Renegade Green Goddess

Why is Miriam Schaefer committing eco-heresy?

by Bruce Schimmel

When Miriam Schaefer is psyched, she does this little dance. It's sort of like a Mummer strut, "except that I don't have to be drunk to do it."

Schaefer is VP of finance and administration of the prestigious Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) at Third and Chestnut, and today she's visibly intoxicated by what she's wrought. She sashays through the $17 million green makeover of this science center, and brings us to her favorite place.

"I love these bathrooms. The walls are recycled bottles; the floors, recycled soda cans." The bathroom's green walls glow like a dark forest; its blue floors sparkle like deep sea.

You may not know Miriam Schaefer's name, but you probably know her work. Before CHF, she spearheaded fundraising for the green renovation of the Friends Center at 15th and Cherry — then the city's first big LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) structure.

LEED is a kind of sustainability scorecard for buildings, rating everything from transportation to energy to waste disposal. Getting a LEED certification means a builder has done more than just apply some greenwash to a project. LEED keeps things honest — which is why cities, including Philadelphia, are embedding it in zoning and building codes.

Schaefer's makeover was initially supposed to be a LEED project. But that's changed — and that's an interesting decision from this eco-pioneer.

Schaefer holds a special place in my pantheon of local woman enviros. Heather Blakeslee, Christine Knapp, Jill Kowalski, Mindy Maslin, Pat McBee, Sally McCabe and Elizabeth Robinson are all green goddesses. Still, Schaefer stands out, having excelled where women are often excluded, in construction and finance.

"Being a financial officer, I've always been in a man's field," she says. "Though at conferences, at least, I don't have to wait on long lines to get to the lady's room."

Since Schaefer arrived at CHF in 2002, CHF's endowment has gone from $95 million to $160 million.

And as resident environmentalist, Schaefer planted trees, extended recycling and emptied CHF's parking garage by offering employees a transit allowance. Since 2002, energy usage at the institution is down by two-thirds.

In 2006, Schaefer took on an even tougher task: restoring the historic bank building where CHF is located, and transforming part into a climate-controlled museum.

Schaefer was determined to meet LEED standards. When I saw her back in October 2006, the building was a large dark hole, and Schaefer was in deconstruction hell.

"I can't say it turned my hair gray, but I certainly suffered some kind of bodily damage."

Schaefer's pain paid off. Architect Peter Saylor's design is luminous. The building's soaring windows illuminate a wraparound glass balcony, casting soft accents onto cherry cabinets and a slate floor. The wood and stone were procured locally, to rack up LEED points.

But, now, Schaefer has decided to commit what amounts to eco-heresy: she's foregoing LEED certification.

"To be LEED certified, you need to be commissioned [continually inspected]. That's expensive. In choosing be-tween getting the certificate and reducing energy [with a new temperature and humidity monitoring system], my choice was to do the real thing," she explains.

Schaefer says the renovation will meet LEED standards, and I believe her.

As for some other builders, I'd prefer them to get the certificate. Still, before LEED becomes further enshrined in city law, the Nutter administration needs to hear more from Schaefer. Perhaps bring her onto the new Sustainability Advisory Group.

Because our local green goddess is dancing to a different tune.

(bruce@schimmel.com)