The Green Impact Report

Quick take: Former Wall Street trader Scott Donachie reveals why relationship-building trumps technology pushing in decarbonization deals, shares the HVAC foam that saved Mandalay Bay $15M, and explains his "calm the fears of the unknown" approach to navigating Local Law 97 compliance.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Scott Donachie is the Chief Executive Officer at Companies for Net Zero, connecting decision-makers across real estate, finance, and technology to drive sustainable impact. Based in New York, he leads an ecosystem of 300+ organizations transforming the built environment and infrastructure. A former Wall Street trader turned decarbonization evangelist, Scott discovered sustainability eight years ago after learning about 400 dormant landfills in New Jersey. He hosts invite-only Decarb Summits that bring together building owners, investors, and technology providers to share real-world lessons from the trenches.

🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Scott revolutionizes traditional building decarbonization approaches:

Key Insight #1: Finance Background Creates Sustainability Superpower

• The Challenge: Most sustainability professionals struggle to navigate complex deal structures and financing decisions
• The Solution: Combine deep finance experience with sustainability expertise to become "dangerous" in both arenas
• ROI: Ability to champion deals through complicated decision-making units and secure financing for projects others can't close

Key Insight #2: Pragmatic Solutions Beat Flashy New Construction

• The Challenge: Industry focuses on $40M new green buildings while ignoring immediate retrofit opportunities
• The Solution: Prioritize proven technologies with strong case studies—like the patented HVAC foam that saved Mandalay Bay $15M annually
• ROI: Faster implementation, lower risk, and demonstrated returns that build credibility for larger future projects

Key Insight #3: Relationship-First Approach Wins Over Product Pushing

• The Challenge: Technology vendors lead with features instead of understanding the full decision-making ecosystem
• The Solution: Build deep personal relationships, learn clients' kids' names, and address the needs of CFOs, facilities managers, and building owners simultaneously
• ROI: Long-term partnerships that create referral networks and repeat business in an industry built on trust

Sustainable Soundbite

"Calming the fears of the unknown. How do you do that? Just collaboration with very intelligent people that are in the room...everyone can be calm and positive because they are sharing their ideas and are not working in silos.”

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Identify the three key stakeholders in your next decarbonization project (CFO, facilities, building owner) and map their individual concerns and success metrics
2. This Quarter: Research local and state incentives beyond federal programs—Scott emphasizes hyper-local public-private partnerships are expanding as federal support shifts
3. This Year: Build your "lessons from the trenches" database by connecting with building owners who've completed similar retrofits and can share real operational data

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Access full episode resources: Decarb Summits
• 🔗 Connect with Scott Donachie: LinkedIn
• 📚 Recommended reading: How the Scots Invented the Modern World

Want More Green Building Insights?

Newsletter coming soon!

Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

The Green Impact Report

Quick take: Former Wall Street trader Scott Donachie reveals why relationship-building trumps technology pushing in decarbonization deals, shares the HVAC foam that saved Mandalay Bay $15M, and explains his "calm the fears of the unknown" approach to navigating Local Law 97 compliance.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Scott Donachie is the Chief Executive Officer at Companies for Net Zero, connecting decision-makers across real estate, finance, and technology to drive sustainable impact. Based in New York, he leads an ecosystem of 300+ organizations transforming the built environment and infrastructure. A former Wall Street trader turned decarbonization evangelist, Scott discovered sustainability eight years ago after learning about 400 dormant landfills in New Jersey. He hosts invite-only Decarb Summits that bring together building owners, investors, and technology providers to share real-world lessons from the trenches.

🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Scott revolutionizes traditional building decarbonization approaches:

Key Insight #1: Finance Background Creates Sustainability Superpower

• The Challenge: Most sustainability professionals struggle to navigate complex deal structures and financing decisions
• The Solution: Combine deep finance experience with sustainability expertise to become "dangerous" in both arenas
• ROI: Ability to champion deals through complicated decision-making units and secure financing for projects others can't close

Key Insight #2: Pragmatic Solutions Beat Flashy New Construction

• The Challenge: Industry focuses on $40M new green buildings while ignoring immediate retrofit opportunities
• The Solution: Prioritize proven technologies with strong case studies—like the patented HVAC foam that saved Mandalay Bay $15M annually
• ROI: Faster implementation, lower risk, and demonstrated returns that build credibility for larger future projects

