Material Selection
Selecting building materials can be complex. You have to take into account toxicity, performance, the environmental life cycle, cost, and other factors.
Understanding what makes a building product green is a long-term prospect. Green characteristics differ from product category to product category, and multi-attribute vetting is critical.
Material Selection
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Cradle to Cradle Certification: A Peek Inside MBDC's Black Box
Feature
Cradle to Cradle is a multiple-attribute product certification program based on the philosophy of architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, and the work of their company, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). While MBDC's consulting services are driving breakthroughs in green manufacturing, the certification program lacks some of the comprehensiveness and transparency that are increasingly expected in the green certification market.
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Making Carpet Environmentally Friendly
Feature
Carpets are the most popular floorcovering in the U.S., but they have also been associated with environmental problems including indoor air emissions and intensive resource use. However, manufacturers have worked to curb their environmental footprints by recycling carpet, examining their life-cycle impacts, and pursuing broad-based certification.
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Chemistry for Designers: Understanding Hazards in Building Products
Feature
What's in our building materials? Are there chemicals we should be afraid of? Trying to get answers to these questions can be frustrating, but there are a number of good tools available.
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What's New in Multi-Attribute Environmental Certifications
Feature
The industry is increasingly recognizing the need for a more comprehensive review of green products. We don't have perfect programs yet, but we scrutinize the most prominent programs out there and highlight how they're useful.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The Lacey Act and the Building Industry: Sourcing Legal Wood
Explainer
Lumber Liquidators will pay millions for importing illegal wood products. Could architects or contractors be fined for buying them?
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Phthalate Plasticizer Toxicity Explained
Explainer
Phthalates are used as plasticizers in vinyl. Some are toxic, some less so—yet many manufacturers are avoiding them altogether.
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VOC Testing: What It Can and Can’t Tell You
Explainer
“Section 01350” has come a long way since it acquired its curious nickname. Here’s what it can tell you about indoor air quality—and what it can’t.
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Sand, a Surprisingly Limited Resource
Explainer
Demand for the basic raw material for glass and concrete is prompting illegal mining that’s leaving beaches and riverbeds bare.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Nexterra NSF-140-Certified Commercial Carpet Tiles
Product Review
Bolyu and Cambridge carpet tiles with Nexterra backing were the first carpets certified to NSF 140-2007e, achieving the platinum level.
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Knoll, Steelcase in Lead with Level 3 Certified Products
Product Review
Two years after the "level" furniture certification program was developed by BIFMA, six products and products lines meet the most rigorous of the certifications-level 3.
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Measuring Drywall Against Environmental Standards
Product Review
Drywall is one of the most ubiquitous building materials. A new UL standard aims to reduce its energy impact and toxicity in landfills.
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Kinetex: Just Don't Call It a Carpet Tile
Product Review
Kinetex is a hybrid: thinner and more durable than carpet tile, this "textile composite flooring" is suited for hard-surface tile applications.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Cradle to Cradle Recognized in LEED
News Analysis
The U.S. Green Building Council will allow projects using products earning Cradle to Cradle certification to qualify for an innovation credit in the LEED Rating System.
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CSI Introduces GreenFormat
News Analysis
The Construction Specifications Institute has introduced a new product data-reporting tool, GreenFormat.
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MetroPaint Earns Green Seal Certification
News Analysis
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Stone Industry Gathering Life-Cycle Data
News Analysis
Responding to a lack of data on the environmental impacts of building stone over its life cycle, the Natural Stone Council is funding a three-year research program.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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SFI Takes Issue with Recent Wood Certification Report
Op-Ed
In a letter to the editor, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative details eight objections to BuildingGreen’s evaluation of its programs.
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Tape It? Seal It? Glue It? Sealing Weather Barrier Seams
Blog Post
Lots of building products offer some help in keeping air, water, and heat in our buildings, but without attention to the joints, you lose critical continuity in your barriers.
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How to Choose a Sealant That Works
Blog Post
Any sealant can perform well in the right application, but knowing which to pick for your job is another thing. Our guide to sealants and how to use them.
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Stickiness Explained! Making Building Tapes and Membranes Stay Put
Blog Post
When you use tape to seal a seam or flash a sill, you need peel-and-stick performance—not “stick-and-peel.”
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part One: Embodied Carbon
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
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Wood's Latest Move: from Carbon Neutral to Climate Smart
Webcast
If we’re going to start using a lot more wood in buildings, we need to think hard about where that wood is going to come from and how it will be harvested.
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