OVERVIEW
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.
IN-DEPTH
Filter results:
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Non-Hazardous Deep-Cycle Batteries for On or Off the Grid
May 3, 2016Product Review
Aquion offers high-performance “saltwater” energy storage without lead, sulfuric acid, or flammable lithium salts.
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AIA’s 2016 Top Ten Span Difficult Building Types
April 22, 2016News Analysis
From a lab to a museum to a grocery store, this year’s COTE Top Ten awards showcase impressive energy savings in buildings with intensive energy usage.
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The 8 Shades of Greenwash: How Many Do You Recognize?
November 25, 2014Infographic
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
December 19, 2014Infographic
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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Building Materials and the Time Value of Carbon
April 4, 2016Op-Ed
When you save matters. What you build matters. Here’s why we need to build well and rebuild better.
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On the Path to Net Zero
April 4, 2016Op-Ed
At Leonard Farm, we’ve taken another big step in our quest for net-zero energy and net-zero carbon—but we’re not there yet!
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How Boston Reduced Its Carbon Footprint
April 4, 2016Feature Short
Building operations represent 75% of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s what we can learn from the city’s work on ambitious climate goals.
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2030 Culture: Six Selfish Reasons to Commit
April 4, 2016Feature Short
2030 Commitment signatories are making progress on climate goals. Along the way, they’re also finding new ways to save time and money.
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Progress on 2030 Goals, Ten Years Later
April 4, 2016Feature Short
The number of firms committing to 2030 carbon targets has more than doubled, and 8,182 project teams reported in 2014. But what about the carbon?
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Six Ways Existing Buildings Can Save the Planet
April 4, 2016Feature Short
Renovations, retrofits, and better-informed O&M will determine how quickly the developed world slows its carbon emissions.
