Concurrent Technologies Corporation’s (CTC)’s Pete Spinelli is one of seven individuals in Western Pennsylvania to be named winners of the 2008 Shades of Green Leadership Award presented by the Green Building Alliance (GBA), a national nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that integrates environmentally responsible and high-performance design, construction and operating practices.  Pete was presented the GBA Community Leadership Award for the Laurel Highlands by Rebecca Flora, Executive Director of the GBA and Chairman of the Board for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of the USGBC.  Pete is founder of the Laurel Highlands Branch of the GBA and is Chair of the GBA Laurel Highlands Branch Steering Committee which covers a seven-county region.  Visit GBA http://www.gbapgh.org and USGBC http://www.usgbc.org.

Pete is a Senior Mechanical Engineer in CTC’s Facility Resources, Information Technology Solutions Operations Center Directorate, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. 

The GBA awards recognize the efforts of businesses, nonprofits, government officials, and individuals in Western Pennsylvania who have contributed to the region’s environmental transformation through green leadership within the built environment.  Winners were honored at a luncheon at the Green$ense 2008 Conference March 5, 2008, in Pittsburgh: (www.gbapgh.org/Green$ense2008.asp)

Pete was recognized for his leadership in promoting green building innovations and activities.  He was awarded a $25,000 grant through the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies which he used to start the Green Building Alliance Laurel Highlands Network.  This local organization takes advantage of the GBA’s programs, speakers and infrastructure to bring about a market transformation for sustainable building design and operating practices in the Laurel Highlands region.  He was also awarded additional grants of $5,000 each from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and the CTC Foundation for the first year of operation.  The organization has grown so successful that it plans to add paid staff members to create a local presence for the GBA.  The organization is now an official Branch of the GBA which is recognized as an Affiliate of the U.S. Green Building Council.  

Pete is also spearheading the effort for CTC to become an active player in the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Program.  He is a LEED Accredited Professional and has registered CTC as a Member of the USGBC.  At CTC, Pete managed a new Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) program where he registered the Johnstown Systems Technology Facility (STF) for LEED-EB certification through the USGBC.  He developed a five-year plan to certify the STF-Johnstown facility and to apply LEED strategies to the rest of CTC’s facilities.  He was responsible for continuing to improve the facility as Project Manager-technical (PMt) for upgrades to the existing control system, and rezoning the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to improve thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and energy savings that are consistent with requirements to meet LEED-EB for existing buildings.

Other CTC EH&S Committee programs and efforts by Facilities Resources that contribute to LEED strategies are:

• EH&S Travel Program innovations for preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and car-poolers and encouraging the use of bicycle and other environmentally friendly forms of transportation
• EH&S Green Purchasing Program goals to achieve 40% of purchases to include recycled content materials
• EH&S Recycling Program goals to include glass and construction waste management strategies such as recycling carpeting and ceiling tiles, and re-use of existing furniture panel systems and doors
• The area’s first green cleaning program that requires the use of environmentally friendly and non-toxic chemicals for cleaning
• Existing building commissioning that requires that building equipment and controls function as intended to meet energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and indoor environmental quality.

In addition, Pete represented CTC as a speaker on Fuel Cell Technology at a two-day Green Building Charrette sponsored by Mercyhurst College, in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Green Building Council, and the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program.  Most recently, Pete gave a presentation at the Alternative Energy NOW Conference in Orlando, Florida, on opportunities with LEED projects for the Department of Defense (DoD).

The Green Building Alliance is a nonprofit organization that advances economic prosperity and human well being in Western Pennsylvania by driving market demand for green buildings and green building products.  In its 15th year, GBA has been a national pioneer, and continues to lead change in its region as the core green building catalysts – a desire for environmentally sound materials and minimal impact, healthy indoor environments and financial payoff in reduced energy, water and other operating costs –cascades across every aspect of the built environment, from offices, retail stores and other commercial spaces to schools, hospitals, and homes.

For more information about green building innovations, or if you are interested in joining the GBA, contact, Pete Spinelli, 814-269-2819; spinelli@ctc.com.

Pete Spinelli (center) receives GBA Shades of Green Leadership Award from Rebecca Flora (left) and Rick Fedrizzi.