UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sam Rashkin, chief architect for the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, will be the keynote speaker for the 2016 Hankin Lecture at Penn State.
The event will take place at 4 p.m. Nov. 9 in The Nittany Lion Inn Boardroom.
The lecture, titled “The Path to a Sustainable Future Begins with Power Words,” will focus on how language can impact our sustainable future. Whether it’s household products or climate policy, Rashkin believes that language is the key to success.
Rashkin’s breadth of experience in dealing with sustainability and its future in markets has led him to create this lecture.
As chief architect, Rashkin focuses on placing new innovations into already existing homes in an effort to improve their performance. Prior to this position, he managed ENERGY STAR for Homes since it began in 1996. During his time with ENERGY STAR, the company expanded to more than 8,000 building partners, more than 1 million labeled homes, and now encompasses more than 25 percent of the market nationwide.
Rashkin received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Syracuse University. He continued his education at New York University where he completed his master’s degree in urban planning studies.
He has served on the National Steering Committees for the U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Homes, National Association of Home Builder’s Green Builder Guidelines, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Sense and Indoor airPLUS labels. In 2012, Rashkin won the Hanley Award for his efforts in sustainable housing. He is also a published author, penning "Retooling the U.S. Housing Industry: How It Got Here, Why It’s Broken and How To Fix It."
The Hankin Distinguished Lecture Series began in 2006 in an effort to honor the late Bernard Hankin. The series has brought several notable speakers to the Penn State campus including Henry Cisneros, Nicolas Retsinas and Kent Colton.
The lecture is free to attend and open to the public. Anyone interested in joining the speaker and other building industry members in a reception following the lecture should RSVP here.