August Forum: Green Interiors

Fall is just around the corner, and with it, you’ll be spending more time indoors. Join GreenHomeNYC at the August forum and discover great ways to green the inside of our homes and buildings (where Americans spend 90% of our time!). We’ll start big and learn about sustainable building materials, and then hear from designers on how to choose green and healthy furnishings and appliances to make our interiors and the air we breathe cleaner.   Our generous host GE Monogram will be catering some light refreshments to kick it off! Don’t be late to this fun and informative event.   Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Time: 6:30-8:00pm Place: GE Monogram Design Center, 150 E 58th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10155   CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!   Our speakers will include:   Jessica Rose Cooper, Director, Project Management and Sustainability, Delos | Well AP, LEED AP   Having worked in the architecture and design industry since 2007, Jessica has experience in project management, design, and construction.  In her current role at Delos Living, Jessica seeks to improve health and wellness through the spaces in which we live and work, while minimizing the impact on our natural environment.   Before joining Delos Living, Jessica worked as Programs Manager at Urban Green Council where she was responsible for developing and executing educational programs for the green building communities of New York City, Westchester, and Rockland.  Prior to this, Jessica worked as Project Manager at LB Architects where she managed a variety of interior design and construction projects for corporate, residential, and not-for-profit clients.  During her time here, she also gained experience serving as an interior designer, construction manager, and office sustainability coordinator.   Jessica graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelors of Science in Design and Environmental Analysis.  She currently serves as a committee member on the Living Building Challenge NYC + NJ Collaborative, the IIDA New York Chapter Sustainability Forum, and Urban Green Council’s Membership Committee.  A LEED Accredited Professional since 2008, Jessica maintains her Interior Design and Construction specialty and also holds a certificate in Green Professional Building Skills Training: Construction Management.   Christy Everett, Principal, Respondé Furnishings | LEED AP ID+C   Christy Everett developed a passion for quality materials, fine craftsmanship and conservation during her study of architectural preservation at the University of Florida. Her appreciation for detail, timeless aesthetics and functionality has shaped her sensibility for modern design and furnishing.   With a keen eye for great design and proven capabilities, Christy founded respondé to pursue her passion for quality furniture. Through her seven years experience in the furniture industry, including her role as account manager for corporate clients at TUUCI, Christy gained insight into the manufacturing world. Be it supply chain and logistic complexities, or the hard-to-predict elements of manufacturing, Christy has the understanding and experience to successfully produce and deliver quality products.   Christy leads respondé by creating and curating a collection of handsomely crafted sustainable furnishings that feature: reclaimed, renewable and recyclable materials. respondé is responsible design.   Ethan Lu, Director of Graduate Studies at the New York School of Interior Design and Principal at Metropolitan United Studio | AIA NCIDQ IDEC LEED AP BD+C   Principal at Metropolitan United Studio (MUS) in New York, Ethan Lu previously worked at FXFOWLE Architects and then Cook + Fox Architects, where he served as a designer for some of the firm’s signature projects including the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park. He has completed master planning studies for the Doris Duke Foundation, Long Island City’s Midtown East Queens development, sustainable design guidelines for the Battery Park City Authority and New York City Transit’s 2nd Avenue Subway system.  Ethan received his M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, M.Arch from Harvard University and B.S. from the University of Michigan.   He currently serves as the Director of Graduate Studies at the New York School of Interior Design.   Grazyna Pilatowicz, Chairperson of the Sustainable Interior Environments Graduate Program, FIT | NCIDQ certified, LEED accredited, member of IDEC, IIDA, and US GBC and Co-Chair of the FIT Sustainability Council   Grazyna Pilatowicz, is chairperson of the Sustainable Interior Environments Graduate Program, which she initiated, developed, and launched. Much of her teaching relates to her book: Eco-Interiors: A Guide to Environmentally Conscious Interior Design. She is an interior designer and a consultant specializing in integrated sustainable design, and in programming and space planning for institutional projects. Her professional practice includes 14 years of work as an in-house interior designer for one of the nation’s largest non-profit substance abuse education, prevention, and treatment agency.  

In her work and in teaching, she incorporates the conviction that design is a research-based interdisciplinary process rooted in actual places and communities. Her work is dedicated to ensuring that design takes into account the broad cultural and ecological context, and strives to transform individual and social awareness and ethics. Grazyna holds a MA in Art History from KUL in Poland and a BFA in Interior Design from FIT.