Countdown to Zero: How to Go About Decarbonizing Federal Buildings  

Ken Sandler is a Sustainability and Green Building Advisor to the General Services Administration’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings. He has shaped federal research, policy and communications on sustainability through his work at five different agencies – EPA, GSA, CEQ, DOE and HUD – over 32 years. Ken currently is a co-leader of: GSA’s federal building decarbonization initiatives; the Interagency Sustainability Working Group; and GSA’s Green Building Advisory Committee, which has produced influential policy papers on issues including building-to-grid integration, embodied carbon and decarbonization. He has spent over two decades helping to shape the green building field from the federal level. In 2003, he drafted a report on federal green buildings for the White House Council on Environmental Quality that served as the basis for federal legislation. Ken has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science, a Master’s degree in Political Science, and a PhD in Environmental Science & Policy.

Lindsey Falasca is the Director for Net-Zero Federal Buildings at the White House Council on Environmental Quality in the Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer. Her role is to support implementation of the Biden Administration’s efforts to achieve a net-zero emissions Federal building portfolio by 2045, including a 50% reduction by 2032. Previously, Lindsey was the inaugural Director of Washington DC's Building Innovation Hub, a program of the Institute for Market Transformation. The Hub provides critical hands-on assistance to building industry professionals as they work to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to meet DC’s ambitious climate and green building goals. Previously, Falasca spent over a decade working as a commercial architect. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in architecture from the University of Maryland and master’s degrees in architecture and sustainable design from the Catholic University of America. She is a Registered Architect and LEED BD+C Accredited.

Nora Hart is an Energy Technology Researcher at Berkeley Lab in the Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, supporting technical research on corporate portfolio-level greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning and execution, small building controls, and other related areas. Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, Nora worked in the commercial real estate industry at CBRE and JLL supporting her clients' operational sustainability goals. In this work, Nora collaborated across departments such as facilities, engineering, finance, and project management to develop and execute energy reduction projects, create and manage utility budgets and complete greenhouse gas reporting. Prior to working in commercial real estate, Nora was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at Virginia Tech where she supported Berkeley Lab’s Smart Energy Analytics Campaign through her graduate research. Nora holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University.

Michael oversees NYSERDA’s building decarbonization work for Multifamily and commercial real estate. His team works with leading developers, engineers and technology providers to support private sector investment in building energy efficiency, electrification, and load flexibility. Prior to NYSERDA, Michael was VP of Programs at Groundswell, a clean energy nonprofit; and a long time ago, Michael spent three years in the Peace Corps in Peru.