Clear Haze Exchange

Summary

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, host Marcus Hazelwood recaps Season 2, highlighting the hidden systems influencing sustainability in buildings. He explores the intersection of technology, data, and organizational dynamics in driving sustainable decisions.

Key Takeaways

• Hidden systems often influence building performance more than technical issues.
• Data abundance doesn't guarantee better decisions; clarity is key.
• Successful sustainability requires aligning different organizational perspectives.
• Technology is valuable but needs people to effectively implement it.
• Understanding the problem is crucial before finding solutions.

Resources

• Energy Efficiency Insights
• Sustainable Building Strategies
• AI in Energy Management

🎧 Listen On: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

📲 Connect: X | LinkedIn | YouTube

Chapters:

• 0:00 - Reflecting on Season 2: Hidden Systems and Decision-Making
• 16:59 - Exploring Sustainability and Energy Efficiency

What happens after you collect the data?

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, Marcus Hazelwood sits down with Somalia Jones, MBA, Manager of Responsible Investment Policy & Practices at White Oak Partners, to explore how building owners can move from collecting information to actually using it to make better operational and investment decisions.

Across a real estate portfolio, utility bills, meter data, financial information, benchmarking requirements, sustainability reporting, and operational data can quickly become overwhelming.

The challenge isn't simply collecting more.

It's understanding which information matters, translating it across departments, and connecting it to action.

Somalia shares how she works across sustainability, finance, accounting, operations, and other teams to create a more complete picture of building performance — and how that information can ultimately influence everything from reporting and budgeting to CapEx decisions.

Key Takeaways

• More data isn't necessarily better — start with the information needed to answer a specific question.

• Utility invoices can reveal much more than cost, including consumption trends, anomalies, operational changes, and potential savings opportunities.

• Sustainability professionals can play an important role translating information between finance, accounting, operations, and investment teams.

• Reporting shouldn't end with the report. The information can be used to identify future operational improvements and capital projects.

• Low-cost, high-impact opportunities can provide a logical starting point when prioritizing CapEx investments.

• Software and AI can help organizations process information, but human judgment remains critical for understanding anomalies, context, and organizational priorities.

• As experienced building professionals retire, documenting not only processes but also the reasoning behind them is increasingly important.

• Establishing a reliable baseline is one of the most important first steps toward improving building performance.

About the Guest

Somalia Jones, MBA — Manager, Responsible Investment Policy & Practices, White Oak Partners

Somalia works at the intersection of real estate, sustainability, reporting, compliance, and business operations. Her work includes gathering and organizing utility and asset information, supporting reporting requirements such as GRESB, identifying performance trends, and connecting building information with operational and financial priorities.

In this conversation, she provides a practical look at what it takes to turn portfolio-level building information into something organizations can actually use.

If you're interested in smarter investments, better systems, and meaningful progress, you're in the right place.

Subscribe to Clear Haze Exchange on your favorite platform and join the conversation.

For inquiries or guest opportunities: [email protected]

Summary

Explore how AI innovations are transforming energy management by 2026. Host Marcus Hazelwood discusses with Mohamed El-Sayed the revolutionary impact of AI on building performance and sustainability.

Key Takeaways

• AI helps automate repetitive tasks, allowing professionals to focus on critical thinking.
• Understanding AI limitations is crucial for effective implementation in energy management.
• AI will not replace jobs entirely but will complement human intelligence, enhancing productivity.
• Investing time in defining problems leads to more effective AI-driven solutions.
• AI enhances communication with buildings, providing real-time insights and recommendations.

Resources

• OpenAI and GPT: Overview of capabilities
• Anthropic Claude: Explore AI tools
• Amazon's AI Integration: Business applications

About the Guest

Mohamed El-Sayed — CEO, EA Energy Solutions

Mohamed El-Sayed, licensed Professional Engineer & Principal at EA Energy Solutions and has more than 20 years of experience in energy management, building performance, commissioning, energy modeling, and sustainable design.

Connect with Mohamed

• Website: https://www.eaenergy.us

🎧 Listen On: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

📲 Connect: X | LinkedIn | YouTube

Chapters:

• 0:01 - AI's Role in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
• 6:20 - Exploring AI Tools: From ChatGPT to Codex
• 12:29 - Understanding AI Agents and Their Limitations
• 18:52 - Integrating AI in Business Workflows and Challenges
• 26:16 - Navigating Job Automation and AI's Role
• 30:30 - AI Revolutionizing Building Management and Optimization
• 36:56 - Defining Problems: The Key to AI Solutions
• 42:41 - Balancing AI Use with Professional Responsibility

Summary

Explore the 3 keys to successful sustainability with Dominique Hadad, Founder & CEO of Green Scope Consulting. Discover how internal champions, strategic planning, and community engagement drive impactful sustainability programs.

