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Mimi Burbage is AHFC’s Program Coordinator for the Weatherization and Housing Rehabilitation programs for the State of Alaska. She also provides technical assistance to other agencies working in rural Alaska. She has a M.A. in International Relations with specialties in Anthropology and Economics. Much of her graduate work was done in remote Mexican villages. Her experience includes almost 30 years of working in the weatherization and building science fields, including hands-on technical assistance, curriculum development, as well as project and grants management. She has worked steadily since 1978 serving Native Americans on Tribal Lands in Alaska and the Western region of the United States. She is also the President of Energy Outwest, a technical peer organization that includes all the western states and agencies involved in delivering weatherization services. Outside of work she spends a great deal of her time at the rink managing youth hockey teams and helping organize tournaments and training opportunities for kids.
   
Stefan Simek is the president of Ferguson Simek Clark (FSC) in Yellowknife, NT, Canada. FSC maintains one of the largest groups of civil engineers and technologists residing in Northern Canada and utilizes state of the art design with significant experience in Northern Canadian and International projects. They specialize in Remote Cold Regions and provide total project management services including planning, detailed design and construction services to public, private and First Nations clients.
   
James (Jim) Lee is executive director of Interior Weatherization, Inc. which specializes in home weatherization and rehabilitation. For the last 10 years his hands-on experience in building science has benefited hundreds of clients throughout the Fairbanks area. Mr. Lee is a frequent speaker at weatherization conferences discussing topics related to building science, client education and the need for quality assurance in all stages of the construction process.
   
Jim Fitzgerald is known throughout North America for his expertise in training contractors and weatherization crews for numerous agencies and utilities in over 35 states in the US and 2 provinces in Canada. His use of combined air sealing and improved insulation practice in the private market became the shell basis for the M- 200 Weatherization Protocol in Minnesota. He was part of CEE’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) group for the MSP Airport Sound Insulation Program. In 2005 he joined Conservation Services Group (CSG) as Director of Building Diagnostics. He has been a key contributor to the Building Performance Institute and development of practical standards for existing homes included in Home Performance with Energy Star.


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Rich Seifert Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Energy and Housing has been the Cooperative Extension Service "Energy guy” at UAF in Fairbanks for 25 years. He has a Bachelor's degree in Physics from West Chester State University in Pennsylvania, and a Master's Degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Alaska. He has lived in Fairbanks 37 years, save for one year (1985-86) when he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Norway, in Trondheim Norway. Seifert is the author of "A Solar Design Manual for Alaska" which he uses as a text for an Introductory course to integrate solar design into homes for Alaskans. He has authored numerous articles and two books on cold climate homebuilding. He teaches public seminars for adults, mainly on the topic of Cold and Marine Climate Homebuilding techniques and renewable energy use for prospective homeowners. He has authored numerous technical and public information papers and pamphlets on housing issues, indoor air quality, radon, renewable energy and sustainable building design.
   
Ron Johnson is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He was department chair from 1987 until 1997. He received his Sc. B degree from Brown University in 1965 and his MS [1966] and PhD [1969] degrees from Cornell all in Aerospace Engineering. He was employed by Avco Systems Division in Wilmington, Mass. from 1969 until his arrival at UAF in 1976 where he worked both on Aerospace projects as well as water desalination and transportation projects. His current research interests include indoor air quality and sustainable energy systems. He teaches classes in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy and the environment. He has taught classes in water quality management, air quality management, as well as water and wastewater treatment.
   
Daniel White the director of the Institute of Northern Engineering (INE), he joined the University in 1995. Dr. White also holds the rank of Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UAF. His interest and expertise in the traditional field of sanitary engineering led him to conduct research on drinking water protection, development, and treatment. Dr. White is pioneering research on how climate change affects drinking water, water resources, and related infrastructure. Pursuing issues related to freshwater in the Arctic, Dr. White spends considerable time in rural villages and remote locations. Dr. White's work has led to a better understanding of water resources for rural communities as well as the potential impacts of climate change on freshwater resources and infrastructure. Dr. White is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Alaska.
   
