Carol Venolia, Publisher/Editor

A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of

Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... Read more

EBN Advisory Board member Mike Nicklas led an international delegation of renewable energy experts in promoting sustainable energy at the Earth Summit last month. He and others were negotiating for inclusion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures into agreements being worked out for the United Nations... Read more

The City of Austin’s Green Builder Program was one of 12 award recipients in the United National Local Government Honours Programme at the Earth Summit in Rio, and the only winner from the United States. “The purpose of the Honours Programme is to recognize innovative local approaches to... Read more

The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... Read more

Protecting trees and the local ecosystem when building on previously unbuilt land is a vitally important—yet often overlooked—part of environmentally responsible construction. Healthy trees and shrubs can reduce a home’s environmental impact and directly benefit homeowners in a number of ways:

•Enhancing comfort by shielding the house... Read more

Ozone depletion and global warming are two of our most serious environmental problems—and foam insulation materials containing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contribute significantly to both of these problems. The environmentally concerned builder or designer should make it a highest priority to avoid them. Even many of the non-CFC alternatives... Read more

Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. In North America, buildings and the building industry account for about 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, 35-40% of ozone depletion, 20-30% of municipal solid waste, vast quantities of natural resource consumption, and dramatic loss of open space each... Read more

Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?

A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... Read more

The American Institute of Architects convention in Boston this past June was the setting for a changing of the guard in the American architectural establishment. The Institute’s first woman president took the reins, the Committee on the Environment became its largest and fastest growing committee, and the first installments of the Environmental... Read more

This message came in earlier today and is something of which we should all be aware.  I took the extra step, in this world of uncertain facts, of checking the veracity of the message with Jason Grant who confirmed it.  From William Bucholtz:

Dear Green Building Colleagues,

No one likes being fooled, but it’s... Read more

All,

A bit of a short notice, but the Tally team is hosting a webinar tomorrow (1/16) from 1-1:30 EST on the Tally to EC3 integration. It's an incredibly powerful workflow for generating real reductions in embodied carbon and has us pretty excited. We expect a lively group of attendees and will be answering any questions from the... Read more

Hello Everyone!

Wondering if anyone has expertise in Algae Photobioreactor facades? Here is a product: https://cellparc.com/

My basic understanding is that they produce heat and biogas (as well as providing shade and some thermal value.)  However, I am not clear on the GHG balance benefit, so to speak.  I cannot determine if the... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

Here's another fun announcement to help round out this year and get us excited for the next to begin: Join us in 2022 for First Friday Fikas!

What is a fika? Pronounced fee-ka, this is a Swedish custom of taking a break from work to have a coffee and a snack while catching up with friends. It’s a... Read more

Healthcare Design, one of the most respected and widely recognized trade journals in the health care AEC space has released the names of its 2022 HCD 10 winners.  The mission of The HCD 10 is to recognize and celebrate the broad spectrum of outstanding professionals in that industry and the influence they have on healthcare design.

One... Read more

Want to make sure those in Portland are aware of a couple of LF18 Ramp-Up Events happening on April 10th. 

Introduction to the Living Building Challenge (presented by Kathleen Smith)
https://living-future.org/events/introduction-to-the-living-building-challenge/

Incentivizing Living Buildings in Portland 
https://... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Thank you for your patience while we pulled together the summer summit reports and getting them posted, sorry it took so long!

You can see the most recent summit reports for SDL, SCL, and MEP near the top-left of the Resources page in the Peer Networks Hub.

A friendly reminder, these reports are sharable... Read more