Episode 116: Barbra Batshalom

Barbra is the founder and CEO of BuildingEase and Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI) -- an industry leader whose innovative vision drives market transformation from public policy to professional practice. Her work focuses on the intersection of systems, processes and culture. 

With a diverse background of fine arts, social psychology and nearly 30 years in architecture and sustainability consulting, she brings a perspective that engages the human dynamics of decision-making and creative collaboration to technical work. Barbra has always been most interested in the how. 

Her advice for those who want to be effective working on sustainability in the built environment is to “develop enabling skills.” Because, she says, “Technical knowledge is necessary but insufficient. Any work in sustainability requires systems thinking, understanding of change dynamics and change management, communication, facilitation skills, and negotiation skills.”

She calls consulting through SPI her “heart work” but doing that work has given her a lens on what’s missing in the movement and the industry. And this includes the seeds for her latest venture, Building Ease, which is focused on materials and what she calls the “data mess in the industry.” Building Ease is a public benefit corporation and a software start-up, a tool to connect the dots from design through procurement to streamline the flow of critical information and harness purchasing power.