PBT Chemicals—Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic
You've heard of persistent toxic chemicals, and bioaccumulation, but what do these things really mean, and what do they do?
Environmental Building News—September 1, 2011
How R-Value Is Calculated
You know what R-value is, but how do they figure it out? And is it really a reliable measure of insulation performance?
Environmental Building News—August 1, 2011
How Water Moves Through Buildings
Whenever we improve energy efficiency, we have to deal with water in new ways to prevent damage and mold.
Environmental Building News—July 1, 2011
How Insulation Works
Understanding how insulation works can help us find the right material for a particular project.
Environmental Building News—June 1, 2011
Forest Products Certification: How It Works
Many wood and paper products now come with an eco-label. But what happens behind the scenes before a product gets the seal of approval?
Environmental Building News—May 1, 2011
Embodied Carbon: Measuring How Building Materials Affect Climate
Just as operating buildings emits greenhouse gases, buying and installing building materials, product, and appliances causes emissions as well.
Environmental Building News—April 1, 2011
From Sunlight to Electricity: How Solar Cells Work
Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts.
Environmental Building News—March 1, 2011
Chromium-6: Health and Life-Cycle Hazards
Chrome-plated and stainless-steel products may not expose us directly to the hazards of hexavalent chromium, but their life cycle releases it into the environment.
Environmental Building News—February 1, 2011
How Electric Lighting Works
How do incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, and light-emitting diode lighting technologies work, and what are their relative efficiencies?
Environmental Building News—January 1, 2011
Heat-Pump Water Heaters
Heat-pump water heaters produce more than twice as much hot water per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed as standard electric water heaters.
Environmental Building News—December 1, 2010
