Position: Project Manager for Sustainable Practices

Reports to Director of Facilities

Duties:

• Develop and monitor programs to reduce energy consumption while maintaining a healthy and comfortable indoor climate for learning.
• Work with Director of Facilities and building based occupants to implement, monitor and analyze energy consumption practices.
• Work with Director of Facilities and building based occupants to implement, monitor and analyze sustainable practices; such as food composting, recycling and hazard and non-hazardous waste disposal.
• Work with Director of Facilities and school based staff in continuous improvement of sustainable building maintenance practices.
• Develop training plans for building maintenance crews to ensure sustainability best practices in building operations.
• Work with district staff and outside contractors to provide input into the design of all new construction and renovation projects.
• Work with plant manager to monitor indoor air quality and make recommendations for improvements where necessary.
• Ability to work and interact with a wide range of district staff including administrators, teachers and support staff.
• Attendance at periodic public meetings including with advisory groups.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Facilities Management or related field
• Five years experience in Building Management with a record of developing and implementing sustainable building practices.
• Knowledge of energy management program development
• Knowledge of HVAC and lighting systems
• Ability to manage budget and personnel
• Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently

Non-Union Employee Salary & Benefits: excellent compensation package

For more information call 617-349-6435, e-mail employment@cpsd.us or visit:

CPSD Human Resources;
159 Thorndike Street;
Cambridge, MA 02141

Apply online

In this edition…

• Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant Programs
• Community Report
• Upcoming Events
• Spring Efficiency Tips
• Summer Business Canvass

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Programs

Starting this Spring, the Cambridge Energy Alliance will be ramping up its Cambridge Community Energy Efficiency Campaign. The City of Cambridge has allocated funding comes from the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to support the campaign.

The two-year Community Energy Efficiency Campaign will reach substantial portions of the Cambridge community including the residential building sector, low-income residents, and the small commercial building sector. The campaign will educate the community about energy efficiency opportunities in homes and businesses, connect them to existing energy efficiency services, and provide additional direct services for Cambridge residents and business. The campaign will include unique offerings and support for each building sector by partnering with the City, NSTAR, ESCOs, financial institutions, and local citizen and business groups.

For residential buildings, CEA will implement an efficiency program built upon an extensive awareness and outreach campaign connecting Cambridge residents to the existing Mass Save efficiency program and enhance those services with the CEA Energy Advisor, Smarter Cambridge website, and incentives for Cambridge residents including a new matching grants. Particular attention will be directed toward low-income residents to inform them of special programs and conservation techniques they can implement in their own home by providing do-it-yourself energy efficiency tool-kits and guides. Another program we are excited about is the distribution of several dozen plug-in appliance energy monitors to public library branches around the city, where they will be available for check out.

Similar to last year’s residential outreach effort, a business specific canvass will be conducted this summer to familiarize Cambridge businesses with existing utility efficiency programs and incentives along with additional direct services provided by CEA staff. Read on for more information about the canvass.

Community Report

CEA’s community outreach program has reached over 700 residents this winter through events and workshops. CEA collaborated with the Massachusetts Municipal Association, to connect residents to a free energy seminar which stressed the importance of reducing heat usage by providing do-it-yourself sealing techniques, tips on hiring a contractor for in-depth alterations, and resources for home audits and financing. Over fifty residents attended the event and learned about typical home inefficiencies, air sealing and insulation, efficient HVAC and appliances, plus rebates and grants to reduce the cost of home alterations and appliance purchases.

On the business front, CEA supported Cambridge Local First by awarding the Sustainable Business Leadership certification to the first class of the Sustainable Business Leader Program. Eleven businesses were awarded this prestigious award for their efforts to reduce energy, water, and waste. The certification ceremony, which was held at the Cambridge City Hall Annex, was co-sponsored by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Local First and the Cambridge Energy Alliance in partnership with the Sustainable Business Network.

The first Cambridge graduating class included: 1369 Coffee House, Cambridge Brewing Company, Cambridge Naturals, Economy Hardware, The Fishmonger, Greenward, Harvard Bookstore, Harvest Co-Op Markets, Irving House, Stone Hearth Pizza and Veggie Planet.

Upcoming Events

Financing Your Solar Project

May 27, 2010 at 6–8:00 PM
4^th floor meeting room at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway
Sponsored by City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Energy Alliance
RSVP here

This is an excellent opportunity for Cambridge citizens to learn about renewable energy programs and resources available to develop local projects. Larry Chretien, Executive Director of the Mass Energy Consumers Alliance will  provide an update on net metering and investment opportunities in Massachusetts. In addition, a panel of local contractors and program providers will share their expertise to help residents and businesses take advantage of robust incentives and resources to develop renewable energy projects.

Green Your Marketing Workshop!

