The Challenge: Reduce the Upfront Carbon in Building Materials
Unlike a building's operational emissions, which can be reduced over time through energy efficiency renovations and renewable energy, the "embodied carbon" in building materials irreversibly enters the atmosphere as soon as a building is built. This means building material choices are critically significant for a building's overall emissions. Design teams need to gain expertise in low-cost, high-impact options for design, material selection, and product specification that can dramatically reduce the embodied carbon of new buildings and major renovations.
About the Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge
MassCEC has engaged Built Environment Plus (BE+) to conduct an Embodied Carbon Challenge for new construction and major renovation projects in Massachusetts. Submissions with replicable, innovative, and impactful changes to reduce embodied carbon in their projects will be best positioned for prizes.
This Challenge has two goals:
- Demonstrate low-cost, high-impact changes that significantly reduce embodied carbon
- Assist design teams in gaining expertise to advise clients about options for reducing embodied carbon, including using tools to estimate embodied carbon impacts
BE+ will coordinate trainings, access to Life Cycle Analysis tools, accept submissions, and coordinate the judging panel on behalf of MassCEC.
$10,000 to $50,000
March 31, 2024
Funding Schedule
Submissions for the competition are due on March 31, 2024.
Who's Eligible
Any company or person on the Design or Construction team may submit a project, subject to the project Owner's approval. Project Owners may also submit projects.
Eligible projects must
- be located in Massachusetts
- be over 20,000 square feet of floor area
For full Competition Guidelines, please refer to the BE+ website.
Apply
BE+ is accepting all submissions and coordinating the judging panel on behalf of MassCEC.
BE+ is also coordinating all trainings and access to Life Cycle Analysis tools.
Please refer to the BE+ Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge website for full Competition Guidelines and other details.
Additional Funding Opportunities
InnovateMass
$350,000
Rolling
EmPower Massachusetts
$300,000 (Priority Track Implementation)
$150,000 (Non-Priority Track Implementation)
$50,000 (Innovation & Capacity Building)
Innovation and Capacity Building: Rolling through April 3, 2024
Implementation: October 18, 2023 and April 3, 2024
Clean Energy Internship Program for Employers
$4,320/intern for Fall or Spring session; $8,640/intern for Summer session