Chris Ives founded EriA EcoSystems to focus on building healthier houses, less destructive infrastructures, and communities that are "resilient ecosystems". Chris studied Mechanical Sciences (graduated 1965 Cambridge University) and his work experience is in Energy, Transportation, and Buildings. Starting in 1961 as an apprentice learning about Nuclear Power Plants, he is now an advocate of simpler, more renewable technologies. He built a solar house in 1976 with National Research Council / McGill University support, and worked from 1989-2007 as a Researcher/Project-Manager with CMHC, Canada's Federal Housing Agency. Chris was the "midwife" for the Vancouver & Toronto Healthy Houses, and for the Eagle-Lake "EcoNomad" demonstration (onsite containerized utilities). He was closely involved in starting the CMHC "Net Zero Energy Healthy Housing" (now renamed "Equilibrium Housing"). He also authored CMHC's "Backup Power for Your Home", and guided demonstrations of onsite micro-utilities for water & sewage, and heat & power cogeneration systems. He believes we must now focus our resources to implement the sustainable energy technologies which will have the greatest impact on reducing carbon emissions and addressing the climate crisis. Solar, Wind, Water, Biomass/Waste, and Earth Energies are of particular interest for community-scale grid-tied energy systems.
   
Rob Dumont is a building scientist with the Saskatchewan Research Council who focuses on low energy use buildings, creating good indoor air quality, and designing appropriate building envelopes. He has been associated with a number of innovations in building technology including one of the first computer programs for calculating annual heat requirements of houses (pre-cursor of the HOT-2000 program) and the development of residential air to air heat exchangers. He has also worked on a number of low energy demonstration houses starting with the Saskatchewan Conservation House (1977) and currently the Regina, Saskatchewan, Factor 9 Home: A New Prairie Approach www.factor9.ca that is targeted to use 90% less energy and 50% less water than a conventional Saskatchewan Home. He and his family live in what has been described as "The Best Insulated House in the World," which has R80 attic insulation, R60 walls, R60 basement walls and R35 basement floor. Recently he assisted two Canadian teams that are developing Net Zero Energy Homes on the Canadian prairies.


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Bill Semple is an architect and licensed carpenter with a background in design, building science, construction, and environmental planning. In Canada, Bill operated a building and design business specializing in timber frame construction, passive solar designs, and energy efficient buildings. Internationally he has carried out design projects in India, Tibet, China and Thailand where his design and land use planning work addressed what he sees as the inherent connection that exists between cultural and environmental sustainability. Now a Senior Northern Housing Researcher with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), his work focuses on improving the performance and design of housing and communities in the Canadian far north. This work has focused on developing energy efficient housing, innovative building technologies, and sustainable communities. Using design charrettes to facilitate community involvement, Bill works directly with Inuit and First Nations communities on the development of designs for culturally appropriate, energy efficient northern housing, and the design of sustainable northern communities. Bill is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), and Chairman of the CaGBC Residential Committee. He remains an active member of the CaGBC Residential Committee and is the CaGBC liaison member on the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Home Committee. Bill was recently appointed as an ex-Officio member of the Board of Directors of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center.
   
Peter Barfoed is an architect born in Copenhagen who grew up by the cyrolite mine in Ivigtut, South Greenland. He studied and was educated as a carpenter in both Greenland and Denmark. He earned his certificate in Architecture from the Academy of Arts—Architecture Department in Copenhagen. He returned to Greenland and worked for three years at Henning Larsen’s drawing office. He has been working at Tegnestuen Nuuk A/S since 1984, studying and designing buildings in relation to the particular climate conditions of the Arctic.
   
Anthony (Tony) Zedda is an Architect registered with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC). Antonio graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture from The University of Manitoba in 1994 receiving the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. With his business partner Jack Kobayashi, Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd is a five-person, Whitehorse-based, architecture and planning firm and winner of the 2006 Professional Prix de Rome for Architecture. Since its inception in 1993, the firm has been involved with 400 design projects in Canada. The firm has been recognized with several prominent awards for its work with Yukon First Nations clients and for its energy efficient designs. They represented Team Canada at the International Green Building Challenge in Oslo in 2002. As part of their Prix de Rome grant, Kobayashi + Zedda will be studying and traveling the circumpolar regions of the north including Iceland, Greenland, Russia, Norway and Finland. It is their belief that architects of the North are forced into innovative yet basic technologies to produce ambitious and original site specific buildings.
   
