BackPage Primers
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater
Constructed wetlands, when used to treat wastewater, can keep nitrogen and phosphorous from the water supply and cut costs by controlling the size of drainfields.
Environmental Building News—August 1, 2009
Thermal Bridging
Thermal bridging, when one material conducts heat much better than materials around it, can reduce the effectiveness of insulation to a surprising extent.
Environmental Building News—July 1, 2009
Brominated Flame Retardants
Keeping furnishings, appliances, and building materials from catching fire and burning up is important, but many flame retardants aren't good for us or the environment.
Environmental Building News—June 1, 2009
Adaptive Thermal Comfort
Adaptive thermal comfort broadens our understanding of the comfort zone by accounting for human behavior and perception, and factors like amount of clothing and air movement.
Environmental Building News—May 1, 2009
Porous Paving
Pavement that allows infiltration of stormwater comes in a variety of types, and offers many environmental and even cost benefits.
Environmental Building News—April 1, 2009
Graywater Collection and Use
If properly stored and separated from potable water, graywater collected from sinks, showers, and clothes washers can be used to irrigate landscaping.
Environmental Building News—March 1, 2009
Using Fly Ash in Concrete
Fly ash lowers the environmental footprint of concrete and improves durability. Pouring and curing concrete with high levels of fly ash requires special treatment.
Environmental Building News—February 1, 2009
Weighting Environmental Impact Categories
Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) score products or design options across a series of environmental impact categories. To compare two products with different impact profiles, it becomes necessary to weight those categories, a difficult process.
Environmental Building News—January 1, 2009
Defining Recycled Content
Accepted definitions bring some clarity to the term "recycled content," but still leave gray areas that are open to interpretation by product manufacturers.
Environmental Building News—December 1, 2008
Reducing Heat Flow Through Windows
Bringing daylight into a building through windows usually means a loss of heat; low-emissivity coatings, multiple panes, and gas fills can make windows more energy-efficient.
Environmental Building News—November 1, 2008
