Features

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Why we will never understand the true impact of our buildings—and how we should try to anyway
Environmental Building News—May 1, 2013

Stone, The Original Green Building Material

Stone is natural and durable, emits no VOCs, requires almost no maintenance, and provides a connection to the earth and our history.
Environmental Building News—April 1, 2013

Energy Modeling: Early and Often

For the biggest energy and cost savings, model early in design and model often, say the experts.
Environmental Building News—March 1, 2013

Waste Water, Want Water

Options for small-scale, onsite wastewater treatment and reuse are improving—but can we solve a global crisis one building at a time?
Environmental Building News—February 1, 2013

Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation

In an effort to eliminate the use of halogenated flame retardants, building code changes are being proposed by a group of fire experts, architects, chemists, and environmentalists.
Environmental Building News—January 1, 2013

Verifying Performance with Building Enclosure Commissioning

For a lot less than the cost of a lawsuit, BECx uses collaboration, design-to-occupancy reviews, and testing to ensure quality and high performance.
Environmental Building News—December 1, 2012

The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies

Any four walls and a roof make an enclosure, but for efficiency, comfort, and durability, those elements have to be meticulously designed and installed.
Environmental Building News—November 1, 2012

New Concepts in LEED v4

Past versions of LEED have helped make FSC and other concepts practically household terms. Where is LEED v4 taking the green building conversation next?
Environmental Building News—October 1, 2012

Seal, Tape, Gasket: A Sticky Search for Better Materials

Given the importance of sealing hidden joints in our air and water barriers, you’d think we’d know how long our sealants, adhesives, and gaskets last.
Environmental Building News—September 1, 2012

Energy Reporting: It’s the Law

As building owners comply with new laws to report energy use, the data may change the industry—and the act of reporting it already has.
Environmental Building News—August 1, 2012
Join the Discussion!

BlueskinVP Water-Resistive Barrier

Brent Ehrlich says, “Hi Patsy, This listing is just for BlueskinVP, not Air Bloc (a fluid-applied product), which we do not list. On the...” More...

Patsy Heasly says, “Note that when you search the Henry's website for Blueskin, you're directed to a page that has 3 products with...” More...


Radiant Barriers and Reflective Insulation

Kirk Teske says, “Good summary. In the South, I see a lot of people purchasing Radiant Barriers to try to lower summertime...” More...


Insurers Ill-Prepared for Climate Change, Survey Finds

Caleb Crawford says, “I thought that the insurance companies were way ahead on this stuff. They are supposed to be dispassionate analysts in...” More...


Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment: Taking the Measure of a Green Building

Paula Melton says, “Peggy, I appreciate the note. Glad you find the article thought-provoking!” More...

Peggy White says, “Paula - thank you for the very thorough, thoughtful, and thought-provoking article on this complicated topic.” More...

Paula Melton says, “A spokesperson from the Green Building Initiative has gotten in touch with EBN with the news that the next version...” More...


Sustainability: Too Much or Not Enough?

William G. Grover says, “When I am confronted with the current state of the Earth Community, I ask: is this what we intended? To...” More...