Join GreenHomeNYC’s monthly forum we discuss sustainability efforts in Newark, New Jersey. Nonprofits, the private sector, and the local government are working collectively to enhance the City of Newark’s natural and built environments in an effort to create a more healthy and vibrant city. This gradual transformation has improved the social and physical landscapes for residents, businesses and visitors.
The Green Building Forum is held on the third Wednesday of each month (except December) at 6:30 PM and features presentations by green building practitioners followed by discussion. The events are always free and open to the general public.
Invited speakers include
Jak Inglese, AIA, PE, LEED AP and founder of Inglese Architecture and Engineering, Dr. Ana Baptista, Director of Environmental & Planning Projects of the Ironbound Community Corp., Ralph Walker, of Gensler and Lee Stronstorff, of the Greater Newark Conservancy.
Dr. Ana I. Baptista is the Director of Environmental & Planning Projects at the Newark based non-profit organization Ironbound Community Corp (ICC) where she works on Environmental Justice, Community Development and Planning projects. Ana is a member of the statewide New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and was recently appointed as the vice-chair to Newark’s first Environmental Commission. She is also the vice-chair for the NJ DEP’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Ana received her BA in environmental science from Dartmouth College and an MA in environmental policy from Brown University and completed her Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy at the Bloustein School at Rutgers University. Ana is also an adjunct at Milano the New School for Urban Policy, where she teaches a course on Environmental Justice and American Cities.
Mr. John Inglese founded Inglese Architecture & Engineering in 1988 and has since grown the firm to 12 employees. Prior to founding his current firm, Inglese was the president, principal architect and engineer at Tesis Architecture and Design, which originated as Tesis Architects, in the North Jersey area. He has held lead roles at the architectural and engineering firms of JER Company, Inglese-Walker Associates and James N. Lindemon AIA and Associates. Inglese earned a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Structures from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the New Jersey School of Architecture. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer and Registered Architect with the State of New Jersey as well as LEED Accredited Professional.
He has been designing affordable housing for over 20 years and for the past 15 years his firm has been designing energy star single/multi-family/mixed-use buildings. The firm participated in several of NJ’s pilot program for developing affordable sustainable housing twelve years ago. Since then several major affordable housing clients have made the commitment to have their projects LEED certified. The first two projects the firm designed became the first LEED platinum multi-family buildings in NJ. The next two projects reached gold status. Another dozen or so projects are in the LEED program and still in construction throughout the state. The firm has received a number of awards for its affordable housing developments and historic restoration work as well as smart growth awards for several of its urban mixed-use developments.
Lee Stronstorff Community Greening Coordinator joined the Conservancy in October 2007. He oversees all Community Greening programs, maintains and develops relationships with Newark neighborhood residents, and develops special events and programs for our Prudential Outdoor Learning Center. Since graduating from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 2004, Lee has had extensive experience in the community working with the Boys and Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County, with the Atlantic County Red Cross, with Healthy Home Resources in Pittsburgh, PA concerning in home lead remediation and family education services, and as manager of an organic CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture) in Aston, PA.
Ralph Walker was the project architect leading the design and construction of St. Philip’s Academy while at Gensler. He is also a Trustee with the school. Ralph has been practicing architecture in New York, New Jersey and California for the past 13 years and has focused his work on designing great educational facilities. He has made a career of working with educators, non-profits and community organizations to design and develop sustainable community assets. He is passionate advocate for education reform and sustainable design. His award winning design work while at Gensler has been widely published in a wide array of places including EdUtopia and Metropolis Magazine. He is a Registered Architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and CSI Construction Document Technologist. He lives with his family in New Jersey and be reached at
[email protected]
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