Spring/Summer 
2008 Issue

Click here for PDF
 

 

<— Back to Table of Contents

Online Archives

Profile: Recycle Ann Arbor's Jason Bing

By Laura Biernat
August/September Issue, 2005

Jason Bing recently joined Recycle Ann Arbor as Coordinator of the Environmental House. Although newto the organization, Jason is no stranger to environmental issues. Growing up, Jason’s mother suffered from multiple chemical sensitivities that worsened as she got older. Wanting to make the situation better for his mother, Jason began doing research that lead him to his interest in indoor air quality.

Jason has always had an interest in environmentalism but didn’t fully appreciate it until he spent time studying urban design and urban development in Florence, Italy. After his third year of undergraduate study, Jason returned to the U.S. and worked an internship with Bill Doty (of Doty and Miller Architects and Planners, Inc., in Bedford, Ohio), who helped bridge the link between how the Europeans approached environmentalism and what could be done in the United States. While working with Doty, Jason learned how to incorporate healthy, sustainable environments into home designs.

“My major impression, as it relates to environmentalism,” Jason says, “is that the Europeans do so much more with less. Energy and resource conservation and public transportation are centerpieces of everyday life and I loved living over there.”

His graduate experience also allowed him to work with Ruth Durack, Executive Director of the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio (a Cleveland nonprofit), which helped prepare him to guide the local community and building industry population to work together to establish sustainable design guidelines for green residential homes.

Jason recently became certified to offer for-fee professional home energy audits and ratings through the Environmental House. These audits can provide homeowners a chance to reduce energy bills and save money. Jason is also leading the joint collaboration between local builders, architects, and other professionals committed to sustainable building practices known as the Washtenaw Green Building Coalition. The WGBC is dedicated to establishing residential green guidelines that will serve as both a design tool and a measuring stick for evaluating the construction and renovation of healthy, energy efficient homes in our community. The WGBC has also recently partnered with the Affordable Homes Group, Inc., through Jason’s hard work, in a project called The Great Lakes Green Building Alliance, which will concentrate on low- and affordable-housing sustainable building initiatives.

Jason graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in 2000, a Bachelor of Architecture in 2002, and a Master of Architecture in 2002. His coursework included urban issues, urban design, environmental technology, real estate development, and design methodology.

Jason is currently a member of the Cleveland Architectural Interns, the U.S. Green Building Council, and Entrepreneurs for Sustainability. He also holds a seat on the Ann Arbor Energy Commission, has his HERS rater designation and is a LEED (Leadership in Energy Environmental Design) accredited professional.

For further information, visit www.recycleannarbor.org.

Laura Biernat is Marketing Coordinator for Recycle Ann Arbor.

BACK TO TOP