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ACEC is Offering Envision Training from September 6th – 27th!

14-July-2023

ISI is excited to announce that ACEC will be offering an Envision course over four weeks in September, titled “Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Infrastructure: Earning Your Envision Credential.” After completing the training, ENV SP candidates will understand how Envision works, how it can improve the sustainability of their projects, and be able to successfully apply it to assess project sustainability.

Description: The Envision Framework is quickly becoming globally recognized as a highly credible approach to sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure. And, therefore, the ENV SP designation is becoming an increasingly important credential for any professional involved in civil infrastructure. Since its inception, more than 8,000 professionals around the world have obtained their ENV SP credential, which has equipped them with the knowledge to apply the ground-breaking Envision concepts to their daily work.

This course presents fundamental principles and practices of sustainability in enhancing infrastructure projects. Over four weeks, you’ll review the modern history of sustainability to establish the motivation for improving sustainable performance, and learn how the Envision framework can be used as a tool to support higher sustainability performance through better choices in infrastructure development…

Click here to continue reading and to register on ACEC’s website.

Trainer Bios

Sierra LePore:

Sierra is a Senior Aviation Planner based in the Orlando area with experience in sustainability, resiliency, and other aviation planning efforts. She works on a variety of environmental, sustainability, and resiliency projects for airports and private developments. She manages sustainability and resiliency projects for a variety of airport clients from small hub airports to large hub commercial service airports. Sierra is a Certified Member of the American  Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and is a member of the Florida Airports Council Board of Directors. She is a certified Envision Sustainability Professional, Envision Verifier, and Envision Trainer, and has experience leading projects through the Envision framework. Sierra has developed a thorough understanding and unique view of Envision and is excited to share her perspective with others in this training.

 Meghan Wrenn:

Meghan is a Sustainability Planner based in the Boston area, with experience in sustainability, climate action and adaptation planning, and greenhouse gas accounting. She works on a variety of projects for local and regional government, institutions, and the private sector, helping them to evaluate their environmental impact and implement solutions to fight climate change and advance human health and equity. She has an educational background in sustainability, particularly focused on green building and environmental policy, as well as an undergraduate degree in biology. Meghan is a certified Envision SP, Envision Verifier, and Envision Trainer, and has experience leading a variety of projects through the Envision framework. In these roles, Meghan has developed a thorough understanding of Envision and is able to communicate the intricacies of Envision to diverse project teams.

ISI Education E-News for July 13, 2023

14-July-2023



August 30 WEBINAR: Initiating Envision Use for Organizational and Project Readiness

This course’s two modules tackle how Envision can positively transform organizational and project practices.

Date: August 30, 2023
Time: 2– 4 PM ET

The first, “Initiate Envision for Organizational Readiness,” focuses on looking inward, and using a wealth of Envision resources to build sustainable practices within organizations and relevant stakeholders. The second, “Preparing for Project Success,” takes the multidisciplinary foundation set and focuses on outcomes, using verified project examples as a roadmap.

Details and registration

Closed Captioning

ISI has expanded its closed captioning to now include the recorded webinars. The feature has been in place for the live versions of webinars via the Zoom platform, as well as in any sections of new asynchronous courses that have voice narration.

Recorded webinars have not until this point been able to carry the zoom captioning because of the way they were previously edited.

With the workaround that we were able to implement for this issue, we’re pleased to report that the recorded webinars will have closed-captioning moving forward. Full credit to ISI’s Senior Learning Technologist, Ted Marcelo!

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage


The recording of our June 14 webinar on Carbon Capture is up

This presentation explores different types of CCUS technologies used in heavy industries like power, steel, cement and oil and gas and how the existing market drivers are helping to create a more sustainable world. The presenter was Sunil Vyas of FLUOR. Login to your ISI dashboard and click on Trainings -> Webinars.

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Socially Just and Equitable Infrastructure

Kailey Eldredge presented this webinar on June 28th. You can access an asynchronous version of the course in your ISI dashboard. Login to your ISI dashboard and click on Education.

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Recent Workshops

Here are some highlights of recent Envision training:

Bronwyn Worrick led a training workshop at COWI’s North American office on June 13, attracting 15 participants.

Bob Beinstein held an AECOM Virtual Training session on June 19, with 16 participants.

Meghan Wrenn led ENV SP sessions with New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) employees in the month of June.

And Cristina Contreras led an Envision training workshop for sustainability professionals in Columbia on July 7, further expanding the awareness of Envision in Latin America!

Access the email version of this newsletter.

ISI welcomes Jillian Samowitz

13-July-2023

We are delighted to announce that Jillian Samowitz has joined the team at ISI, as our Member Relations Specialist.

Jillian will be a critical resource to help ISI achieve its goals in the areas of member engagement, growth, and retention.

She notes: “One of the biggest challenges that we face today as we look to mitigate the effects of climate change is implementing sustainable infrastructure.” While this is a massive undertaking, she adds, it is also an incredible opportunity.

Jillian’s sustainability journey began in 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill inspired her to create, with her twin sister, a nonprofit called Proseed2Green, focused on environmental education and action. She went on to deliver a TEDx talk on the power of youth activism based on her experience in this grassroots movement.

“As a lifelong advocate for the environment, I am inspired by ISI’s commitment to empower professionals to become sustainability subject-matter experts through Envision. I look forward to helping to foster relationships among our members and staff through ISI’s membership program.”

She is currently based out of Atlanta, GA, and prior to coming to ISI, she worked as the Assistant Director of Admission at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Previously, she lived in Florida, where at one time she was a VIP Tour Guide at the Walt Disney World Resort.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sustainability Studies from the University of Florida, and is also a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Sold Out: Our July Envision Verification Applicants Course!