Key Takeaways

• Identify and empower internal champions to lead sustainability initiatives.
• Cross-functional collaboration is essential for effective sustainability integration.
• Focus on measurable outcomes to ensure lasting sustainability impact.

Resources

• Green Champions Podcast - Learn more about real-world sustainability success stories.

About the Guest

Dominique Hadad — Founder & CEO, Green Scope Consulting

Dominique is Founder and CEO of Green Scope Consulting, a Columbus-based consultancy helping organizations turn sustainability goals into measurable programs and operational results. With a background in engineering, operations, and systems thinking, Dominique launched Green Scope after winning The Ohio State University President's Prize, a grant-supported initiative designed to help student founders build solutions to major societal challenges. Today, Green Scope supports government agencies, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and waste authorities through sustainability program development, data management, and strategic planning.

Connect with Dominique

• Website: https://www.greenscopeconsulting.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-hadad/

What Dominique is promoting

• Green Champions Podcast — Dominique is also co-host of the Green Champions Podcast, where she highlights real-world sustainability success stories and practical solutions. Learn more

Chapters:

• 0:00 - Sustainability Insights with Dominique Hadad
• 6:02 - Championing Sustainability: Consulting and Collaboration
• 12:38 - Building Community and Sustainability in Columbus
• 18:16 - Understanding Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings
• 24:33 - Engaging Teams for Effective Certification and Impact
• 30:28 - Integrating Sustainability into Mission-Driven Programs
• 36:42 - Ownership and Responsibility in Sustainability Programs
• 42:17 - Empowering Sustainability: Local Initiatives and Collaboration

Summary

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, host Marcus Hazelwood discusses the transformative power of solar energy with guest John McNamara, COO of Appalachian Renewable Power. They explore the benefits and challenges of solar technologies, including the innovative concept of floating solar arrays.

Key Takeaways

• Understand the long-term financial benefits of solar, beyond just immediate ROI.
• Floating solar offers unique advantages like reduced evaporation and improved panel efficiency.
• Community engagement and education are critical for widespread renewable adoption.
• Consider energy audits to identify efficiency improvements before solar installation.
• Solar technology is robust, with innovations such as virtual power plants leading the way.

Resources

• Floating Solar Delco - YouTube (https://youtu.be/4Tu3N1Dj9i8)
• Floating Solar Lima, OH - YouTube (https://youtu.be/r_91M4AgVII)
• Floating Solar Monroeville, OH - YouTube (https://youtu.be/gDhfbwkvPLY)

About the Guest

John McNamara — COO, Appalachian Renewable Power

John McNamara, MBA, MSL, is Chief Operating Officer at Appalachian Renewable Power, where he helps advance renewable energy solutions across Ohio and beyond. John combines operational leadership with a deep passion for sustainability, community engagement, and practical clean energy adoption.

Connect with John

• Website: https://arp-solar.com/

What John is promoting

• Floating Solar Delco Learn more

Chapters:

• 0:01 - Unveiling Solar Energy's Impact with John McNamara
• 6:36 - The Rise and Impact of Solar Energy
• 14:24 - Long-Term ROI and Sustainability in Solar Investments
• 19:11 - Understanding Complexities in Solar Energy Projects
• 26:15 - Maximizing Energy Efficiency Before Solar Installation
• 32:18 - The Role of Education in Renewable Adoption
• 38:55 - Exploring the Benefits of Floating Solar
• 45:15 - Empowering Columbus: Solar and Sustainability Initiatives

The Columbus Series begins here.

Clear Haze Exchange launches a special series highlighting sustainability and built environment professionals from Columbus, Ohio—the hometown of the podcast. These conversations explore the local expertise helping influence national discussions around energy, healthy buildings, resilience, and sustainable development.

Episode #31 features Jeremy Miller, Founder of GeoAlchemy Studio, whose work challenges us to rethink the relationship between architecture and human health.

Jeremy shares how a personal health journey inspired a new way of thinking about the built environment—one that prioritizes human wellness alongside energy performance.

In this episode:

• Why healthy buildings go beyond energy efficiency
 • Passive House principles and indoor environmental quality
 • Building materials that support long-term wellness
 • Air quality, mold, and healthy home design
 • Codex Homes and the future of healthy architecture
 • Why Ohio is uniquely positioned to lead healthy building innovation

As organizations continue investing in sustainability, this conversation reminds us that building performance isn't only measured in energy use, it can also be measured by the well-being of the people inside.

Learn more about Jeremy Miller and GeoAlchemy Studio:
 https://www.geoalchemystudio.com

What if your organization’s waste problem actually starts long before anything reaches the trash bin?

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, Marcus Hazelwood sits down with Hélène Carpentier, Founder of Circular Workplaces and former Global Head of Circular Economy and Zero Waste at CBRE, to rethink how organizations approach waste.

