Could Resilience Become the New Green?

The latest EBN feature article is new available. Click on image to enlarge.

A new feature article in Environmental Building News examines how a focus on resilient design could advance green building more quickly than our current focus on sustainability.

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FSC and Beyond: LEED 2012 Buries the "Wood Wars" Hatchet

After months of controversy, the third public comment draft of LEED 2012 strengthens commitments to both FSC and local wood--while not budging on the importance of life-cycle assessment. This is Part 2 in our "Wood Wars" series. Part 1: Are FSC and LEED Killing American Jobs? A Look at the Evidence

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A Tale of Two Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

Not all MSDSes are created equal. Because what they are required to report is minimal, manufacturers take very different approaches to how much they disclose. Looking for better information on chemicals of concern? An MSDS can be a good place to look. Then again, it can be a really bad place to look. Click for a PDF of the full non-information. (We took out the company name; they DID include that much!)

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How Much Insulation Is Enough?

Most leading energy experts today recommend installing a lot more insulation than is common practice. This wall for a Passive House in Seattle will hold about a foot of insulation.

by Alex Wilson

Originally published February 28, 2012

I'm often asked the question, "How much insulation should I install in my house"? It's a great question. Let me offer some recommendations:

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Crucial Energy Survey, CBECS, Is Back in Business

CBECS (the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey) was suspended last May due to federal budget cuts, but now it seems the survey will go on. Many tools--most notably the popular Energy Star Portfolio Manager--use CBECS data. The benchmarking is only as good as the data backing it, so it comes as a relief to many that CBECS will resume.

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Are FSC and LEED Killing American Jobs? A Look at the Evidence

FSC and LEED, with its certified wood credit, are hurting the economy, claim the governor of Maine, a U.S. Senator, and SFI. We take a look at the evidence. This is Part 1 in our "Wood Wars" series. Part 2: FSC and Beyond--LEED 2012 Buries the "Wood Wars" Hatchet

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Cost-Effective Window Attachments: A Practical Guide

With so many types of window treatments available, including awnings, shades, storms, and shutters, it's hard to know which one is right. GreenSpec can help. Awnings are a traditional way to control solar heat gain in the American South. Blocking gain is more effective than dealing with the heat after it comes into the building. However, awnings aren't the best product for every window in every climate.

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Making Renewable Energy Work Better: "Swarm Power" Cogeneration

There's a lot of talk about how renewable energy like solar and wind can't ramp up to meet our energy needs. What we need are creative solutions to that challenge, like distributed cogeneration. This image is a screen shot from a LichtBlick video demonstrating how distributed cogeneration can take up the slack when wind and solar energy sources are not producing power.

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Good News Bad News With Climate Change

Vermont's winter and summer temperatures are both rising. Source: Alan Betts, Ph.D. Click on image to enlarge.

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Dual-Flush Toilets Shouldn't Be a Crapshoot

Which flush is which? Dual-flush fixtures should be better at making it obvious.

Editor's note: Thanks to Evan Dick for this guest post. Evan is a former writer from BuildingGreen and now works at the Center for EcoTechnology in Massachusetts.

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Scraping the Surface of Exterior Paint Prep

For wood siding, preparing the surface is as important as the paint itself. Here are some factors to look for, or fix, to help that next paint job last. Premature paint failure is often caused by poor preparation.

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Local Food and Resilience

The highly productive Kingsbury Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont in mid-August, 2011. Note the tracking PV modules in the background. Photo: Alex Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

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Energy Modeling, Building Size, and BIM—What's Cost-Effective?

Energy modeling Q&A: first some answers on cost, and then it's your turn to ask (or answer) some questions. Chris Schaffner

There is so much confusion about energy modeling--what it should cost, what benefits it offers, how to approach it--that clear statements addressing these questions are like a breath of fresh air.

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Resilience and Window Attachments at BuildingEnergy 2012

Going to BuildingEnergy this year? There are a lot of exciting sessions to choose from. Alex Wilson, a naturalist as well as a green building expert, knows a thing or two about being prepared.

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Redefining What Makes a Building Product Green

It's easy to get lost in a sea of greenwash. Our updated GreenSpec criteria provide clear direction on what makes a product green.

BuildingGreen has been defining what makes a product green since the start of the GreenSpec directory in 1998--and we're repeatedly surprised by how far and wide our list of green attributes travels. The industry is not static, though, and it is our aim to continue providing a compass that points from today's best practices to truly sustainable materials management.

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