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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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.
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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
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The 8 Shades of Greenwash: How Many Do You Recognize?
Infographic
Most building products these days have an environmental angle to their sales pitches. Many are legit, but as ever, you still have to watch for the telltale signs of greenwash—the practice of inventing or exaggerating the environmental benefits of a product.
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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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Our Buildings Are Killing Our Oceans
Primer
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
Primer
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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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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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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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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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.
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Reducing Whole-Life Carbon Brings Fringe Benefits
News Brief
The UKGBC says that by pursuing circularity, project teams can add financial, social, and other types of value to buildings.
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Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Still Struggling
News Brief
New data reveal the continued fallout of redlining from the 20th century.
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COTE Top Ten for 2022 Elevate Community Engagement
News Analysis
The AIA COTE Top Ten for 2002 went above and beyond to bring stakeholders into the fold.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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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.”
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LEED Must Lead on Climate
Op-Ed
The world urgently needs the building industry to tackle climate change, and LEED has to be part of that.
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How to Help Ukraine Now … and in the Future
Op-Ed
What can the green building and resilience communities do to help the people of Ukraine?
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Is BuildingGreen Getting Too Political?
Op-Ed
We believe that social justice issues as they relate to the built environment are relevant to the sustainable design and construction community.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Constructing Change: The Contractor’s Commitment
Spotlight Report
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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.
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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It
Feature Article
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
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Pest Prevention: Steps Designers Can Take
Feature Article
Integrated pest management (IPM) design strategies can reduce structural damage and unsanitary conditions, and improve our community’s health.
Just For Fun
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