Hélène challenges one of the most common assumptions in workplace sustainability: that better recycling is the answer.

Instead, waste can be a signal of something happening much further upstream, over-purchasing, inefficient procurement, disconnected workplace systems, and resources that were paid for but never fully used.

The conversation explores:

• Why recycling alone can’t solve the waste problem
• How procurement decisions determine much of what eventually becomes waste
• The hidden cost of waste beyond disposal fees
• Why food, packaging, and everyday workplace purchases deserve more attention
• How waste reduction can improve the workplace experience
• Why sustainability teams, procurement, facilities, and workplace teams need to work together
• How organizations can shift measurement from downstream diversion to upstream prevention

Hélène also shares a striking example of how a 2,000-person workplace could lose more than £1.6 million over five years through waste-related inefficiencies, much of it potentially avoidable.

The takeaway?

Waste isn’t just something to manage at the end.

It’s information.

And if organizations pay attention to what it’s telling them, they may uncover opportunities to reduce cost, carbon, and inefficiency while creating better workplaces.

🎧 Listen to Clear Haze Exchange on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

▶️ Watch the full conversation on YouTube.

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Most organizations don't struggle because they lack opportunities to improve their buildings.

They struggle because they don't know how to fund, structure, and manage those improvements.

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, Marcus Hazelwood sits down with Chris Halpin, President of Celtic Energy and one of the nation's leading experts in Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC). 

Having supported more than $2.5 billion in energy infrastructure projects across federal, state, and institutional markets, Chris explains why performance-based delivery continues to create value decades after it was introduced.

Topics include:

• Understanding Energy Savings Performance Contracting

• Why many organizations hesitate to pursue ESPCs

• Risk allocation and financial accountability

• The value of owner's representatives

• Measurement & verification beyond compliance

• Long-term operational thinking vs. first-cost decisions

• Resilience as the next evolution of energy investments

• Why education is essential before projects ever begin

Key Takeaway

Buildings don't become high-performing simply because new equipment is installed. They become high-performing when owners understand how to operate, verify, and sustain those investments over time.

Chris mentioned several excellent organizations and resources for those interested in learning more about Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC), building performance, and public-sector energy projects:

- U.S. Department of Energy – Better Buildings Initiative

- National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)

- National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO)

- Energy Services Coalition (ESC)

Subscribe for more conversations uncovering the hidden systems behind sustainability, energy, and building performance.

What if the biggest barrier to achieving Net Zero isn't technology, policy, or even funding?

What if it's fragmentation?

In this episode of Clear Haze Exchange, Marcus Hazelwood sits down with Sarah Merricks, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Global Network for Zero (GNFZ), to discuss why the future of decarbonization depends on building stronger networks supported by transparent, measurable data. 

Sarah draws from her experience helping expand LEED globally during her time at USGBC and now helping organizations navigate the complexities of Net Zero through GNFZ.

This conversation explores:

•  Why the Net Zero movement remains fragmented globally 
•  Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions explained 
•  Why Scope 3 remains one of the biggest challenges organizations face 
•  Why existing buildings need a different approach 
•  The power of data-backed decision making 
•  How networks accelerate progress 
•  Why implementation now matters more than pledges 
•  How different countries are approaching decarbonization 

Key Takeaway:

Data creates clarity. Networks create momentum.

As Sarah explains, organizations shouldn't ask:

"What is everyone else doing?"

They should ask:

"What does our data tell us is urgent and achievable?"

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms.

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Most sustainability conversations focus on building owners.

But what about tenants?

In this episode, Marcus Hazelwood sits down with Jon Lemmond of JLL to discuss how tenants can influence building performance, energy efficiency, and decarbonization outcomes, even when they don't control the building's major systems.

From New York City's Local Law 97 to green lease structures, submetering, shared investment strategies, and landlord-tenant collaboration, Jon explains how organizations can unlock sustainability opportunities that are often hiding in plain sight.

The conversation explores why communication, measurement, and aligned incentives may be more important than any individual technology.

In This Episode:

•  Why decarbonization efforts often stall in leased spaces 
•  The "split incentive" challenge between landlords and tenants 
•  How green leases can create shared financial and environmental value 
•  Why submetering and data transparency matter 
•  Local Law 97 and the rise of building performance standards 
•  Tenant strategies for reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions 
•  How leasing decisions influence long-term building performance 
•  Why communication may be the most powerful sustainability tool available 

Key Takeaway

Many tenants assume they have little influence over building performance.

The reality is often the opposite.

The organizations achieving the best outcomes are the ones engaging landlords early, aligning goals, sharing data, and treating sustainability as a partnership rather than a requirement. 

🎧 Subscribe to Clear Haze Exchange on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms.