Emily Jones
Username
Emily Jones
Proposer First Name
Emily
Proposer Email
ejones@lisc.org
Proposer Last Name
Jones

Boston 2021 Areas of Focus

Proposer Company/Organization
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Proposer Phone
(617) 410-4336
Proposer Job Title
Senior Program Officer
Proposed Session Description
As we transition to a 100% clean energy powered, carbon-free, restorative economy, buildings – and particularly the affordable housing sector – will play a key role. Already, affordable housing has led the adoption of highly efficient and resilient solutions to climate change challenges, including developing Passive House new construction and implementing wide-scale building retrofits. This has resulted in meaningful energy savings and carbon emissions reductions. However, to achieve our 2050 climate goals we must go all-electric. How do we get there? For new construction, all-electric solutions are increasingly viable. Barriers exist, including installation and operational costs, technology constraints, and maintenance issues. But these challenges are not insurmountable, and our field is rapidly assembling promising practices. All-electric solutions for existing buildings are considerably more challenging. The upfront cost to upgrade old buildings to a level that ensures efficient (and economical) performance can be prohibitive. Worse still, going all-electric without sufficiently improving envelopes can result in high operational costs for both owners and residents, jeopardizing our ability to provide and preserve truly affordable high-quality housing. In this session, we will discuss the technical solutions, policy changes, and investments needed to ensure affordable housing meaningfully leads and benefits from the clean energy revolution.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our speaker panel is diverse in terms of gender (both presenters are women). One of the speakers (Emily Jones) is an emerging professional (under 35). This session topic directly addresses racial and economic justice by centering affordable housing in the building electrification challenge.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will learn why supporting all-electric solutions for existing affordable housing is key to achieving a just clean energy transition.
Attendees will understand the scale of investment needed to upgrade existing affordable housing to highly efficient, all-electric buildings.
Attendees will learn about promising technical solutions for retrofitting existing affordable housing to highly efficient, all-electric buildings and systems.
Attendees will be able to advocate for the resources needed to center and further affordable housing as a climate solution.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
This session will build on our collective learnings from supporting affordable housing owners in achieving energy efficiency and clean energy goals over the past two decades. We intend to use this presentation to launch a new era of focus and support for the affordable housing sector - namely, the jump to full building electrification, and the deep investments and technical solutions needed to make this leap forward equitable and successful.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format Details
Two 20-minute presentations followed by Q&A
Recommended Length
60-minute session

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021

Comments about your speaker roster
Emily Jones serves as the Senior Program Officer for LISC Boston's Green Homes Initiative. In this role, Emily convenes experts to provide relevant trainings for the field; supports owners, property managers, and other stakeholders to help them complete desired energy efficiency and clean energy projects; and drives progressive policy that results in clean, efficient, and equitable energy for Massachusetts’ affordable housing sector. Before joining LISC in 2016, Emily was Director of Partnerships for Union Capital Boston, a nonprofit that transforms social capital into opportunity. Emily has also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, and worked and served as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year Boston. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography and a master’s degree in Public Policy. Lauren Baumann joined New Ecology, Inc. in 2005. She has fifteen years’ experience providing technical assistance for clients developing and rehabilitating green affordable housing, educational and cultural facilities, community centers, day-care and health care facilities. At NEI she serves as Vice President. During her time at NEI she has provided technical assistance to “green” thousands of units of affordable housing in the Boston Metro area and beyond, including Energy Star, Enterprise Green Communities, LEED, and Passive House certifications. Working with NEI's clients she has raised millions of dollars in grant and rebate funds to support energy efficiency, renewable energy and other green features. She is a Senior Fellow in the New England Region Environmental Leadership Program. Ms. Baumann holds a degree in Biology from Cornell and a Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts.
Reviewer 1
Veerkamp, Danny
Reviewer 2
Veerkamp, Danny
Curator
Jones, Emily
Proposal #
173
Session #
717
Committee Decision
Accepted

Presenters

Full Description
Achieving a carbon-free building future will be neither free nor easy. Moreover, a just transition is not guaranteed. But it is both possible and imperative that we build the foundation now to ensure the affordable housing sector can fully participate in this needed transition. This session will help attendees better understand and advocate for the deep investments in affordable housing that a just clean energy transition will require.