Codes & Certifications
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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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IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
Feature Article
Four tax provisions could be used to include disadvantaged communities in the clean energy transition, but equity outcomes are unclear.
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How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
Feature Article
Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act help GSHPs pay for themselves faster than conventional HVAC systems—with far better performance.
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ESG: 6 Things Building Professionals Need to Know
Feature Article
Clients need AEC professionals to help them achieve environmental, social, and governance goals. Here’s how people are turning aspirations into strategies.
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Net-Zero Energy Isn’t the Real Goal: 8 Reasons Why
Feature Article
Net-zero-energy buildings don’t always reduce carbon emissions. These are the tweaks we need to ensure they do.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Certified Communities: When Greening Neighborhoods One Building at a Time Isn’t Enough
Primer
A comparison of community-scale certification programs.
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From Ozone Depletion to Global Warming: The Kigali Amendment
Primer
The amendment builds on the Montreal Protocol’s legacy, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
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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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What These Forestry Labels Really Mean
Infographic
You’ve seen FSC and SFI labels on wood products. Most often, you’ve seen no label at all. Here’s a green guide to each one.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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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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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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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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ECOS Challenges Paint Industry to Disclose Ingredients
Product Review
ECOS Paints ignored “trade secret” complaints made by other manufacturers and now makes the first paints designated Red List Free for the Living Building Challenge.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Portfolio Program Targets the “Brown” Assets LEED Left Behind
News Analysis
USGBC’s Portfolio Accelerator aims to solve ESG’s biggest problem: net-zero commitments and other promises that lack realistic implementation plans. But the emerging program is nothing like LEED.
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IRA to Fund the Creation of EPDs, but Note the January Deadline
News Brief
A new IRA grant program will provide $100 million to help U.S. manufacturers create EPDs used to track greenhouse gas emissions, but the timeline for applications is January 16, 2024.
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Surgeons General Make Urgent Call for Healthy Building Policies
News Brief
In an open letter, public health leaders implore officials to design building policies for occupant health.
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EPA to Finally Track PFAS in Manufacturing
News Brief
The EPA is finalizing rules that make it easier to find where and how PFAS are being used, making it easier to regulate them in the future.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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What’s up with LEED v5? Coffee Talk Follow-up and Recording
Blog Post
Our guests reply to the Qs we didn’t get to during our July 26 event. Plus, here’s the recording if you missed it, and USGBC will host several v5 update sessions at Greenbuild.
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A Tribute to Robin Guenther, Green Healthcare Pioneer
Op-Ed
Robin Guenther advanced new standards for hospitals that were adopted by the larger green building community and integrated into leading rating systems.
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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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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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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Feature Article
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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IRA Nuts & Bolts with an Energy Tax Expert
Webcast
<p dir="ltr">The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers us a once-in-a-generation chance to equitably decarbonize the built environment and prepare communities to weather future climate threats. Will we seize that chance in time? For that to happen, it’s vital that project teams understand the rules well enough to offer and implement the right solutions. </p>
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Everyday ESG: Real People Share How It’s Done
Webcast
Four experts in ESG representing design, construction, and consulting firms will come together during this virtual roundtable to share their field notes and lessons learned.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Spotlight Report
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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USGBC Embraces Legal Marijuana
April Fools
LEED v4.20 introduces a wide range of cannabis-oriented prerequisites.
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WELL Building Auditor Will Drink Your Milkshake
April Fools
The WELL standard for healthy spaces and lifestyles is backed by onsite auditing, but some occupants would prefer to slowly kill themselves in peace.
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Bewitching Designs Snag Coveted Resilience Awards
April Fools
Self-propulsion wins the night at this year’s Rizzies, but a controversy brews.
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GSA Adopts LEED, Green Globes, Living Building Challenge, and Weimaraner
April Fools