Review of Code, Regulatory and Systemic Barriers Affecting Living Building Projects:

"This report is both timely and important. The gravity of climate change requires that we move quickly to embrace deep improvements in energy efficiency and in use of renewables to achieve zero net CO2 buildings.  Building green is cost effective and provides both financial returns and a reduction of risk for owners and tenants. But as this report documents, there are widespread obstacles to adopting green design. This report maps out these obstacles in detail and provides a series of integrated recommendations to eliminate these obstacles and replace them with a regulatory environment that supports smarter, greener healthier design. It provides an important roadmap toward buildings that cut costs, cut risk, improve heath and allow us to live within our earth’s increasingly imperiled environmental means." 

Greg Kats 

Managing Director, Good Energies and Principal author, The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California's Sustainable Building Task Force

“Sonja Persram has done outstanding work on several assignments for Yudelson Associates. She is a first-class market researcher, and I can certainly recommend her services, based on my experience.” 

Jerry Yudelson, PE LEED™ AP

Principal, Yudelson Associates and Chair, Greenbuild 2004-08

“Both Johnson Controls and Siemens are our subscription clients and were very impressed with the ‘Green Buildings study’. They found it to be thorough and very insightful. Thanks again for the quality work you had done on this subject matter. We hope to continue our relationship with you and produce similar such great work.”

Usha Srinivasan, PhD.

Frost & Sullivan 

“Sonja has a broad academic and professional background which has prepared her to effectively combine social/environmental objectives with financial savvy. This is so badly needed in our society, but so seldom available. Sonja looks beyond the obvious, conducting a deeper analysis to discover other aspects of research that are not otherwise apparent. Her value to green building professionals also includes her ability to communicate benefits of complex technologies for promotional purposes or public education. She is self-directing, with motivation and imagination to get at the objective. An involved and articulate person, Sonja has a reasoning consistently aimed at benefiting environment and community enrichment. She has a wonderful ability to be a team player while remaining focused on the issue at hand.”

Martin Liefhebber, Architect, MRAIC, OAA

Principal, Breathe Architects

"To my mind, Sonja Persram is one of Toronto's bright lights in green development -- combining great experience in community development, green business, eco-building and organizational change."

Brian Milani, PhD

Coordinator, Business and the Environment Program

Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University

"She has the capacity to conceptualize a project, develop the processes and timelines required for its fulfillment, and facilitate the project team in order to achieve goals on schedule."

Barbara Raitz & Graham McKay

Principals, Harlow & Associates, Advisors to Festive Earth Society

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