Gallery: 10 sustainable built environment leaders to watch

Built Environment: 10 leaders to watch in 2012

Stephen Aiguier, Green Hammer Inc.:  An early player in the growing market for “green” remodels in the Portland area, Stephen Aiguier has lead Green Hammer to evolve into an advocate for more true building upgrades that squeeze the ultimate in energy efficiency and healthy air from every square foot. Aiguier is a leading expert for the region on Passive House building. 

Rob Bennett, Portland Sustainability Institute: Sitting at the helm of the Portland Sustainability Institute, Rob Bennett has taken the concept of ecodistrict development and successfully exported it, signing on big-name partners and recruiting cities across North America to join Portland in embracing district-scale sustainability. 

Johanna Brickman, Oregon BEST: Johanna Brickman works shoulder to shoulder with the green building community, making links between real-world projects and university research. Brickman is focused on the elimination of toxic materials from green buildings and has been working with some of the biggest names in business — Google anyone? — on the issue. 

Steve Clem, Skanska: Working within the global structure of Skanska, Steve Clem is responsible for making Portland and the Northwest a center of sustainable building excellence within the company, exporting the expertise honed here and disseminating those practices throughout the organization. 

Sarah Costello, Living Future Insttitute: The International Living Future Institute’s top officer in Portland, Sarah Costello, is leading the effort to raise support for and awareness of the institute’s Living Building Challenge. Costello gives voice to the evolving effort to take green building to a higher level and serves on the board for the VOIS Alliance. 

Ralph DiNola, Green Building Services: With 18 years in the green building industry, Ralph DiNola leads projects around the world and is one of the principals in charge of Portland’s venerable Green Building Services. A LEED faculty member, DiNola is recognized as a passionate advocate for commercial building efficiency. 

Jessica Green, University of Oregon: A Senior TED Fellow and a popular speaker on the topic of biodiversity and biogeography, the University of Oregon’s Jessica Green adds a new dimension to green building with her research on the micro-lives of structures and the role that microbes play in making buildings good for us. 

Sam Hagerman, Hammer and Hand Inc.: Founding president of the U.S. Passive House Alliance and owner of Portland’s Hammer and Hand, Sam Hagerman is another of Oregon’s green building pioneers. Among other noteworthy projects, his company is seeking a ground-breaking four certifications for an ultra-green home in Yamhill County. 

Nancy Hamilton, Free Agent: A self-confessed “energy geek,” Nancy Hamilton left Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s staff to lead strategic market development for the deep bench of efficiency expertise at McKinstry. She recently stepped down from that post and will focus her attention on raising money to make Portland Public Schools’ buildings run more efficiently.

Jim Russell, Ideabox LCC: A green building entrepreneur with a resume’s worth of experience in energy efficiency, Jim Russell is passionate about the sustainability and efficiency expressed in small living. His company, Ideabox, made global headlines this year for its partnership with Ikea Portland to create a specially designed small home.