June 17th, 2010 at 8:30–9:30AM
Cambridge City Hall Annex
Sponsored by Sustainable Business Leadership Program and CEA
RSVP here

In this workshop, you will learn how to identify earth-friendly business practices you already use, and how to get the word out about them in a way that is both creative and consistent with your existing brand and communications plan.  We’ll discuss how to avoid “greenwashing,” what elements of traditional marketing translate especially well to the green economy, and why it’s important to green your marketing along with the rest of your business. You’ll have a chance to see real-life examples of successful green marketing tactics, and there will be plenty of time for questions.

Spring Efficiency Tips

Springtime is a great time to save energy through a few small changes and also to prepare your home for the summer cooling season. You can also use your spring cleaning time to increase the efficiency of your house by sealing cracks in the building around windows and doors with new weather-stripping. Weatherizing your house helps to keep your house comfortable in all seasons while reducing your cooling costs in the summer and heating costs in the winter.

Spring in New England has a lot of changes in temperature from day to day that can sometimes make it tough to know when can stop using your heating system. However, you can also take advantage of warm spring days to carry you through chillier evenings without turning on your heat. Try opening your window shades during the day to bring in heat and then closing up the house tightly at night so you can keep the house warm through the chillier evenings. On warmer days do the opposite; keep the sun out during the day and open up the house at night to keep it cool and comfortable.

If you have to heat your house and use a hot water heating system,  look into turning down the aquastat in your boiler. Often, these are set to 180 degrees for keeping your home warm in the middle of winter which is overkill for the milder spring and fall months. Better yet, consider replacing your manual aquastat with one that modulates based upon the outside temperature, this change alone can save you up to 10% on your heating bill.

Because spring months are generally milder, when you need to cool down the house try using fans as much as possible, they use only a fraction of the electricity as an air conditioning unit and can keep a home comfortable when combined with good management of the windows and shades to keep the sun out and the cool air in. Be sure to flip the direction switch from the winter “pull cool up for mixing” (usually marked as “Reverse”) to the summer “push a draft over me” position.

For more suggestions see our summer energy tips.

Summer Business Canvass

As part of the Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant program, CEA will be expanding its outreach efforts to the small commercial building sector including a canvass program this summer to connect small business owners with efficiency services and incentives. The small commercial sector faces a number of barriers to broad-scale energy efficiency adoption including lack of awareness, split incentives, cost of implementation, need for financing, and complexity of programs.

CEA will be working with  program volunteers over the summer to canvass business districts in Cambridge, distributing information about commercial programs and discussing utility based incentive programs with small business owners.

The summer canvass is part of a two year program through which CEA plans to reach an estimated 500 Cambridge businesses and expects that at least 50 businesses will participate in efficiency programs and services, which is estimated to save approximately 437,500 kWh of electricity and 2,500 therms of heating fuel.

The map below outlines where most commercial activity in Cambridge takes place and where our volunteers will be canvassing. The pie chart gives a rough break-down of the number and type of businesses around the city, where “Mall” includes the any single address with multiple storefronts such as the CambridgeSide Galleria or shopping centers

Click map for larger view.

Cooling Your Home

• Get a bicycle tune-up, and use your two-wheeled steed to run light errands.
• Put up a clothesline. The old-saw “sunlight is the best disinfectant” is generally used in another context, but sun and wind make for cheaper and fresher smelling laundry than any dryer sheet.
• Use ceiling, room and window fans or open windows before turning on your cooling system. A typical ceiling fan only uses about as much energy as a standard 60 Watt light bulb, but fans can make you feel 3–4°F cooler. Since a fan works by promoting convection and evaporation, they should only be powered on in occupied rooms. Also consider a whole house fan as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to air conditioning if you need extra cooling capacity.
• Use light colored curtains and blinds in the summer. Close them in the middle of the day to keep strong sunlight from heating your home. Consider thermal-drapes to block out sun on south-facing windows in the summer, which can have a dramatic impact, as can the use of light colored paint to reflect heat in porches or sun-rooms.
• Use landscaping such as trees and shrubs to shade your home, but avoid using evergreens on the south side of your home: You still want to take advantage of the warmth available from the winter sun.
• If you have a room air conditioner, make sure to rinse and clean the filter to maximize its efficiency. Room air conditioners should be on a north-facing wall or shaded side of a building when possible. Keep air conditioner units set at the highest comfortable temperature, a good starting point is 74–78°F. Set the air-conditioner to “Auto” instead of the “On” position, which keeps fan running even when you are not home. Ventilation fans such as those in kitchens, and bathrooms should be used sparingly, since they pull conditioned air out of your home. Lastly, close storm windows and doors to minimize loss of cool air, and make sure that drapes and furniture do not block vents or air returns.
• Make sure doors close properly and replace non-working doorknobs and latches. Keep the tracks on sliding glass doors clean. A dirty track can ruin the door’s seal and create gaps where heat can come in and cold air can escape.