Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2006

Academic Background: UC Berkeley - MS - (Sustainable Design)

Current Position: Sustainability Specialist

Currently Working On: Scaling mechanisms

Helena is a Sustainability Specialist working on a variety of projects. She helps early-stage companies establish, realize and communicate authentic sustainability goals, both internally and externally. She works with professional associations to revise standards, conducts research for industry and continues to practice sustainable design and product development. Helena is particularly excited about projects that help scale sustainability. Mechanisms such as product category rules, performance standards and certifications are critical to insure that lower impact choices become widely available, and easily identifiable. Helena began studying sustainable design and environmentally appropriate technology in 1997. Originally an artist, Helena received a second bachelor’s in civil engineering in 2001. As a Switzer Fellow (2006) Helena completed an M.S. in Engineering at UC Berkeley, with a real yet unofficial major in sustainable design and the business case. Her research thesis “Concrete for a Warming World” explores using wastes (rice husk ash, fly ash and limestone flour) to replace a significant portion of the portland cement in concrete, alongside a synergistic integration of cement, power and agriculture facilities. It is available online. Helena is in several leadership roles. As vice-chair of national sustainability committee (ASCE/SEI), she drew upon her Switzer experience and brought in a collaborative, transparent and do-ocracy style of leadership. In 2010 the committee published a comprehensive book: Sustainability Guidelines for the Structural Engineer. Helena was a lead author on three chapters. A leader at Net Impact’s San Francisco Professionals chapter, Helena convenes an annual Climate Update Panel following the UNFCC/COP meetings and helps produce annual The Greenermind Summit. As a Clean Tech Open volunteer, Helena has served several times as a Sustainability Judge, this year as lead in the finals. Helena has an expansive curiosity around systems, impacts and solution finding. She welcomes a great diversity of projects and learning opportunities.

Expertise: Architecture & Urban Planning, Business & Finance, Engineering / Chem / Toxicology