Dan Seiser, AIA, SCUP, of Bezek Durst Seiser, Architects and Planners, is a lifelong Alaskan with more than 32 years of experience. Dan is responsible for contract management, client services, overall design, and quality control oversight on the majority of BDS projects. He has applied his extensive background in northern climate master planning, programming, condition surveys, and concept design to a variety of projects including numerous University of Alaska Fairbanks facilities such as the Biological Research and Diagnostics Facility (BiRD), Natural Sciences Facility (Reichardt Building), and the Duckering Engineering Building. Through the years, BDS has worked on a wide range of projects throughout Alaska and the Arctic North, all with an eye toward sustainable design and excellence in architecture.
   
Robert (Bob) Banghart is a designer and cultural resource management advisor who assists Alaskan communities in defining, developing and interpreting their cultural resource base. He has had the opportunity to work with communities in every part of the state to create institutional structures that represent cultural traditions, technologies, and value systems. In many of the projects, Robert serves as the common connection between the architects, the community, and the cultural resource managers to facilitate community ownership of the undertaking. He is the founder of the design and consulting firm Banghart & Associates and served as principle for 30 years. Robert was recipient of the Museums Alaska 2006 Award for Excellence for his work with communities in Alaska. He is currently the Curator of Exhibitions for the Alaska State Museum in Juneau.


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Jack Hébert has been designing and building, homes and communites in Alaska for over thirty years with the goal of creating high quality, well designed, environmentally appropriate and energy efficient buildings. He has received numerous honors in recognition of this commitment and work including the first State of Alaska Governor's Award for Excellence in Energy Efficient Design, the Energy Rated Homes of Alaska President's Award, and twice as the Alaska State Homebuilder of the Year. In addition to these distinctions, Jack is a very active member of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), serving in leadership roles on state and local levels. Currently he represents Alaska on NAHB’s National Executive Board. Jack is the owner of Hébert Homes LLC, a corporation that builds homes and neighborhoods to the highest energy standards recognized. He also is the President and CEO of Cold Climate Housing Research Center which he was instrumental in founding. Additionally, he was the design team lead, the project manager, and the superintendent on the construction of CCHRC’s Research and Testing Facility. The organization is committed to developing and implementing techniques and methods of building that promote safe, affordable, durable and energy efficient housing for cold climate regions.
   
Nikolai Alexeyev from the village of Uolba in Yakutia, Russia, he studied in Khabarovsk at the Polytechnic Institute in the Architecture Faculty graduating in 1982 as an architect. From 1982 to 1992 he worked as architect and senior architect in the State Engineering and Research Institute “Yakutgrazhdanproekt”. From 1992 to 1997 he worked as Senior Architect for the projects developed by the Association of Creative Workshops “Utum”. In 1997, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Humanities Union University in Economics and Company Management. From 1997 to 2000 he served as Director of the “Utum” production company. From 2000 to 2007 he worked as Senior Architect for the City of Yakutsk. He currently serves as the President of the Directorate of Yakutia Architects and is also the Vice-Director of the Architecture, Construction and Reconstruction department of the Yakutsk municipal region.
   
Bjørg Kippersund is an advisor at The Norwegian State Housing Bank, in Hammerfest, Norway. After graduating from Bergen University College (building technology and municipal planning) in 1983, she moved to Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost county. The first ten years she worked for a group of municipalities on community planning, transportation policy, tourism and developing trade and industry. She then worked for the local administration in Hammerfest municipality on planning and community development for 15 years. Major topics have been sustainable building and infrastructure in a harsh climate as well as growth management due to increasing oil/gas activity in the region. The Norwegian State Housing Bank is the Norwegian government’s implementing agency for the state housing policy. Working methods include participatory processes/ cooperation with local/regional authorities, developers and inhabitants. The Norwegian State Housing Bank also provides funds for loans, grants and housing allowances. Important objectives for The Norwegian State Housing Bank are a well functioning housing market, an environmentally friendly and universally designed built environment, housing for groups that are disadvantaged on the housing market, and promoting the aesthetic.
   
