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Water: Doing More With Less

The U.S. uses about 400 billion gallons of water a day, and water shortages are becoming more common. Water conservation is possible in several areas in and around buildings, however, with water-saving products and technologies currently on the market and in development.
Environmental Building News—February 1, 2008

Behind the Logos: Understanding Green Product Certifications

The number of environmental product standards and certifications is growing rapidly, putting numerous different "green" logos on products. This article reviews the key programs and evaluates their rigor, and offers guidance in using them to accomplish project goals.
Environmental Building News—January 1, 2008

Controls Go Wireless

Particularly for lighting and ventilation controls in retrofit situations wireless systems offer potential energy, money, and resource savings. The technology is still new, however, and potential drawbacks like health risks, interference, and even the potential for increased energy consumption need to be examined.
Environmental Building News—December 1, 2007

Investing in the Environment: The Financial Industry's Approach to Green Building

Recent changes in the financial industry are providing new opportunities for financing green buildings. However, lenders and investors have different approaches to documenting the benefits of green, which affect how they use rating systems and other metrics. To navigate effectively in the financial world, green designers and builders need to understand the territory.
Environmental Building News—November 1, 2007

Prefabricating Green: Building Environmentally Friendly Houses Off Site

Prefabricated housing offers several potential environmental benefits, including reduced transportation impacts, reduced waste, and quality control for better durability and performance. Aside from a few industry leaders, however, most manufacturers do not take full advantage of those efficiencies to create affordable high-performance houses.
Environmental Building News—October 1, 2007

Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings

The energy used traveling to and from an average office building—its transportation energy intensity—can be more than twice the energy used to run it. This article addresses the significance of this issue and examines strategies for lowering transportation energy intensity through increased density and improved transit options.
Environmental Building News—September 1, 2007

Antimicrobial Chemicals in Buildings: Hygiene or Harm?

Carpets, door handles, and a myriad of other building products now contain pesticides targeting fungi and bacteria, offering potential benefit to the indoor environment, but also raising health concerns. This article asks whether antimicrobial products live up to their marketing claims and whether relying on them is a sound path to a hygienic environment.
Environmental Building News—August 1, 2007

The Challenge of Existing Homes: Retrofitting for Dramatic Energy Savings

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential energy use account for a fifth of all emissions in the U.S. Retrofitting existing houses to achieve a two- to three-fold reduction in energy use is necessary if we are to achieve the emissions reductions scientists say are required for avoiding catastrophic climate change. Here’s a look at how it can be done.
Environmental Building News—July 1, 2007

Making Carpet Environmentally Friendly

Carpets are the most popular floorcovering in the U.S., but they have also been associated with environmental problems including indoor air emissions and intensive resource use. However, manufacturers have worked to curb their environmental footprints by recycling carpet, examining their life-cycle impacts, and pursuing broad-based certification.
Environmental Building News—June 1, 2007

Building Information Modeling and Green Design

Building information modeling (BIM) is a design process that allows real-time feedback on design decisions and supports collaboration between disciplines. New interoperability between BIM software and building analysis tools are bringing the design process to a new level of sophistication.
Environmental Building News—May 1, 2007
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Radiant Floor Heating: Wrong Choice for Green Homes?

Alex Wilson says, “It's important to point out that our ideas about avoiding radiant-floor heat (or distributed heat altogether) apply when the envelope...” More...

Helena Meryman says, “I am currently looking into heating systems for my house renovation in San Francisco. Insulation and high performance windows...” More...

Alternative Water Sources: Supply-Side Solutions for Green Buildings

Stephen Keppler says, “Is the condensate water calculator still unavailable? If not, can you help identify its location. Thank you.” More...

Perkins + Will Lists Chemicals to Avoid

Michael Prothe says, “To further clarify from an excerpt of the air quality test in the space which I am affected by, the...” More...

Michael Prothe says, “This is an ongoing issue I have endeavored to research, and expand the knowledge base for. I developed allergic...” More...

Fixing the Perception Problem with Cradle to Cradle Certification

Mundise Mortimer says, “I am glad to see this discussion. Products that are not in full scale production and/ or new to the...” More...

Making Air Barriers that Work: Why and How to Tighten Up Buildings

Tristan Roberts says, “The following comment came to me via email from Robert Riversong, in response to Peter's and Jim's comments: I'm afraid that...” More...

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