Every year, 12 million tons of architectural glass from skyscrapers and office buildings ends up in landfills. Even though you diligently put your glass bottles in the recycling bin, only 30% of collected glass actually gets recycled back into glass.

Sydney Mainster, VP of Sustainability at The Durst Organization, is on a mission to change that. After watching hundreds of tons of perfectly recyclable glass from a 40-story building go to waste, she pioneered a partnership to recycle skyscraper windows across New York City.

In this episode, Sydney and David Entwistle (Director of Major Projects at Saint-Gobain Glass) reveal:

- Why glass is the ONLY material recyclers lose money on

- The hidden contamination problem that shuts down $40M furnaces

- How "sneaky sustainability" is making glass recycling standard practice

- Why interior office glass is the secret to scaling this solution

- The roadblocks preventing this from going national

Sydney and David are completely reimagining how we handle one of our most valuable building materials.

🔗 Connect with Sydney Mainster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smainster/🔗 Connect with David Entwistle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-entwistle-b51b2531/

Chapters

00:00 Circular Economy in Glass Recycling00:37 Roles and Responsibilities in Sustainability00:54 The Glass Recycling Challenge07:37 Understanding Architectural Glass vs. Container Glass16:15 Origin Stories of Glass Recycling Programs27:03 Collaboration and Learning in the Industry31:30 The Journey of Deconstruction and Sustainability33:37 Overcoming the Status Quo in Construction35:12 Convincing Stakeholders for Sustainable Practices38:40 The Role of Case Studies in Advocacy40:19 Scaling Challenges in Sustainability43:46 Looking Forward: The Future of Sustainability

What if a powerful climate solution in cities isn’t a new building, but the roof that’s already there? As heat waves intensify across Europe, architect and MIT-trained educator Olivier Faber explains how his firm, Roofscapes is transforming overlooked rooftops into cooling, accessible, green infrastructure. Starting with Paris’s iconic zinc roofs, the conversation unpacks why existing buildings are misaligned with today’s climate, how shading and vegetation can dramatically reduce indoor temperatures without air conditioning, and why renovation and adaptation may matter more than new construction in the decades ahead. Along the way, Olivier reveals the political, technical, and cultural battles behind testing climate solutions in historic cities, and why climate adaptation is about changing how we value the buildings we already have.

Thumbnail Image courtesy of Roofscapes

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Keywords

architecture, climate change, renovation, urban design, sustainability, Roofscapes, green roofs, preservation, adaptation, building practices, Paris, urban design, heat island effect

Chapters

00:00 Background and Journey into Architecture

00:51 Exploring Alternative Architecture Practices

03:52 Introducing Roofscapes and Its Mission

06:17 Physical Adaptation: Before and After

07:16 The Challenges of Zinc Roofs in Urban Design

10:29 Innovative Solutions for Urban Heat Management

11:34Pitching Green Roof Solutions to Building Owners

14:08 Navigating the Complexities of Building Regulations

17:14 Measuring the Impact of Climate Adaptation Projects

24:09 Future Directions for Climate Adaptation in Architecture

Links

Olivier Faber - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivier-faber

Roofscapes - https://www.roofscapes.studio/MITx - https://mitxonline.mit.edu/

The American suburban dream is unsustainable—but we're not giving up on it.

David Kooris, Executive Director of the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority and lecturer at Yale, explains why sprawl no longer works as an economic engine and how we can retrofit existing suburbs to be more prosperous, walkable, and sustainable.

In this episode, we explore:✓ Why the suburban development model is fiscally unsustainable✓ How to transform aging strip malls into thriving town centers✓ The art of community engagement that builds consensus (not opposition)✓ Why making car-dependent places walkable has more impact than you think✓ Planning concepts everyone should understand about their built environment

https://www.wearecmda.com/

Chapters

00:00 The Impetus for Urban Planning00:00 Understanding the Role of Municipal Development00:00 Examples of Community Engagement00:00 David Kooris's Background and Insights00:41 The Importance of Long-Term Planning00:41 Retrofitting Suburban Landscapes00:41 Strategies for Community Improvement00:41 Engaging Future Residents in Development Conversations00:41 The Importance of Diverse Stakeholder Engagement00:41 Overcoming Community Resistance to Change00:41 Planning 101: Essential Concepts for Community Engagement00:41 Understanding the Complexities of the Built Environment00:41 Streamlining Community Engagement in Planning00:41 Innovative Approaches to Municipal Development00:41 Reflecting on the Current Era of Urban Planning