Project Summary

Re: Tracey Chala

Please find a description of Tracey’s experience and professionalism below, as well as a brief outline of project innovations that make her an excellent candidate for this award.

Experience With over 10 years of combined and progressive experience in various environmental roles, Tracey Chala joined Green Building Technologies (GBT) at SAIT in 2018. As an established environmental professional, her broad range of environmental work experiences complements the strengths of the team specifically in the areas of green building rating systems, waste diversion, and sustainability. In addition, she brings a wealth of knowledge in regards to her past involvement with local government, industry, oil and gas, and not-for-profit organizations.

Tracey holds a Diploma in Architectural Technologies from SAIT, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Royal Roads University (RRU), and a Master of Arts in Environment in Management, also from RRU. Her work experience began in local government before transitioning into industry and now the educational sector.

Upon completion of her BSc in 2008, Tracey immediately applied to be an EPt and moved to Ajax, ON to be the Sustainability Coordinator at the Town of Ajax. She was the trailblazer of this new role, and had her hands full with an Idle Free campaign, a ban on bottled water in municipal facilities, introducing organics bins to municipal facilities, Earth Hour events, an annual week-long environmental celebration, an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, among many other initiatives. She led by example, even being called the ‘recycling police’ at times. It was her first taste of local government, and she celebrated great achievements in a short amount of time.

In 2012, Tracey moved west to a role in Okotoks, AB as the Sustainability Coordinator/Resource Recovery Coordinator with the Town of Okotoks. In this role, she was the supervisor of 13 staff and oversaw operations of the Eco Centre and curbside collection services. She won a shared award with her co-worker for outstanding teamwork launching the new blue carts.

In 2014, a similar role became available in Airdrie, AB as the Team Leader, Waste & Recycling Services at the City of Airdrie. It was a step up from the Coordinator roles she had become accustomed to, and with that came an increase in responsibility: supervise 13 staff, oversee the Recycling Depot and curbside collection services, and oversee the transfer site. She initiated the first mattress recycling program in Alberta and won a team award for exceptional innovation for implementing a polystyrene (Styrofoam) recycling program.

After being in local government for several years and becoming impartial in a career in garbage, it was time for a change. One year at 3 Point Environmental working on green buildings, one year up north at Oakridge Environmental Engineering working on spills, and finally landing at SAIT on the Green Building Technologies team.

Professionalism Professionalism has many definitions, but can be simply paraphrased as the conduct, behavior and attitude of

someone in a work or business environment. Working in a STEM role and the construction industry, both of which are traditionally male-dominated industries, Tracey holds her own by applying her knowledge and consistently presenting a professional outlook. She is a remarkable role model to others, especially younger females who are interested in a career in construction or STEM.

Every job presents challenges and opportunities to grow and over the last 10 years, Tracey has had many experiences that have honed her professionalism in areas such as specialized knowledge, competency, honesty and integrity, and accountability.

Specialized knowledge - Aside from formal education, she has attended many, many other learning opportunities that are either directly or indirectly correlated to her work. This additional knowledge helps to round out gaps and keep her skill set current. She has attended sessions ranging from curbing GHGs to designing a Passive House to learning how to use Community-Based Social Marketing. Knowing a little bit about a lot of environmentally-related things makes for a well-rounded sustainability professional.

Competency – She knows what to do and she gets the job done. Expectation and timelines are determined up front and, as a reliable professional, it all gets taken care of. And if there is any uncertainty, she isn’t afraid to ask for assistance in the formats of face-to-face help, phoning a peer, webinars, courses, or other.

Honesty and integrity – With strong values, she is a trusted professional who will always do the right thing. Typically humble, she approaches everything with diplomacy and good intentions whether it is an internal or external interaction. Everyone is treated fairly and with discretion, and this respectful approach goes a long way when working with a myriad of personalities.

Accountability – Always taking responsibility and planning strategically to complete action items, she possesses strong skills in managing the workload and moving the project forward. Not only will she take personal accountability, but she will also follow up with others and hold them accountable when it matters most.

Innovation The Confluence is all about innovation, and Tracey works closely with the Project Team to solve problems, both small and large, on a daily basis. Listed below are a few of the innovative approaches that Tracey and the Project Team have incorporated into the project:

• PVC is to be avoided on the project so HDPE and ABS have been substituted for plumbing components • Rather than demolition, the previous home was moved to another site • Relocate the foundation from the previous home to a paintball facility to be used as obstacles • Reclaimed wood will be used as flooring throughout the house. • The entire kitchen, including appliances, will be ‘salvaged’ from a kitchen showroom • The countertops will solid stone, salvaged as remnants from a local supplier • There is no plywood, oriented strand board, or particle board used during construction and this reduces

exposure of the occupants to toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde • 105% of energy required for the home will be acquired through renewable energy on-site • 105% of water required for the home will be acquired through a well and rainwater harvesting on-site • Installing a rigid insulation that has zero halogenated flame retardants • Pour concrete slabs from the leftover concrete for a walking path rather than discarding it as waste

This home, slated for completion in just a few months, will be precedent-setting in Canada and across the globe. The innovation that has been incorporated is mind-blowing, and will pave the way for future projects looking to emulate similar results.

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“Sustainability involves looking at energy in a veryholistic way. We need to look at the environmental

energy of our food, of our homes, of our powersystems, of our heating systems, of our cars, of ourcities — everything has to be brought together to

one calculus, essentially. And then we have tomake decisions based upon that.”

ROB AVIS, SAIT’S GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES L AB AND DEMONSTRATION CENTREPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF NET ZERO ENERGY AND CARBON

“When you read newspapers or Facebook, there’s thisguilt complex that humans are inherently destructive,”Rob Avis says. “My belief is we just lack feedback, somy mission with SAIT’s Green Building Technologies Laband Demonstration Centre is to break down barrierswith industry who want to innovate. The Living BuildingChallenge helps all of us make decisions for moresustainable products and buildings that create asmuch energy as they consume.”

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L I V I N G T H E C H A L L E N G E

W O R K I N G W I T H A L O C A L H O M E O W N E R , R E S E A R C H E R S W I T H T H EG R E E N B U I L D I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S L A B A N D D E M O N S T R A T I O N C E N T R E A R E

B L A Z I N G T H E T R A I L F O R A S H I F T T O W A R D S A M O R E S U S T A I N A B L E L I F E S T Y L E .

TEX T BY K ATHRYN K AZOLEAS PHOTOS BY JEREMY FOKKENS

Imagine a home that is completely self-reliant; one that creates its own energy andcaptures its own water. Imagine a homefree of harmful chemicals; one that is builtand furnished using only sustainable andresponsibly sourced materials. It may seemlike a thing of the future, but such a homeis under construction right now in Albertaas part of a green building rating systemcalled the Living Building Challenge (LBC).

Environmental scientist Tracey Chala(Architectural Technologies ’01) is one ofa team of researchers helping homeownerGerton Molenaar as he works to achievethis challenge. Chala is a Principal Investigatorwith the Green Building Technologies(GBT) Lab and Demonstration Centre inSAIT’s Applied Research and InnovationServices (ARIS) department.

“I’ve worked on LEED [Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design]certification projects before and I thoughtthey were pretty stringent — and thenI learned about this challenge,” she says.

“This is off the charts.”If the team is successful in meeting all

LBC criteria, Molenaar’s home will be onlythe third residential project in the worldto achieve Certified Living Building status.

“When I first heard about the LBC in2014, it appealed to me because it takesall areas of green building into account,”Molenaar says.

He approached SAIT with the idea ofparticipating in the challenge, which is runby the International Living Future Institutein Seattle.

Molenaar’s goal: to build the bestpossible home he could for the enjoyment,comfort and health of his wife and threechildren as well as for future generations.

“With the exception of the south-facingroof being covered by solar panels, thiswill be a regular looking house,” Chala says.Located in the foothills west of Calgary,the two-storey, four-bedroom home willbe approximately 2,200 square feet andis being built by Woodpecker EuropeanTimber Framing.

Although some mainstream builders arebeginning to incorporate green buildingtechnologies, most homes consume energy,water and other resources to provideshelter. But this Living Building will be aregenerative, self-sufficient dwelling thatwill also give to its surroundings.

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As construction progresses, Molenaar,his builder and the SAIT team must allfollow strict LBC guidelines. Once thehouse is complete and the Molenaar familymoves in, its systems will be monitoredfor 12 months, final LBC documentationwill be compiled, and an audit will occurbefore receiving official certification.

Seven specific areas of sustainability,referred to as petals, must be adheredto: materials, equity, place, water, beauty,health and happiness, and energy. Theenergy petal is being managed by Rob

Avis, an engineer and the GBT’s PrincipalInvestigator of Net Zero Energy and Carbon.

“The world is moving away from systemsrequiring perpetual fuel costs,” Avis says.

“Within the decade, renewable energy suchas solar panels will be the norm.”

T U R N I N G A R C H I T E C T SI N T O A C T I V I S T SA major component of the project is

something known as the LBC ‘red list.’ Itnames approximately 815 known toxicchemicals (such as halogenated flame

retardants, Bisphenol A and neoprene)that must be avoided in every materialused to build or furnish the home.

These chemicals have potential to posetoxic effects on human and ecosystemhealth through direct exposure or throughoff-gassing, a process in which thechemicals emit harmful gases.

For months, a core team of fourGBT researchers has been contactingmanufacturers and suppliers to obtaininformation on every piece and part usedto produce each item of, and in, the home.

“Many products like paint, drywall andflooring are quite easy for us to vet for redlist chemicals, but ingredient lists for itemslike washers and dryers are not readilyaccessible to the public,” says Chala.

“So this process has been morechallenging and resource-intensive thanwe anticipated, resulting in a longerdesign and construction period. But weare at the forefront of pushing for markettransformation, and that is a worthwhileinvestment of our time.”

Avis adds that this part of the challengeis, in essence, turning architects andengineers into environmental activists.

“As part of the challenge, when we can’tuse a product, we’re told to go back toindustry and tell them we can’t use itbecause it doesn’t meet LBC requirements.”

This step has the potential to putpressure on industry to reevaluate theproduction of their materials and considerless toxic and more sustainable alternatives.For instance, Molenaar points to thehome’s septic tank. Made in Edmonton, ithas been manufactured without using thesynthetic plastic polymer PVC, making itcompliant with the LBC. This is somethingthe manufacturer is proud of and plans touse in future projects.

“That is the essence of the LBC,” saysMolenaar. “To change the world onegreen building at a time.”

B E C O M I N G T H E N O R MEach LBC petal is multi-faceted,

focusing not only on individual resiliencybut supporting ecological services andproviding an overall societal benefit.

To qualify, a Living Building mustproduce 105% of its own energy, leavinga small reserve on an annual basis that isreturned to the electrical grid.

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Molenaar’s home will also have batterystorage, likely from its array of solar panels,to provide power during an outage.

“A house built with electrical storage isnot just beneficial to the homeowner, butthe electrical grid is being reinforced,”says Avis. “This will also maximize theamount of power the home uses fromrenewable sources.”

And while Living Buildings aren’tnecessarily realistic for the averageperson today, their focus on energyefficiency and reducing greenhousegases will be something all homeownerswill need to address by 2030, whennew Canadian building codes comeinto effect. Avis says there are upgradeshomeowners can do to start makingtheir homes more energy efficient, suchas new windows or insulation.

“People are often concerned with thelook of a home, such as adding granitecountertops or top-of-the-line appliances,”adds Chala, “but the first priority shouldalways be the structure: the walls, the roof,the openings.”

S U S T A I N A B L E E N E R G Y A SA M U LT I - F A C E T E D I S S U EAvis says while most greenhouse gas

emissions are blamed on the oil, gas, andcoal industries, it’s time to also look at theenergy required for food production. InAlberta, it takes twice as much energy tofeed one human for a year as it does toheat the typical home.

“The difference between our world andMars is photosynthesis,” Avis says. “Whenyou plough grassland that supportsthousands of plant and animal species,it oxidizes the soil and releases carbon.When you plant an annual crop that willphotosynthesize for a month and a halfversus grass that will photosynthesize forsix months, you’ve basically taken a naturalsolar panel and cut its effectiveness downby a factor of four.

“It’s our photosynthetic systems thatactually put carbon back into the soil andclean out the air,” he says.

Taking all these factors, and more, intoconsideration, Avis says sustainability involveslooking at energy in a very holistic way.

“We need to look at the environmentalimpact of our food, our homes, our cars,our cities. Everything has to be considered.”

While this may sound daunting, Avissays the good news is that the technologieswe need for this to happen already exist.At this point, he says, it’s about believingwe can do it. As more homes, commercialand industrial buildings get built to asustainable standard, LBC concepts willbecome commonplace and just as cost-effective as standard construction.

“Gerton and his builder are taking a hugerisk taking on this project,” says Avis. “Buttheir risk will have cascading implicationsin greening and cleaning up the buildingindustry in Canada and around the world.We need to celebrate their boldness instarting this conversation.”

Molenaar adds, “Leading by example isa powerful way — and perhaps the onlyway — to educate and show how all of uscan make sound choices. I hope thisbuilding can be an inspiration for othersto incorporate affordable green choicesinto new homes.”

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A ) Environmental scientist andGreen Building TechnologiesPrincipal Investigator TraceyChala says even afterconstruction on the Molenaarhouse is complete and thefamily moves in early nextyear, the home’s systems —including energy and waterusage — will be monitoredfor 12 months. “Certificationprojects like LEED are moreprescriptive, and the LivingBuilding Challenge is moreperformance,” she says. Aftera year, an audit will be donebefore official Living Buildingcertification is granted.B ) Chala says the Molenaarhome, now under constructionin the foothills west of Calgary,will be finished with stucco,wood accents, a metal roof,and an array of solar panels.

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