Gabrielle Brewer
Data Manager for BU Sustainability
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Gabrielle leads the analytical initiatives that advance Boston University’s sustainability goals. She is responsible for overseeing data acquisition, assuring data integrity, managing, analyzing, and reporting the multiple elements of the University’s environmental footprint to measure progress toward the goals established in the University’s Climate Action Plan. Gabrielle reports on the University’s greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and water use to the City and State as required through BERDO (Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance) and LBER (Large Building Energy Reporting), respectively. She also oversees the collection and analysis of data for BU’s Zero Waste Plan and STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) report.
Gabrielle pursued her undergraduate studies at Bates College, earning her degree in environmental studies and chemistry. At Bates, she worked with the sustainability office to enhance clean energy systems in college facilities, grow student engagement, and produced her thesis on energy efficiency within Lewiston, Maine, affordable housing. Gabrielle continued her education at BU, receiving her Master of Science in Urban Affairs and Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability, where she developed skills to navigate the complexities of the urban landscape in addressing environmental challenges. Additionally, Gabrielle serves on BU’s Data Analyst Network Board and is a founding member of the Early Career Higher Education Sustainability Community of Practice.
Cross-Functional Collaboration for STARS: Identifying Sustainability Research With OpenAlex
Assessing an institution’s sustainability research for STARS is often a manual and time-consuming process, which relies on manual analysis of online research databases or faculty responses to internal surveys. These methods tend to misrepresent and under-report sustainability research at the institution. This session presents a practical, open-source, and reproducible approach which was developed through cross-functional collaboration at Boston University between administrative units (Sustainability, Human Resources) and faculty thought partners (Economics, Computing & Data Science). The approach is built from OpenAlex, a free, open-source bibliometric tool with 260M+ scholarly works, 90M authors, and 100K institutions. The database allowed Boston University to identify current BU scholars in the database and, using a sustainability topical map to scan citation-networks, download publications tagged against SDGs.
This session, intended for STARS coordinators, research administrators, and sustainability officers, will introduce OpenAlex and give an overview of the step-by-step methodology used by Boston University to export SDG-tagged research papers. We will present validation results that demonstrate measurable increases in captured sustainability publications and improved representation across departments and research areas. The session will conclude with a discussion of limitations and provide a pathway for attendees to adopt and adapt the method at their campuses.
Underscoring this session is the importance of intra-campus collaboration and access to high-quality data for accurate representation of sustainability progress across colleges and universities. STARS provides a platform to advocate for data collection methods that benefit sustainability reporting while also supporting other department and university-wide priorities. This session acts as a case study on convergent and cross-functional data collection and analysis across campus.
Beyond Compliance: How Higher Education Can Shape Local Building Performance Regulations
Local building performance standards (BPS) are rapidly reshaping how campuses plan, operate, and invest in their buildings. Yet colleges and universities are implicitly positioned and may often view themselves as solely regulated entities, rather than essential partners in designing and implementing these standards.
This session, designed for sustainability, facilities, environmental compliance, and government relations professionals, reframes higher education as an active participant in local BPS. Drawing on our institutions’ engagement with Boston's Building Emissions and Reduction Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) and related policies, we show how campuses can move from reactive compliance to constructive collaboration. The approaches we share are transferable to institutions in any jurisdiction considering or implementing building performance standards and are relevant for campuses at all stages of their climate journeys.
We begin with a concise overview of emerging BPS, such as Boston BERDO and Cambridge BEUDO, situating them within broader state and federal climate policy alignments and gaps. We then highlight why higher education is uniquely positioned to shape these standards: large and diverse building portfolios, in-house decarbonization and data expertise, and long-term commitments as anchor institutions. We connect this work directly to core missions around climate action, student and community wellbeing, and public service.
Using our BERDO experience as a case study, we present three complementary roles campuses can play: implementation partners (making policy workable on the ground), collective advocates (building a sector-wide voice through coalitions), and proactive participants (engaging early with city staff, advisory groups, and review boards).
Early Career Sustainability Professionals & Strengthening Networks
The Supporting Early Career Professionals Networking session offers new sustainability professionals a valuable opportunity to connect with peers and leaders in the field. As more young professionals enter sustainability roles, having a strong support network is essential for navigating new career transitions and challenges. Peers and mentors provide valuable guidance, resources, and encouragement to help sustain us through the initial stages of new careers. Last year, AASHE launched a new Community of Practice (COP), Early Career Higher Ed Sustainability Professionals, to foster these connections. This meeting continues to build on that momentum, offering a space for low-stakes networking, peer-to-peer resource and advice sharing, and practical strategies for making the most of the conference experience. This session is recommended for professional staff with 5 years or less experience in the industry. Join us to strengthen your network, exchange insights, and grow within the sustainability community!
Gabrielle Brewer
Data Manager for BU Sustainability
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