Material Selection

Photo: Nassimi LLC

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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Quick Takes

Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.


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Product Guidance

Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.


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In The News

We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.


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  • UL Environment Teams Up with EcoLogo

    News Analysis

    In a major consolidation among the crowded field of green product labels, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has acquired Terrachoice, the manager of the EcoLogo Program.

  • New Company-Wide Certifications for Manufacturers

    News Analysis

    Manufacturers will soon have their choice of three green certifications, from Green Seal, UL Environment, and Leonardo Academy.

  • Home Depot Switches 40 Stores to FSC Lumber

    News Brief

  • Canadian Timber Companies in Landmark Environmental Deal

    News Analysis

    Twenty-one Canadian forest companies and nine environmental organizations have signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, creating a three-year plan for sustainable forest management. The plan will protect the habitat of many species by halting the logging of 29 million of the 72 million hectares included. The agreement is effective immediately with goals set at 6 and 18 months.

Perspective

Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.


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Learning Resources

Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.


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  • You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.

Just For Fun

Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...


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  • Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
  • You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.