Product Review
To the best of our knowledge, this product is now being marketed under the name Rauhsaser by Better Wall System of Kenora, ON.
CoverAge is a tacky name for a great product that all remodelers should know about. It is a paintable, textured wallpaper that’s made entirely of recycled paper (at... Read moreNews Brief
At first glance,
An Environmental Handbook for Florida Contractors looks like it deals only with the environmental regulations that Florida contractors must contend with. And, indeed, the Handbook describes in detail the requirements for complying with regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. But the book goes much further,... 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.
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
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
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
Feature
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
News Brief
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.
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
Product Guide
Many wood panels are unsustainably sourced, and some have high formaldehyde emissions.
BuildingGreen-Approved Panels
Laminate panels approved by BuildingGreen:
use substrates that meet CARB Phase 2 ultra-low-emitting (ULEF) or no-added-formaldehyde (NAF) emissions requirements and contain FSC-certified wood content or... Read moreForum topic
I think they look great - thanks to BuildingGreen for setting this up! A few comments/questions:
Will the Wiggio archive be migrated here or is that gone forever? Is there a way to switch between the two groups after I'm logged in? There seems to be a glitch in the text editor when you enter a hard return - it jumps to the top of the... Read moreForum topic
Hi! Quinn Evans is looking for a great candidate for a new position that focuses on design performance analysis. We're looking for someone with 5+ years experience in the AE industry and knowledge of performance tools and software that inform design decisions related to energy, carbon, and daylight. The position can be based in any of our... Read more
Forum topic
Hi: SD Leaders. It was so nice to see so many of you at Greenbuild in Chicago. By now I'm sure all have seen the announcement of the release of the Fourth National Climate Assessment Report vol 2. (https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/) It's well worth a deep read - so much important and extremely informative material. I want to draw your... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Community!
I often get asked about the application cases of annual vs. marginal emissions. Are you aware of an ASHRAE standard or journal article that concisely describes the use case for different CO2 eq. metrics? Has anyone reviewed ASHRAE Standard 240P: Evaluating Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Carbon Emissions in Building Design,... Read moreForum topic
Our Sustainable Construction Leaders peer network famously developed the Contractor's Commitment.
Famous because it is the industry's only agreed-upon framework for systematically addressing the environmental and social impacts of construction activity.
Famous because it now has 27 signatories, collectively accounting for $49... Read more
Forum topic
Hi - I'm wondering if you have recommendations for a web/mobile app for occupants to self-assess comfort at regular intervals. I've downloaded comfy, but it wants to actually DO something about thermal discomfort by alerting discomfort and connecting, I believe, to the BMS. We just want to collect information at this point. And since I'm a... Read more
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
The webinar occurred on Wednesday, February 23rd at 2:00 eastern.
USGBC and IWBI are beginning to see eye to eye across a range of focus areas. Knowing how to leverage each in a mutually beneficial way is the key to driving... Read more
Forum topic
Hello All,
Checking in on experience with Armstrong's Tectum E-N with NEOPOR Graphite polysytrene GPS rigid foam insulation core in roof panels for exposed structure?
BASF says that NEOPOR uses up to 30% less material than other rigid foam; it is greenguard gold cerified.
Interesting that the NEOPOR increases in R-value as... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainable Construction Leaders!
I have an exciting announcement today, fall Peer Network events are now open for registration! You can see all the event details and register here!
Based on feedback we received from past events and the most recent surveys, we decided against doing one long week of events for this fall and... Read more


