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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Are Cool Roofs Green? The Answer’s Not Black and White
Feature Article
Roofing choices are complicated by heating tradeoffs, climate effects, and condensation, but proponents say reflective roofs still make sense in most climates.
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Behind the Logos: Understanding Green Product Certifications
Feature Article
The number of environmental product standards and certifications is growing rapidly, putting numerous different "green" logos on products. This article reviews the key programs and evaluates their rigor, and offers guidance in using them to accomplish project goals.
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Cladding: More Than Just a Pretty Façade
Feature Article
Cladding materials should be chosen to minimize environmental impacts and help maximize a building’s energy performance.
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Cool Products from the Latest Greenbuild Expo
Feature Article
We scoured the Greenbuild expo floor for the best new products and the most interesting updates. Then we whittled it down to these standouts.
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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New Insulated Metal Panels without Halogenated Flame Retardants
Product Review
Kingspan and Centria IMPs are using halogen-free flame retardants, resulting in less toxic, better performing insulated cladding.
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Polystyrene Insulations Are Now HBCD-Free
Product Review
Dow, Owens Corning, and Kingspan have joined the EPS industry in eliminating the hazardous halogenated flame retardant HBCD from their XPS insulations.
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New PVC-Free Resilient Flooring Options
Product Review
Shaw is now offering biobased and recycled PET resilient flooring options for commercial and healthcare applications.
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A New Foam-Free Sub-Slab Insulation
Product Review
Foam glass aggregate made from post-consumer recycled glass bottles can replace both foam insulation and aggregate below grade.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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BuildingGreen Announces 2009 Top-10 Green Products
News Analysis
BuildingGreen's annual list of Top-10 Green Building Products recognizes the most exciting products from recent additions to the GreenSpec directory and coverage in EBN.
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Dow Styrofoam Cradle to Cradle Certified, Despite Chemistry
News Analysis
Dow Chemical's Styrofoam extruded polystyrene has been awarded Cradle-to-Cradle Silver certification by MBDC, despite some questionable environmental characteristics.
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Master Painters Institute's New "Extreme Green" Standard
News Analysis
MPI has released a new standard with tight restrictions on volatile organic compounds.
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Energy Star Beefs Up Requirements and Enforcement
News Analysis
After an embarrassing report pointed out flaws in the system, Energy Star is revamping its standards, certification processes, and image.
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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Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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