Regional Sustainability Manager at Turner Construction - Mike Bahr

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

Mike Bahr is the Regional Sustainability Manager at Turner Construction Company. Mike is responsible for helping clients achieve their sustainability goals by implementing efforts in embodied carbon, material selection, hybrid & electric equipment, and other sustainability initiatives.

Mike is a leader in embodied carbon and understands the challenges that need to be overcome in sustainability, piloting efforts to track across all A-stages of a building’s lifecycle including best practices for A4 emissions. Mike has led sustainability implementation on over 4,000,000 sf of certified green building space, covered LEED, WELL and Living Building Challenge programs. Mike is also a member of the Market Leadership Advisory Board for USGBC Iowa.

Prior to his full-time sustainability role, Mike worked as a project manager and engineer across diverse projects including health care, high-rise, multi-family, historical renovation, adaptive reuse & tenant improvement. These past experiences provide Mike with valuable knowledge of the challenges and opportunities the construction industry has ahead as it continues to push towards a more sustainable, just future. “Buildings are ubiquitous, supporting virtually every business, supply chain, economic need, and positive social outcome globally. However, buildings are responsible for nearly 50% of global GHG emissions, a significant amount of landfill waste, and can lead to negative health outcomes for individuals when poorly designed and operated.”

Mike works to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions through delivering more sustainable buildings and real estate, at every stage of the lifecycle. He has contributed to positive outcomes on nearly 5 million square feet of 3rd party certified buildings spanning the LEED, WELL, and Living Building Challenge programs.

Additional efforts have included construction equipment electrified, low-carbon materials, and circularity initiatives. He has achieved this through supply chain partnership, internal consensus building, and industry collaboration.

Show Highlights

• Future trends in biodiversity and the circular economy.

• Recycling and embodied carbon while emphasizing client-driven initiatives.

• Turner's Approach to Sustainability

• Focuses on adapting national sustainability programs to local markets.

• Challenges in sustainability practices can differ significantly based on regional infrastructure and policies.

• Emphasis on client-driven sustainability approaches.

• On-site energy and fuel use for ESG program.

• Pushing for electric construction equipment to reduce emissions and air pollution.

• Implementing biodiversity assessments can lead to more sustainable design practices.

• Promoting the use of native species and habitats in project planning.

• Explore circular economy principles in building materials and processes.

"Go out and find your people...USGBC chapters, Carbon Leadership Forum, the networks...Just kind of find those people, get to know each other, work together. This is fulfilling work, but it is challenging and there are a lot of obstacles."- Mike Bahr

Get the episode transcript here

Show Resource and Information

• LinkedIn

• Bury the Chains

• Turner Construction Company

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