Sustainable Development Committee

SDC's MISSION:
The SDC's mission is to communicate the business case for sustainability as an essential component of strategic and tactical decision making.  We provide thought leadership on the environmental, social and economic benefits of sustainable development, construction and operations.  Sustainability is critical and NAIOP DC l MD seeks to advance its place in the market, helping our members deliver long term value to stakeholders.

NAIOP DC | MD working definition of green development:

Structures and their associated landscapes that are located, designed, constructed, operated, and dismantled in an environmentally responsible manner to minimize short- and long-term negative impacts on the environment and building occupants.

How We Do It:

• Develop educational tools, best practices and resources related to sustainability.
• Provide leadership and representation in local government affairs related to sustainability
• Serve as an internal resource to raise awareness of emerging sustainability topics.

Consult the Calendar of Events for upcoming events.

Follow this link to our Green Links page.

Committee Chairs:

		Greg Plavcan, Gensler (co-chair)   Gregory leads the sustainability consulting group at Gensler in their Washington DC office. He has worked as a sustainability specialist since 2006 and consults on a range of project types such as small retail restaurant certifications, law firms, and professional service firms throughout the United States and internationally. He has managed the certification process on many complex government projects as well as one of the first Sustainable SITES projects in the rating system's Pilot Program. He graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and attended the Catholic University of America for his Masters in Architecture.
		Sean Fish, Steven Winter Associates (co-chair)   Sean Fish is a Sustainability Director at Steven Winter Associates who specializes in providing comprehensive green building certification support of commercial and residential projects for his clients. His projects range in scale and scope from tenant fit outs through large multi-building campus developments. He has 12 years of experience in the green building industry and delivers certification support from strategic planning through design, construction, and verification. Prior to joining Steven Winter Associates he spent 6 years at the U.S. Green Building Council working on technical development of the LEED rating system. Sean has co-Chaired the SDC with Gregory Plavcan since 2019 and in 2020 Sean and Greg were honored by NAIOP DC|MD as Members of the Year.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Business Administration.

Members:

Guilherme Almeida, Senior Associate, Hickok Cole
David Borchardt, Senior Mechanical Engineer, MD Energy Advisors

Chris Earley, Founder/Principal, Greening Urban
Giuls Kunkel, Associate, ESG, MetLife Investment Management

Jim Landau, VP, Director Environment, Social & Governance Real Estate & Agricultural Finance, MetLife Investment Management

Rodrigo Letonja, Associate Principal, Perkins & Will
Stephen Morel, Chief Investment Officer, Montgomery County Green Bank
Elizabeth Rogers, Attorney, Lerch, Early & Brewer

Joe Whitebread, Development Manager, Trammell Crow Company