10-July-2023

The ISI Verification Team is back on July 13th and 14th with the third Applicants course of the year, and the course has been sold out! The next dates for this course are Oct 12 & 13, 2023.

Description:

In this course, ENV SPs planning to submit projects through ISI’s verification program, in hopes of earning an Envision award, will work with the tools and resources in place to support the development of effective Envision submittals and help navigate the verification process.

It’s much more than a sit-and-listen style training! Course participants will have the opportunity to discuss Envision concepts, such as determining applicability, developing pending credits, and establishing baselines. They’ll gain a better understanding of the verifier’s perspective, and engage with their peers to practice writing credit coversheets and compiling project documentation.

Registration links

The ISI Verification Program staff leading this course offer valuable insights based on their direct involvement in the review of Envision projects.

In response to strong demand, this course is available on a quarterly basis; view other course dates here. Space is limited to intentionally keep class sizes small and interactive.

With the Envision Verification Applicants Course, attendees have an opportunity to:

✔️ Learn tips for effectively applying the Envision framework on their project(s),

✔️ Set their team up to develop successful Envision applications,

✔️ Reduce uncertainty and provide clarity regarding Envision guidance,

✔️ Gain a deeper understanding of the third-party Envision verification process.

This course will be virtually delivered via Zoom; a link will be distributed to all registrants in the weeks leading up to the live event.

To learn more and to register for the April course, visit this page. Contact ISI Verification Specialist, Kailey Eldredge, with any questions.

Melissa Peneycad Has Made Many Enduring Contributions to ISI. But now, a new chapter awaits…

7-July-2023

From verification and Envision development to outreach and more, Melissa Peneycad will leave behind an impressive legacy at ISI. Left: at the site of a future Envision project in Montreal, in 2019; right: with a group of Italian ENV SPs (and ICMQ staff) during a verifier training session in Milan in 2019.

ISI has some important news to share about one of our incredible team members. We’re saying goodbye to a long-standing colleague who has been an integral part of ISI’s journey, contributing immensely to our organization’s growth and success. Our managing director, Melissa Peneycad, is moving on from ISI to pursue new professional opportunities. Melissa has been with ISI for seven years, and for three years before that, she was an active member in the ISI/Envision community. She put the first Canadian projects through verification, trained more than 100 people within her organization on the use of Envision, verified projects, and contributed to the development of several credits within Envision v3.

Clockwise from top: presenting an Envision Gold award to the British Columbia Institute of Technology for their North Campus Infrastructure Project; a meeting of the Envision Review Board in Denver, CO; preparing to present Envision to the UN, at the Palace of Nations; and attending an ISI staff retreat in Puerto Rico.

We would like to take this opportunity to reflect on some of Melissa’s many contributions to ISI and the Envision community, in her roles as verification director and, more recently, managing director.

During her time at ISI, Melissa took the project verification program to new heights, by developing its processes, policies, several guidance documents, applicant resources, and more. She introduced new verifier hiring procedures and contracting arrangements and began establishing a verifier ‘community of practice’.

Even more impressively, Melissa personally verified 70 infrastructure projects across the agriculture, energy, transportation, solid waste, and water/wastewater sectors, and oversaw the verifications of dozens of additional projects. Today, the verification program boasts more than 300 participating projects, representing more than $200 billion in sustainable development.

Melissa also led the way in building a robust external communications function at ISI and has contributed immensely to ISI’s strategic direction and organizational culture. Those in our industry—from consultants to contractors to infrastructure owners and others—who have had the opportunity to work with Melissa, learn from her, and hear her speak passionately about sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure know the incredible value of her expertise and leadership.

In March 2022, Melissa was instrumental in launching Envision Canada—a formal partnership between the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and ISI to advance sustainable infrastructure practices. She, along with the Envision Canada program manager at CSCE and members of its Board have been working closely to improve awareness and uptake of Envision, build capacity, and encourage innovation.

In 2019, Melissa moderated a panel on mobilizing the financial community to invest in sustainable PPPs and infrastructure at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Right: the CSCE 2022 Conference keynote in Whistler, BC.

Melissa has an amazing ability to connect with people and establish deep and lasting relationships. Her influence and reach are truly global as she has forged relationships with individuals and organizations across the US, Canada, and internationally. During her time at ISI, she was seconded to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to facilitate the development of a framework to evaluate public-private partnerships (PPPs) and infrastructure projects for their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It’s no surprise to us that her work with the UNECE—not to mention her exceptional contributions to ISI—led to the exciting next step she’ll be taking in her professional journey. She will be re-entering the consulting world, working first for the UN to help lay the ‘groundwork’ for the sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure.

“We will miss Melissa tremendously,” says ISI’s president and CEO Anthony Kane, “but we’re not saying goodbye, as we know she will remain a huge supporter of ISI, a strong advocate for Envision, and an active member of this community. We look forward to seeing Melissa rise in her career and, through her passion for sustainability and her leadership, continue to elevate the work we’re all doing to achieve a more sustainable world.”

ISI Releases Envision and Airports Guide

6-July-2023

The Envision & Airports: Insights, Resources, & Opportunities Guide (Envision AIRO Guide) provides additional clarity on how to facilitate and optimize the use of Envision in the context of airports. It was developed as a follow-up to the Envision and Airports Executive Brief to recognize and support the unique and variable context of airports as hosts to robust, critical infrastructure.

The guidance supports Envision application while taking into account the many distinctive challenges and questions that arise within an airport setting. Example strategies based on past applications are also included.

Access the AIRO Guide here.