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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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.
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The Next Four Years
Feature Article
The Biden-Harris administration may be the most important ever relative to the environment.
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Wood: What’s Good?
Feature Article
Mass timber seems alluring because of its low carbon footprint, but not all wood is equally sustainable. We dig deep into the controversy over which types of timber are “climate smart.
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Existing Buildings Are Architecture’s Future
Feature Article
Take a plain old building and turn it into something remarkable, and you’ll also help save the planet.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The Living Building Challenge Loves Me... It Loves Me Not
Infographic
Each Living Building Challenge (LBC) petal can elevate teams to new heights—or at times be the cause of unrequited love.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Explainer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
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Our Buildings Are Killing Our Oceans
Explainer
Carbon is more deadly than many other toxic substances we fret about every day. And acidification might be more of a problem than climate change.
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Net-Positive, Regenerative Design, and Other Ways Buildings Can Do Good
Explainer
Instead of making a big fat net-zero your goal, regenerative design encourages whole-systems thinking and projects that actually add benefit to the environment.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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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.
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Prize-Winning LED Outdoor Area Light
Product Review
EvoLucia's SCH cobra head uses the company's "Aimed Optics" technology to direct light from the LEDs onto an even pattern on the ground, maximizing the efficacy of the light.
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BioPCM: Finally, a Low-Cost, Practical Phase-Change Material
Product Review
A sea change for phase-change materials? BioPCM brings phase change into the 21st century with biobased mats.
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LED Systems Provide Huge Energy Savings for Jobsite Lighting
Product Review
New LED technology is revolutionizing lighting on construction sites, but investing in the high-performing fixtures is a challenge for contractors who are used to disposable strings of light bulbs.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Does Your Firm Have the Carbon Data the Feds Are Asking For?
News Analysis
Under the proposed Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience rule, federal contractors would have to disclose their carbon footprints, set emission targets, and more.
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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.
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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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.
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Equity in Design and Construction: Seven Case Studies
Feature Article
From an affordable multifamily building to an iconic museum, these projects are designed and built to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion -
Re-forming the Building Industry: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Feature Article
People from marginalized communities are shockingly underrepresented in the U.S. building industry. It’s past time to change that.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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