Women-led energy and carbon modeler in Vancouver-Nanaimo honoured in national awards
Now in its second year, Built Green Canada’s Maverick Awards reward and profile leadership in sustainable building, across three exclusive categories—these saw entries from British Columbia through to Ontario. One of the finalists for the Innovation Award is Carbon Wise, a team of policy and building science specialists serving Vancouver and the Nanaimo area. This award’s purpose is to recognize creative ways sustainable building is happening and progressing industry. This group is actively working to foster innovation, expand access to carbon data, while advocating for holistic sustainability and greater resilience: helping industry rise to the challenges of climate change while building healthier, greener communities.
Carbon Wise is a woman-led Benefit company with a deep understanding of policy and regulations; their team of expert building science specialists provides technical consulting services, which accelerate the transition to low-carbon construction. Their approach bridges the gap between climate policy and on-the-ground construction practices, equipping stakeholders with the tools to implement sustainable solutions.
A leader in energy and carbon modeling, they specialize in optimizing operational energy consumption and reducing embodied emissions in the construction sector. Meanwhile, they’ve made significant steps in GHG emissions reduction, while delivering comprehensive analysis and consultation on renewable energy solutions, low-embodied carbon material selection, and sustainable construction practices.
They work with a range of projects, from Part 9 buildings to mid-rise and high-rise structures, as well as in policy collaborations with municipalities. Carbon Wise has championed Net-Zero houses, Passive-House designs, low embodied emissions deep renovations, and new construction.
A recent standout project is one of the Maverick’s 2025 winners, the first Zero Carbon Certified home in Canada, to be certified by the Living Building Institute and Built Green Canada at BUILT GREEN® Net Zero Energy+, setting a new standard for sustainability, incorporating metrics for both operational and embodied emissions. This home will be involved in multiple local and international studies.
One of Carbon Wise’s core values is a strong commitment to knowledge sharing—certainly with their builders, but also with the wider industry: creating a domino effect that extends far beyond their own projects. They hold themselves to a higher standard of commitment beyond profit, ensuring their work drives meaningful, lasting change. Taking care to share insights, such as through publicly available case studies and involvement in policy development, Carbon Wise ensures their innovative work is widely applicable and accessible to other stakeholders. They’re also actively engaged in educating industry professionals through presentations, workshops, and conferences, fostering knowledge exchange and accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices (Home Show, Buildex, Passive House Accelerator and Cecobois in Quebec).
The team’s expertise and leadership in whole-building Life Cycle Assessments (wbLCA) earned the BC Embodied Carbon Awards in 2023 and 2024. Their pioneering work includes authoring some of Canada’s first LCA case studies, such as comparing life cycle benefits of renovation versus new construction, highlighting the substantial carbon reduction potential of low-carbon renovations.
“We are driven by an urgent commitment to addressing climate change and decarbonizing the built environment,” says Founder and Principal at Carbon Wise, Elisabeth Baudinaud.
Built Green’s holistic framework has profoundly influenced their approach, reinforcing the need for science-based, measurable solutions that align with global sustainability goals and evolving regulations. By integrating these principles, the company has developed a comprehensive strategy that considers both operational and embodied carbon reduction, ensuring a full lifecycle approach to sustainability.
Challenging status quo, Carbon Wise works to expand the industry’s focus beyond energy efficiency to recognize embodied carbon as a critical sustainability factor. Carbon Wise says Built Green’s programs have guided innovation, encouraging the development of standardized benchmarks and reliable data. Streamlining methodologies and improving comparisons help stakeholders quantify environmental impacts and implement meaningful reductions more effectively. The company has a representative on Built Green’s Technical Standards Committee, staying at the forefront of industry advancements and contributing to shaping best practices around embodied carbon in the Built Green’s checklists. This involvement enhances the ability to bridge knowledge gaps for builders and homeowners, making sustainable construction more accessible.
Resilience is another key component of the company’s philosophy. Built Green’s emphasis on durability and long-term performance has reinforced the importance of designing buildings that can adapt to evolving climate risks, ensuring sustainability and future readiness. This holistic view on emissions reduction and resilience distinguishes their work.
They have also been involved in other industry associations’ work. Carbon Wise played a key role in integrating GHG reduction and resiliency measures into the Net Zero label, through active participation in the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) working group, further exemplified by peer recognition through the 2024 HAVAN Trailblazer Award.
By informing new guidelines and best practices, publishing case studies, presenting at conferences, and contributing to policy development, Carbon Wise is transforming how the industry approaches low-carbon construction. Their dedication to inspiring industry to embrace more holistic, forward-thinking approaches, while committing to transparency and education has empowered stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices with greater confidence and effectiveness while raising awareness of the critical role sustainability plays in shaping a low-carbon future.
The Maverick Awards are another step forward in Built Green Canada's mission to progress sustainability practices and recognize leadership; this year, four winners have been announced in conjunction with title co-sponsors, Jayman BUILT and SkyFire Energy. The Mavericks awarded Jim Zsiros of J. Zsiros Contracting with the Ambassador Award for exemplifying the power of hands-on ambassadorship—he’s created a ripple effect that’s elevated green building standards, particularly Built Green, across the region. Meanwhile, for this Innovation Award sponsored by Excel Homes, s2e Technologies was recognized for their London-based project, EVE Park, which is aiming for a net zero residential development rethinking suburban living: addressing high performance buildings and smart parking. While the Transformational Award had a tie this year. One of its winners is Best Builders for their Phoenix House in Delta, a remarkable rebuild setting a new benchmark for low-carbon renovations, while addressing resilience and holistic sustainability. The other winner is Spring Creek Mountain Village in Canmore, which has transformed from a mobile home park into an impressive multi-phase community largely fueled by geo-exchange, which embraces social, environmental and economic sustainability.