Key Insight #3: Relationship-First Approach Wins Over Product Pushing

• The Challenge: Technology vendors lead with features instead of understanding the full decision-making ecosystem
• The Solution: Build deep personal relationships, learn clients' kids' names, and address the needs of CFOs, facilities managers, and building owners simultaneously
• ROI: Long-term partnerships that create referral networks and repeat business in an industry built on trust

Sustainable Soundbite

"Calming the fears of the unknown. How do you do that? Just collaboration with very intelligent people that are in the room...everyone can be calm and positive because they are sharing their ideas and are not working in silos.”

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Identify the three key stakeholders in your next decarbonization project (CFO, facilities, building owner) and map their individual concerns and success metrics
2. This Quarter: Research local and state incentives beyond federal programs—Scott emphasizes hyper-local public-private partnerships are expanding as federal support shifts
3. This Year: Build your "lessons from the trenches" database by connecting with building owners who've completed similar retrofits and can share real operational data

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Access full episode resources: Decarb Summits
• 🔗 Connect with Scott Donachie: LinkedIn
• 📚 Recommended reading: How the Scots Invented the Modern World

Want More Green Building Insights?

Newsletter coming soon!

Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.

The Green Impact Report

Quick take: Iryna Sukhodub reveals how Ukraine's massive reconstruction effort is driving green building innovation—from IFI-funded sustainable housing for 4.5 million displaced people to the strategic shift from energy-only thinking to comprehensive sustainability that could reshape your project priorities.

Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion

Iryna Sukhodub is a Building Modeling and Simulation Specialist at iC consulenten Ukraine and Associate Professor at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute." Honored as Scientist of the Year by President Zelenskyy in 2020, she bridges academia and industry through energy efficiency research, green building certification expertise, and mentoring the next generation of women engineers in sustainability.

🌱Breaking Ground on Better Building

In this episode, Iryna revolutionizes traditional reconstruction approaches:

Key Insight #1: IFI Financing Creates Green Building Momentum

• The Challenge: Green certification isn't mandatory in Ukraine, limiting sustainable development incentives
• The Solution: International Financial Institutions require sustainability standards for reconstruction loans and grants—driving market demand through financing requirements
• ROI: Access to favorable loan rates and grant funding, plus tenant lease requirements from international companies demanding certified buildings

Key Insight #2: Resilience + Renewables = Reconstruction Strategy

• The Challenge: Ukraine's damaged infrastructure needs rebuilding while serving 4.5 million internally displaced people
• The Solution: Integrate PV systems with energy storage for dual benefits—cost reduction and power resilience during electricity shortages
• ROI: Lower operational costs plus business continuity during grid disruptions, creating "future-proof" infrastructure investments

Key Insight #3: Shift From Energy-Only to Comprehensive Sustainability

• The Challenge: Ukrainian projects historically focus solely on energy efficiency and renewables, missing broader impact opportunities
• The Solution: Expand to embodied carbon, life cycle assessment, accessibility, climate adaptation, and indoor environmental quality
• ROI: Enhanced building performance, health outcomes, and alignment with international certification standards like LEED v5 and WELL

Sustainable Soundbite

"We still have to implement projects and we have to implement them in a sustainable manner, especially for the people that need housing at the moment." – Iryna Sukhodub

Your Green Building Action Plan

Transform your next project with these steps:

1. This Week: Evaluate how financing requirements could drive sustainability in your projects—research available green financing programs and certification incentives in your region
2. This Quarter: Expand beyond energy efficiency—conduct a gap analysis of your projects against comprehensive sustainability frameworks like LEED v5 or BREEAM
3. This Year: Build resilience into your renewable energy strategy—explore PV + storage combinations that deliver both cost savings and operational continuity during grid disruptions

Connect & Learn More

• 🌿 Access full episode resources: [Link]
• 🗒️ Read the transcript [Link]
• 🔗 Connect with Iryna Sukhodub: LinkedIn
• 📖 Recommended reading: Tiger Hunters by Ivan Bagran

Want More Green Building Insights?

Newsletter coming soon!

Green Building Matters, Inc © 2025 | Good Green Fun.