age 36
Kristin Tollovsen says that, pretty well every month, a New York City’s worth of new buildings are completed worldwide.
That’s a lot of insulation, heating and cooling systems, washrooms and kitchens — just some of the areas of new builds that have major impacts on the environment. Tollovsen’s work with EcoAmmo and as the head of the Alberta chapter of the Carbon Leadership Forum is leading builders to take more proactive steps to be more environmentally conscious.
“We need to find a way to connect the dots,” she says. “I think we have to find better ways to build, and there will come a time when we don’t say ‘green building’ anymore. It will be just ’building.’”
As the industry shifts, more emphasis is being placed on building materials — and how social changes can impact energy efficiency.
Example: More and more new public buildings have unisex public washrooms. That means no more urinals. But, urinals conserve more water. It might seem like a small consideration, but it shows how she sweats the details.
Is it any surprise that someone so detail oriented is also a trivia buff? Tollovsen and her sister, Lauren, were approached by Top 40 Under 40 alumnus Anand Pye three years ago to launch a trivia night at the Grindstone Theatre. HelloTRIVIA as run for three years, and went online during the pandemic. Tollovsen also raises money for the Centre for Family Literacy, which operates the moving library, the COW Bus.
“My Google search history is very weird,” she says. “I know the ate when Alex Trebek shaved off his moustache.”
This article appears in the November 2021 issue of Edify
