Meet Sonali Bhasin, BEEx Research Fellow
My name is Sonali, and I’ve been working at BEEx as a Research Fellow since July. I graduated from Yale’s Forestry and Environmental Studies school in 2014, and am passionate about urban sustainability, public parks, and cool, innovative building standards like Passive House.
- Share your favorite energy factoid.
In case of a blackout during summer or winter, a high-performing or passive house building will retain its temperature for much longer than a typical New York City building. In a summer blackout, the typical glass building would heat up to 90°F or 100°F, but a passive high rise will stay below 85 degrees for a week! - What energy conservation campaign would you start in your office or want to share with other offices?
Maintaining a higher air conditioning temperature in the office. So many people are cold all summer at work. Turn up the temperature! It reduces your carbon footprint and gender discrimination! - What are you currently reading?
I’m reading English Passengers, by Matthew Kneale, about a desperate crew of rum smugglers from the Isle of Man who agree to take a group of Englishmen to Tasmania to look for the actual location of the Garden of Eden: a sometime botanist, a reverend and a sinister racial theorist. Their journey across the world is mixed in with stories from the colonial history of Tasmania. It’s surprisingly funny, with 20 different narrators jumping across time periods and locations. - What are some ways you reduce your carbon footprint at home?
I recycle, carry bags with me everywhere, and try to buy local produce. I’ve also switched to environmentally friendly cleaning and shower products. I’d like to think that my lack of a driver’s license makes me more environmental? - What is your personal superpower?
My superpower is that I’m able to fall asleep anywhere, any time. I would love environmental super powers though – like Captain Planet’s.