OVERVIEW
Materials really do matter to the health of occupants and the environment, but finding out what is in a product—and why—is not easy.
Products also have to perform as intended, so there are often tradeoffs between performance and the most sustainable materials.
Here you will find articles on:
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the least hazardous, most environmentally sustainable materials used in products
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environmental product declarations that can reveal the life-cycle impacts of materials
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standards and third-party certifications that provide important VOC criteria and other health and performance metrics
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chemicals of concern in building materials
You’ll also learn how what makes a product green can differ from product category to product category, and why multi-attribute vetting is critical no matter what product or material you’re selecting or specifying.
IN-DEPTH
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California Law Uses Environmental Product Declarations to Drive Low-Carbon Procurement
October 17, 2017News Analysis
Buy Clean California is the first law in the nation to address embodied carbon in construction materials.
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Mineral-Based Interior Paints Go Mainstream
September 5, 2017Product Review
Mineral-based paint from Romabio contains no synthetic resins, and can be used in place of standard interior acrylic latex paint on drywall.
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Pete’s Puzzle: Mold on Painted Clapboards is Food for Thought
August 29, 2017Blog Post
There is mold on the factory-primed, latex top-coated wood clapboards on the south but not the north side of our house
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Interior Paints: LEED v4 and Beyond
September 6, 2017Product Review
LEED v4 overhauled its low-emitting materials credit, with a new emphasis on VOC content and emissions. But be sure to look for durability as well.
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Healthy Building Network Launches Online Forum
August 2, 2017News Brief
The forum invites affordable housing designers to join HBN experts and others to ask questions and share information on material health.
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Combining Sheathing With a WRB and Air Barrier
August 1, 2017Blog Post
How well do Zip and ForceField sheathing integrate a structural panel with bulk water and air management?
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Reality Check for LEED v4 Product Credits
June 16, 2017News Analysis
The three “Disclosure and Optimization” or “BPDO” credits in LEED v4 include both some pretty easy points and points that are not yet achievable.
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Building Product Disclosure & Optimization (BPDO) Cheat Sheet
June 16, 2017Infographic
The three Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits in LEED v4 are pushing the industry into new territory. USGBC has done a great job defining and spurring manufacturers to support some options, but others are not yet (as of mid-2017) achievable, for a range of reasons. So go after the easy ones, and don’t waste time on others until they’re within reach.
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New Options Emerging among Mass Timber Panels
May 2, 2017Product Review
Lots of glue, or all wood? Two new products highlight very different approaches to structural panels.
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Fiberglass, XPS, Cork? Insulation Options for LEED v4 and Living Buildings
April 4, 2017Product Review
Choosing insulation with an eye to points in LEED v4 or Living Building Challenge compliance? Here’s how insulation materials compare.