Nick Illauq is a member of the Clyde River Economic Development Committee, Recreation Committee, Scientific Research Committee and Nunavut Housing Trust Delivery Strategy Committee. He is also the President/ owner of Mammaqtulirijiit Fisheries Corporation and on the Hamlet Council for Clyde River. Nick cofounded the Scientific Research Committee in 2005 and has been working to launch a new climate change research center in Clyde River. Clyde River is the pilot community for the Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Options in Nunavut Communities. Clyde River has been involved in climate change research and adaptation planning, documenting Inuit knowledge of weather, winds, sea ice conditions, vegetation changes, freshwater supplies, sea-level changes, coastal erosion and permafrost degradation. Clyde River utilizes hunters and special GPS technology to track harvest data, wildlife observations, mapping of land/sea ice use and search and rescues. They are also looking at alternative energy options for their community.
   
Mead Treadwell was appointed to the US Arctic Research Commission in 2001 and was designated chair by the President in 2006. Currently, Treadwell serves as Senior Fellow of the Institute of the North where his research focuses on strategic and defense issues facing Alaska and Arctic regions, management of Alaska’s commonly owned resources and integration of Arctic transport and telecommunications infrastructure. He is also the Chairman and CEO of Venture Ad Astra, an Anchorage, Alaska based firm which invests in and develops new geospatial and imaging technologies. Treadwell served as Deputy Commissioner of Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation from 1990-1994, and represented the State of Alaska on three circumpolar government groups: the eight-nation Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the Arctic Council and the regional Governors’ Northern Forum. As an alternate Trustee of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, and later as a member of the Council’s Public Advisory Group, Treadwell has helped guide land acquisitions, restoration science and ecosystem modeling in Prince William Sound, Kodiak, and Kachemak Bay/Cook Inlet. Treadwell helped establish the Siberia Alaska Gateway Project of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce which worked to open the US-Russia border. For the United States, he hosted RADEX, the Arctic nations’ first circumpolar radiation release response exercise in 1994. He is a member of the Alaska Siberia Research Center board.


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Sarah James has worked with municipalities for over twenty years in the areas of urban and town planning, growth management, and community development. She has operated Sarah James & Associates, a consulting practice for city and town planning, based in Cambridge MA and Meredith, NH, since 1986. She specializes in participatory approaches to city and town planning, and integration of sustainability principles in community planning. James is also the co-author of The Natural Step for Communities with Lahti, (New Society Publishers, 2004). This book received the Planetizen Top Ten Book in Planning Award for 2005. She is also a co-author of the American Planning Association (APA)’s Policy Guide, Planning for Sustainability, adopted by APA in April, 2000. She was awarded the 2007 Dale Prize for planning excellence and for contributions to ecological planning from California State Polytechnic Institute at Pomona. She holds a Masters degree in planning from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Sarah gives presentations, training, and workshops on planning and sustainability throughout the United States.
   
Torbjörn Lahti is a Swedish social planner who has been working professionally with sustainable development for the last 20 years, mainly with municipalities and local communities. He has managed the Sustainable Robertsfors project since 2001. Robertsfors is located in the northeast of Sweden near the coast of the Bay of Bothnia. Robertsfors has 7200 inhabitants, 2200 of whom live in the central town of Robertsfors and the other 5000 live in five smaller villages and more rural areas. In 2001 Robertsfors volunteered to set an example of how Swedish municipalities can implement sustainable development through a democratic planning process. In addition to this project, Lahti is founder of the consulting firm Esam AB and served as its managing director from 1990-2001. Esam has been working with Ecomunicipalities and Sustainable Management Systems with group certification. He served as co-ordinator of the Swedish network of Eco-municipalities from 1990-1995. He co-authored with Sarah James The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices.
   
