergy Pro Tour of the first Passive House in Wayland, Massachusetts. It was then that I found a community passionate about the science of construction, not just the aesthetics. Little did I know at the time that this three-hour tour would change the direction of my career, and my life.

After the tour, I had the opportunity to attend the BuildingEnergy Boston Conference through NESEA’s emerging professionals program. My conference sponsor, Paul Eldrenkamp, ultimately hired me to work as a skilled carpenter and “house doctor” for Byggmeister, his high-performance home remodeling firm in Newton, Massachusetts. NESEA and Paul have opened my eyes to see carpentry in a new light -- as a bridge between the blue-collar trades and a science-based profession in pursuit of the highest performance possible. For this I am eternally grateful.

This is why I will pay it forward by investing in NESEA’s Emerging Professionals program on May 2nd for Valley Gives Day, and why I hope you’ll join me.

To mitigate climate change, NESEA needs to be able to connect hundreds more emerging professionals like me with employers like Paul. Together we can make a serious impact by swinging our hammers (and tightening our envelopes, and minimizing our heating loads, and installing our PV panels) in the name of sustainability.

We are running out of time. Buildings account for at least 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. And every time we let a renovation happen without considering its energy implications, we lose that that energy-saving opportunity for 20-30 years. We need to connect as many emerging professionals as possible with successful businesses who are working in the sustainable energy arena so that we can scale this work.

By making a generous donation on Valley Gives Day, you can mitigate climate change by connecting more emerging professionals like me to employers like Paul. Please, click here to donate $10, $25 or $50 today.

Warm regards,

Marcus Miraldi

P.S. - Your donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, by a pledge from Dr. Jack Goldstein and Dr. Jeannie Plover, parents of Kate Goldstein, in whose honor this emerging professionals fund was created. A donation in any amount will help!