OVERVIEW
We rarely think about our building products beyond their immediate impact on a building or its indoor air quality. But we should.
How much energy does it take to make a product? What are the raw materials? How much does the product contribute to global warming?
These questions are not addressed by most green product programs, but the resources found here look at products and materials throughout their life cycles, including through:
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life-cycle assessments
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environmental product declarations
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carbon accounting
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embodied energy
With additional knowledge, you will have a more nuanced view of why products are environmentally sustainable and how they can be improved in the future.
IN-DEPTH
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Can Concrete Save Us? Locking Up Carbon in Building Materials
June 1, 2014Feature Article
Concrete is responsible for a huge proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions. A few companies want to reverse this cycle by sequestering carbon in building materials.
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Cladding: More Than Just a Pretty Façade
September 2, 2014Feature Article
Cladding materials should be chosen to minimize environmental impacts and help maximize a building’s energy performance.
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Raze or Retrofit? Six Extraordinary Answers to an Everyday Question
November 3, 2014Feature Article
Saving a building is usually an environmental win, but thoughtful renovation isn’t easy. And there comes a time to tear things down.
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EPDs Are the Future of the Building Industry, Whether You Like It or Not
August 3, 2015Feature Article
Environmental product declarations are taking off, but can they actually fly? Experts share the ups and downs of this promising but imperfect transparency tool.
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Circular Economy at Scale: Six International Case Studies
October 5, 2015Feature Article
These teams are applying radical life-cycle thinking to entire projects—and redefining what building ownership means in the process.
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BEES 4.0 LCA Software Continues Evolution
June 7, 2007News Brief
Life-cycle assessment tool BEES 4.0 offers a larger data set and other improvements over previous versions.
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Life-Cycle Buzz: BEES Now Available for All Operating Systems
March 30, 2011News Brief
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Switching to Portland Limestone Cement Could Reduce Emissions
April 2, 2014News Brief
A life-cycle assessment of PLC shows a 12% improvement in environmental performance over ordinary portland cement (OPC) when used in concrete mixes.
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Environmental Data for Window Glass Coming
June 29, 2014News Brief
A product category rule for flat glass used in glazing will standardize life-cycle assessments for the industry and lead to EPDs.
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Twenty-Year Payback for Embodied Carbon of Triple-Glazed Windows
August 3, 2014News Brief
It takes almost 20 years for triple-glazed windows to save enough energy to overcome their additional embodied carbon, according to a new study.