Douglas Cardinal was hired in 1972 to design Grande Prairie Regional College—his first major building springboard to an illustrious international career as an architect. He was presented with the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in March 2001 and is the recipient of Canada's most coveted honor, the Order of Canada. At the start of each project, Mr. Cardinal declares a total commitment to excellence in architecture and to serving the needs of his client, and demands the same commitment from all of his staff and sub-consultants. His contribution to the field of architecture has earned him several awards, provincially and nationally, as well as international recognition. He was awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Gold Medal in 1999. His firm is one of North America’s leading users of the computer-aided drafting (autoCAD) system. This system imparts a high degree of professionalism, accuracy, speed and coordination to all of his work which allows time for design refinement. Mr. Cardinal has developed a painstakingly thorough process of designing “from the inside – out” and he believes that the design of each building is a spiritual act that demands from all those participating in it the very best of their endeavors.
   
David Atkinson is an Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a dual appointment as a research scientist in the International Arctic Research Center at UAF. He currently sits on the steering committee for the Arctic Coastal Dynamics Project, an international multidisciplinary team researching circum-Arctic coastal issues. David focuses on high latitude storm dynamics and the interaction of winds and the coast via waves and storm surges, and the implications of severe weather for communities. David currently leads several projects funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One focuses on improving National Weather Service forecast capacity in the Alaska coastal zone. Another project is working to link community impacts concerning erosion, food, and marine systems to weather and climate events. David completed a BSc degree at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, focusing on the mechanics of frost heave and his Master's, also at Carleton, focusing on satellite remote sensing in the high Arctic. He received his PhD from the University of Ottawa where he examined various aspects of climate over the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, including development of a high-resolution surface air temperature models. Via post-doctoral work at Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax, he was introduced to arctic coastal dynamics.
   
Peter Larsen, a Senior Policy Advisor on Climate Change & Energy for The Nature Conservancy, was formerly a Research Associate and Adjunct Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, specializing in the macroeconomics of climate change, environmental and energy economics, quantitative analysis of energy markets, general policy analysis, database administration and SAS programming. His work is on A Probabilistic Model to Estimate the Value of the Alaska Public Infrastructure at Risk to Climate Change. Currently, he is building a suite of (business intelligence software) programs able to estimate the dollar exposure (i.e. risk) of Alaska’s public infrastructure to rapid climate change.
   
Bernie Karl moved to Alaska from Peoria, Illinois during the pipeline boom of the 1970’s. Originally employed as a diesel mechanic at Prudhoe Bay, he has since gone on to own and operate several successful enterprises, including several work camps and the largest shop on the North Slope. Bernie was active in gold mining in the Central District in the late 1970’s, and in 1984 established K&K Recycling, the largest recycling facility in Alaska. During the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989, Bernie provided much needed modular housing for crews working on the cleanup effort. This sparked his interest in the hotel industry, and the following year he established Denali North Star Inn in Healy, Alaska. While Denali North Star Inn has since been sold to Princess Cruise Lines, he still retains ownership of Kodiak Narrow Cape Lodge and, of course, Chena Hot Springs Resort.
   
Oliver Drerup Since the work performed at his first construction company in 1976, Oliver has become the iconoclast of residential energy efficiency. A residential building contractor for twenty-seven years, he has been CEO of companies ranging in size from sole proprietorships to nationally limited partnerships. Mr. Drerup has been involved with the Canadian R2000 Project since its inception and held the position of Co-coordinator of Technology for the Canadian Homebuilders Association from 1987-1990. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Energy and Environmental Building Association and the Alaska Craftsman Home Program as well as the Super-E Program for export of Canadian housing expertise to the UK and Japan. He heads Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's International Training Team. A recipient of the EEBA Distinguished Service Award and the Canadian Homebuilders William McCance Award for outstanding contribution to the building industry in the technical area he was inducted into the R-2000 Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition of his service to the Canadian construction industry. He is a Founding Board member of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. He has presented in venues ranging from the Super 8 Motel in Yellowknife, Canada to the Globe Theatre in London, England. He devotes his time to improving the performance of residential construction worldwide.


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