I am putting together my conference/training budgets for 2023 and I am hoping to add a BuidlingGreen SDL in-person summit to my list. Are there any plans for in-person summits in 2023? I seem to remember Nadav speculating about Puerto Rico as a location for a Winter summit. Wishful thinking?

Hello, 

All my experience with sustainability has been at the building-level. We are currently being asked within an RFP to list our firm's ESG score and certifying organization. Our firm is about 300-employees and is owned soley by the employees. 

When do A/E firms obtain an ESG score?

is it based on company size? or... Read more

Metal windows are used in commercial building because of their durability, low maintenance, and ability to handle wind loads.

BuildingGreen-Approved Windows

Metal windows must achieve an NFRC-certified unit U-factor of 0.20 or lower to be approved by BuildingGreen.

Manufacturers also must demonstrate that their highest-... Read more

HI MEP Leaders,

Related to our thread about equipment needed for decarbonization, I have a question about what new or improved equipment is already available now that you're excited about.

Every year we at BuildingGreen publish (and present at Greenbuild) a listing of the Top-10 new and exciting products. Our focus this year is on... Read more

Hi all -

I got this yesterday from Renew Oregon, a credible environmental NGO here in the state.

"A secretive special interest group has filed a petition at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take “net metering” rules away from states and make it a federal issue.  Net metering is the program that allows homes and... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Is Wood Construction Green? A Look at the Issues.

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


1.  Determine what distinguishes wood products sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified forests, and why these products improve the environmental impact of... Read more

Hope you can join the Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders CALL this Thursday, 12/12 @ 1pm Eastern. 

                Join Zoom Meeting
                https://zoom.us/j/629388002

AGENDA

Nadav will lead a conversation about the new(ish) sustainability clauses in AIA’s Code of Ethics

1. Do you think that they... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Full-Blown Energy Modeling.

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


1. Explain the role of the energy modeler and how each energy model opens an informed discussion between the entire project team about the interactions between architectural and... Read more

test

I looked through the forums and was surprised to see that from what I can tell this 2018 article from Yale I'm going to share here has not been discussed previously.  It basically says that FSC is not trustworthy, ineffective, and greenwashed, as critiqued by the likes of Greenpeace and others.

I would like to hear from someone in the... Read more

I am the Sustainability Program Manager for Sellen Construction in Seattle, WA where we build healthcare, education, office buildings, museums, historical renovations, and unique structures like sculpture parks and the “spheres” that have been in the news lately.  My role blends environmental regulatory compliance, sustainability in field... Read more

Happy New Year Sustainability Leaders!

In case you did not see the Peer Networks Happenings email for January yet, here is a quick reminder: Happening this week, you're invited to join BuildingGreen's Top 10 Green Building Products for 2022 live webinar Thurs. Jan. 6 2022, 2pm ET (11am PT).

Register Here to reserve your seat!... Read more

Friends of EPIC –

Hey, everyone. As some of you might have heard, we’ve been working for a while with Autodesk to get c.scale (the data model behind EPIC) built into Forma – Autodesk’s AI-powered planning tool. Forma is packaged within Autodesk’s AEC collection and most firms using Revit should already have access. This integration is... Read more

The AIA has just (finally!) amended the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to include new "Obligations to the Public" and  "Obligations to the Environment", that requires architects to advise their clients of their obligations to the environment, obligates architects to promote sustainable design and development, and to implement energy... Read more

Hi Everyone.  Hope you and your families are all healthy and safe.

We are starting to figure out how we are going to implement the Contractors Commitment at my company, and we're using the opportunity to simultaneously set corporate wide and jobsite metrics and goals for sustainability tracking.

Each year we issue a sustainability... Read more

Hi folks,

I'm looking into lower-carbon pipe options for HVAC and plumbing. The MEP 2040 has slides from a Buro Happold study in 2020 showing PEX to be much lower in embodied carbon than copper, which is unsurprising. CPVC is also a lower-carbon option.

But PVC has its issues and neither PVC nor PEX are recyclable (especially if... Read more