mindful MATERIALS: Ecosystem Health
Water, soil, air, biodiversity: all are essential to human well-being. And all are threatened by land-use decisions as well as the building materials used to expand and enhance human developments. Our resources look at forestry practices, environmental pollution, and other topics relevant to environmental performance. Restoring ecosystem health requires the use of products that renew air, water, and the biological cycles of life, encouraging more thoughtful supply-chain management and restorative company practices.
mindful MATERIALS: Ecosystem Health
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part One: Embodied Carbon
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The idea that wood is inherently carbon neutral has masked negative impacts. The climate stakes are too high for us to keep buying those claims.
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part Two: Moving from Carbon to Climate
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Mass timber at scale could make climate change worse. Instead of embodied carbon alone, “climate-smart” practices focus on our increasingly fragile forests.
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The Promise of Biobased Materials—and How to Use Them Now
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There is a lot of hype about carbon storage and other benefits of natural materials, but their potential is real. Read about those that are ready for prime time—and the ones we hope will take off next.
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Resilient, Sustainable Water Management: A Holistic Approach
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Water is our planet’s lifeblood. But climate change has redefined how we view water, with drought amplifying water scarcity and changing our relationship with the landscape and the built environment.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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What Does It Mean to “Use Water”?
Explainer
The difference between consumptive and non-consumptive water use is like night and day in the world of policy and regulation.
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Building Decarbonization: How LCA and EPDs Fit in
Explainer
Life-cycle assessment and environmental product declarations reveal embodied carbon and other impacts, but it’s important to know their limits.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Toilets
Product Guide
These residential and commercial models meet WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance.
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Urinals
Product Guide
Waterless urinals and high-efficiency fixtures that use 0.25 gallons per flush or less
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Engineered Wood
Product Guide
These sustainably sourced structural timbers offer low indoor emissions and other environmental benefits.
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Hardwood & Bamboo Flooring
Product Guide
Hardwood and rapidly renewable flooring that's sustainably sourced and tested for ultra-low indoor emissions
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Maine Outlawed PFAS in Everything: How Will That Work?
News Analysis
With a recent Maine regulation, PFAS “forever chemicals” are regulated as a category—not chemical by chemical.
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The Rise of Mass Timber in a Volatile Market
News Analysis
Demand for mass timber is going up, but there’s still lots of room to grow. Can that happen—sustainably—in today’s market?
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Grounding the AIA Materials Pledge in Data
News Analysis
With a Common Materials Framework, mindful Materials is mapping product labels to industry commitments.
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Climate-smart Mass Timber Is Coming
News Analysis
Better forestry practices and mass timber market development will benefit from tens of millions of dollars from USDA.
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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The BuildingGreen Guide to Building Product Certifications and Ecolabels- Discounted
Special Report
This BuildingGreen publication provides a no-nonsense guide to the world of green building product certifications to help designers, purchasers, manufacturers, and others in the industry to focus on what is significant and relevant so that market forces can work and the industry can focus on bigger issues.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to negative health and environmental impacts. Getting them out of our building products is going to require work.
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Keeping PFAS Forever Chemicals out of Building Products
Spotlight Report
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Wood: Is It Still Good? Part One: Embodied Carbon
Spotlight Report
