Codes & Certifications
Parent
Codes & Certifications
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Textile Choices: Cleaner Options for Every Application
Feature Short
Standard textiles can have a toxic, devastating impact on our environment. Your project can do better.
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How Boston Reduced Its Carbon Footprint
Feature 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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Progress on 2030 Goals, Ten Years Later
Feature 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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Why “Zero VOC” Was Never Enough
Feature Short
We used to look for coatings, adhesives, and sealants that contained no VOCs. Great for smog prevention, but IAQ and installer health are also important.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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EPD Quick-Start Guide: 5 Easy Steps
Infographic
Use these tips to get what you need from an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), fast.
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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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Graywater Collection and Use
Explainer
If properly stored and separated from potable water, graywater collected from sinks, showers, and clothes washers can be used to irrigate landscaping.
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Adaptive Thermal Comfort
Explainer
Adaptive thermal comfort broadens our understanding of the comfort zone by accounting for human behavior and perception, and factors like amount of clothing and air movement.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Gunlocke Seat Back Goes Red-List Free Using Mushrooms
Product Review
The first furniture manufacturer incorporates Myco Board because the mushroom-based product is a sturdier alternative to plywood.
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SIREWALL: The Next Generation of Earthen Walls
Product Review
Made from local earth, rebar, and polyiso, SIREWALL rammed earth walls are beautiful, durable, and are stronger than concrete with less portland cement.
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Treated Wood for Ground Contact, Minus the Toxic Pesticides
Product Review
Accoya, now code-approved for fungus and termite resistance, relies on acetylation as a benign alternative to conventional pressure-treated wood.
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How Low-Flow Can You Go with Plumbing Fixtures?
Product Review
BuildingGreen-Approved toilets, urinals, showerheads, and faucets automatically meet CALGreen and LEED v4 water-efficiency standards.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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USGBC, ASHRAE, and IESNA to Develop a Green Building Standard
News Analysis
The proposed Standard 189P, to be modeled after LEED®, could get incorporated into building codes after it's rolled out in 2007.
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Seven States Agree to Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
News Analysis
Seven Northeast states have agreed to reduce power plant carbon emissions 10% below 1990 levels by the end of 2018.
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Greenguard Launches Mold Protection Program
News Analysis
The Greenguard Environmental Institute has launched the nation's first program to certify the design, construction, and operation of buildings for protection against mold.
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Federal Agencies Agree to Green Their Buildings
News Analysis
Agencies representing more than 85% of federal square footage have signed an MOU calling for the adoption of wide-ranging green building practices.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Watch NAHB in the ANSI Process
Op-Ed
NAHB has a history of hijacking standards and code development processes, and should be watched during the ANSI green building standards process, writes Bion Howard.
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Reflections from Five Years on the USGBC Board
Op-Ed
EBN Executive Editor Alex Wilson reflects on five years of organizational growth he witnessed while on the board of the U.S. Green Building Council.
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An Environmental Service Corps for America
Op-Ed
Executive editor Alex Wilson proposes a national environmental service corps to help the U.S. achieve its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and cope with the effects of climate change.
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Poor Insulation Work Adds to Home Retrofit Challenges
Op-Ed
Reader Paul Eldrenkamp encourages more widespread use of HERS ratings to measure the effectiveness of insulation retrofit work.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Feature
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to negative health and environmental impacts. Getting them out of our building products is going to require work.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Spotlight Report
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part Two: Moving from Carbon to Climate
Spotlight Report
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Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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With GOOP, Green Building Explores New Depths
April Fools
Gwyneth Paltrow’s offering to the sustainability world rewards projects for venerating the “cradle of civilization.”
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Passive Survivability Standard Modified for Post-Pandemic Office Buildings
April Fools
The LEED Passive Survivability pilot credit just got a lot easier for office buildings in the post-pandemic era.
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A Mind-Expanding Addition to LEED v4.20
April Fools
USGBC adds psychedelic Integrative Process prerequisites designed to be a paradigm-shifting expansion of LEED.
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BuildingGreen Rebrands LEEDuser to Increase Transparency
April Fools
After complaints about rejected credits and failed certifications, BuildingGreen took action.
