Dinner and 10-minute talks from green building experts coming to Bellingham
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sustainable Connections hosts Green Building Slam on Oct. 3 in Bellingham.
- Five experts will give 10-minute talks on local sustainability projects.
- Topics include tribal energy, wildfire resiliency, and green infrastructure.
Sustainable Connections’ seventh annual Green Building Slam is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at the Wild Buffalo House of Music. Five green building experts will present a snippet of their expertise for 10 minutes at a time over a meal from Mediterranean Specialties. The event also offer a chance for people to do some networking building, and curious community members who aren’t necessarily part of the industry are encouraged to attend.
This year’s speakers include Sean Michael Lawrence, who will address tribal energy projects; Breanna Menneoh on classroom knowledge for building efficiency; Eli Lieberman on green banks; Natalie Smith on the Old Town project in Bellingham; and Julia Atkins with Stone Faison on wildfire resiliency in construction.
It’s Sean Michael Lawrence’s first time at the Green Building Slam, but it isn’t his first time working with Sustainable Connections. He’s worked with them before during his time at Lummi Indian Business Council supporting tribal projects.
His presentation will include information on tribal microgrids, localized systems of energy that can operate even if a larger electrical grid has an outage. He said in an email to The Herald that microgrids allow tribes to control their own power sources, keep critical services like clinics running in rural areas during a greater outage, and create jobs in clean energy while selling excess energy back to the grid.
“I will be speaking about how a microgrid project is more than just wires and batteries, its about community resilience, sovereignty, and long-term community benefits,” Lawrence wrote in an email to The Herald. “I will also speak about the unique challenges and opportunities tribes face compared to other governments. Finally, I will discuss how collaboration between tribes, engineers, and funding agencies can make these projects a win-win.”
Elizabeth Vaughn, energy and green building program coordinator at Sustainable Connections, said her favorite part of the event is seeing people in the industry connect to learn about what’s happening in their area.
“The Slam always leaves me feeling so inspired, it’s great to hear speakers nerd out about their creative solutions to green building challenges,” Vaughn said. “We’re always excited to be a part of all the connections and partnerships that come from this special night.”
Tickets cost $50 and just under $30 for students. Sustainable Connections encourages interested community to members to buy their tickets soon, as last year’s event has sold out.
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
