The Big Picture
It’s easy to get caught up in the details—earning one more LEED point or getting that documentation you need for recycled content.
But it’s a lot easier to achieve all the project goals if the owner and the whole project team are in agreement about why you’re putting in all this work in the first place. Stuff like:
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slowing down climate change
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dealing with global water shortages
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avoiding depletion of nonrenewable resources
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preventing public health problems associated with manufacturing
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righting social wrongs
Here we set the scene, providing context that can help get—and keep—everyone on the same page about project goals.
The Big Picture
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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ESG: 6 Things Building Professionals Need to Know
Feature Article
Clients need AEC professionals to help them achieve environmental, social, and governance goals. Here’s how people are turning aspirations into strategies.
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Assessing Climate Hazards: The First Step in Resilient Design
Feature Article
The tools for conducting a multi-hazard exposure analysis are available if you know where to look.
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Constructing Change: The Contractor’s Commitment
Feature Article
The Contractor’s Commitment to Sustainable Building Practices calls on construction firms to practice green building. Here’s why the whole industry needs to get behind it.
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No More Red Lines: Undoing Our Legacy of Urban Segregation
Feature Article
Redlining in the U.S. has left us with unsustainable, under-resourced neighborhoods. Inclusive green design can help them heal.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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30 Years of Green Building in the U.S.
Infographic
As The BuildingGreen Report (formerly Environmental Building News, or “EBN”) celebrates its 30th year of publication, we decided to track the growth—and explosion—of the green building movement. We start in 1990 with the founding of AIA’s Committee on the Environment.
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Carbon Offsets and How to Select Them
Primer
With more owners looking to reverse the embodied carbon impact of their buildings, it’s important to know how to buy legitimate offsets.
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Social Sustainability and Architecture
Primer
Architects can increase social value through thoughtful design of the built environment.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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New Blowing Agents Revolutionize XPS Industry
Product Review
Due to regulatory changes in Canada and certain U.S. states, manufacturers will be offering XPS with low global warming potential starting in 2021.
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Electrical Vehicle Chargers: Keeping Up with Technology
Product Review
EV charging stations are becoming mainstream, but the technology interface and installation are still developing.
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Non-Hazardous Deep-Cycle Batteries for On or Off the Grid
Product Review
Aquion offers high-performance “saltwater” energy storage without lead, sulfuric acid, or flammable lithium salts.
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Solar Farms Offer Renewable Power for the Rest of Us
Product Review
Community solar allows customers with site limitations to purchase commercial-quality photovoltaic systems—and the Clean Energy Collective is making it easier.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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“Your Work Is Holy”: Jane Fonda on a Just Transition
News Brief
At Greenbuild San Francisco, Jane Fonda discussed her early forays into green building, her civil disobedience in D.C., and her new climate PAC.
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Templeton: LEED Is Not Enough; Portfolio Framework Is Next
News Analysis
Equity, ESG, and a brand new framework in the works for existing building portfolios. We talked to Peter Templeton about his plans.
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Decarbonizing Grids Will Save Trillions, Study Finds
News Brief
Transitioning to renewables will not cost utilities more—far from it, say some researchers.
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Environmentalists Stop Petrochemical Plant Construction
News Brief
Environmental activists have stopped permitting of a large petrochemical plant in Louisiana’s “cancer alley,” a rare win for the environment and local communities.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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ESG: Earth’s Salvation or Greenwash du Jour?
Op-Ed
The meaning of environmental, social, and governance reporting and ratings is in flux. Here are six ways to move forward amid the chaos.
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The Green Building Movement Is Dead. Long Live the Green Building Movement!
Op-Ed
The green building community needs a lot more collaboration and a totally new theory of change—and we need it now.
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How Smaller Architecture Firms Are Adopting Sustainable Design
Blog Post
When it comes to sustainability, many smaller architecture firms are interested but still getting there.
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USGBC Response: Help Create the Next LEED version
Op-Ed
The U.S. Green Building Council responds to an earlier op-ed, “LEED Must Lead on Climate.”
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Assessing Climate Hazards: The First Step in Resilient Design
Feature Article
The tools for conducting a multi-hazard exposure analysis are available if you know where to look.
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Constructing Change: The Contractor’s Commitment
Feature Article
The Contractor’s Commitment to Sustainable Building Practices calls on construction firms to practice green building. Here’s why the whole industry needs to get behind it.
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The Contractor’s Commitment: Lessons from the First Year
Webcast
The new “Contractor’s Commitment to Sustainable Building Practices" calls on firms to practice green building on the jobsite and beyond.
Live webinar occurred September 27, 2022.
Live webinar attendance confirmation closed October 4, 2022.
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No More Red Lines: Undoing Our Legacy of Urban Segregation
Feature Article
Redlining in the U.S. has left us with unsustainable, under-resourced neighborhoods. Inclusive green design can help them heal.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
