BuildingGreen Report

News Analysis

July 1, 1992
A Twist on Global Warming

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

Product Review

July 1, 1992
Syndecrete Pre-cast Concrete Aggregate

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

Explainer

July 1, 1992
Wet-spray Cellulose

While dry cellulose in curtain-truss cavities provides a very attractive system environmentally, there are other—more common—ways of using cellulose insulation in walls. In new construction, the most common is wet-spray installation, in which cellulose is mixed with water and (often) an acrylic binder and sprayed into... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 1992

Energy Source™ Directory

Life has been a whole lot easier around the office since the

Energy Source Directory arrived. Assembled and published by Iris Communications, this is the most complete and most useful guide to specialized products and materials used in energy-efficient construction that we've seen. The 500-page directory is... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 1992

Carol Venolia, Publisher/Editor

If “progressive construction” can be defined as pushing the tools and techniques of conventional builders in the direction of less environmental destruction, then Building With Nature’s material goes beyond progressive, into the forefront of visionary thinking about construction. This bimonthly newsletter, now... Read more

News Analysis

July 1, 1992
Disappointment at Rio

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

Feature

July 1, 1992

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

Op-Ed

Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.

July 1, 1992
Welcome to Environmental Building News

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

News Brief

July 1, 1992

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

Feature

Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority. 

July 1, 1992
Interview with Susan Maxman, President, AIA 20 June 1992

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

Feature

Carefully stake the building site and driveway, remove trees that are within the excavation area or too close, then erect a fence to keep heavy equipment off fragile soils and away from nearby trees.

July 1, 1992

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

Forum topic

Hello! i had in my notes that the group interested in jobsite wellness was going to schedule a call mid-January.  I don't remember who was leading the effort.  does anyone have a list of who is on what committee?

thanks!

Forum topic

Friends,

This is a personal note. My son was just diagnosed with Asthma. I’m started to wonder if it’s just coincidence that this corresponded with him starting kindergarten in a school where they clean with Chlorine bleach. I found substitutes for his small preschool and at home.  My understanding is that there’... Read more

Forum topic

Hello Green Gurus! 

We are planning a virtual Show & Tell and Happy Hour for Oct. 30th 7pm - 9pm ET (4pm - 6pm PT) with a Halloween theme, bring your best costumes! We will hold presentations (virtually of course!) for about the first 1 hour and 20 minutes and then will transition to some fun Happy Hour festivities, sharing, and... Read more

Author

Forum topic

Folks, would love to hear what software you're for in-house daylighting/energy performance modeling at the SD/DD level. My IT folks have been pushing us to try out Autodesk's Insight again after a not so impressive pilot we did a few years ago. Has it gotten better? Was it us? What programs do you feel good about? Which ones really make you mad... Read more

Forum topic

Hey Gurus. Might anyone have experience, or thoughts, with regard to establishing an energy use baseline for a new advanced manufacturing facility we are working on for a regional technical community college? This type of academic facility is so relatively new, the program doesn't fall into the typical "College/University" building type from ... Read more

Forum topic

This question came to me via our mutual friend Josh Jacobs, but while interesting it's a bit out of my range of expertise... 

In short, a critical materials assessment specifically focused on airbourne byproducts from a manufacturing process that would be first-of-its-kind in the U.S. 

Required Emissions Details: Link to the 48C... Read more

Quiz

Welcome to the quiz portion of Pest Prevention: Steps Designers Can Take!

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:


Recount the problems and challenges that various pests present to the green building industry, such as health risks to occupants and structural issues that decrease building... Read more

Quiz

Welcome to the quiz portion of Building Re-Entry with Arc

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:


1.  Explain the similarities and differences between LEED v4.1 O+M performance metrics and the Arc Re-Entry program.

2.  Understand how Arc Re-Entry contributes to an iterative re-... Read more