Madelaine Murray, an Energy Trust of Oregon Net Zero Emerging Leader intern with Hennebery Eddy Architects, is eager to make sustainability more than a buzzword.

A Chicago native, she grew to appreciate the role buildings play in a dynamic urban environment. She earned her undergraduate degree in architecture from University College Dublin and made her next stop the University of Oregon’s graduate program in architecture. Her love of cities has drawn her to the study of sustainable urbanism: How communities integrate people, transportation and systems to be more environmentally-friendly.

Madelaine says learning about a building’s energy use in a textbook is not as successful as discussing it with a project team aiming to reach a specific goal. “This internship has really reaffirmed the significance of our commitment to lower carbon emissions and create better buildings,” say her mentors Ashley Nored and Pooja Kashyap. “With Madelaine here, we’ve been able to do more with the data we have. We have a clearer picture of where we are and what we could be doing to decrease energy use even more.”

Madelaine and her fellow Net Zero Emerging Leaders will share their insights and experiences during Design Portland. Register for their free panel presentation at  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/energy-trust-net-zero-emerging-leaders-tickets-56284301862