Lynne Panagotopulos, BINT ’05, recently entered an eleventh grade classroom in Hartford, Conn., and changed a life.
As part of her work with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), she spoke to a classroom about the importance of building structures with limited environmental impact. After the presentation, a student who was previously unsure of college let alone architecture told Panagotopulos that she was now interested in both.
“It was one of the most inspiring experiences in my professional life,” Panagotopulos says.
After graduating from Wentworth, she earned her Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation and started attending USGBC chapter meetings. She went on to be founding chair of USGBC Connecticut Emerging Professionals and now serves as vice-chair of the USGBC Connecticut Chapter, both positions that focus on educational programming and professional outreach.
Her work as an interior designer has included educating her clients—everyone from TD Bank to Aetna—on the long-term economic benefits of building green.
“There is a lifecycle payoff with a green building and the energy savings can be pretty staggering,” she says.
In her current role as an interior designer and specification writer for Silver/Petrucelli + Associates , she’s working on a schematic design for a high school that will meet the state’s High Performance Building Standards—a plan that comprehensively addresses environmental effects and energy efficiency. It’s the kind of work that she wanted to do long before anyone put the “LEED” name on it for her.
“I’ve always wanted my work to make an impact,” says Panagotopulos. “And as soon as I learned about LEED, I realized it was one way that I could have a tangible effect on society.”
—Julie Barr
