Hi all,

I see that this was a hot topic for the Winter Retreat this past year, but I am wondering how your firms manage standard materials across your practice. two aspects - standard specification items, and also designer choice materials. 

1. Do you have a spec baseline with high performance materials that you start with for all... Read more

Hello SDL Network,

I am working with members of the Seattle AIA COTE in planning an event that we are tentatively calling "Pathways to Decarbonization" or maybe "Decarbonization Success Stories".  The idea is for the COTE to identify entitities (school districts, local governments, higher-ed institutions, corporations, etc.) that have... Read more

Dear SD Leaders,

As some of you may have heard, EHDD has been working for the last year in developing a data model to support early phase goal setting for holistic low carbon design. This data model is at the heart of our Early Phase Integrated Carbon (EPIC) assessment tool. EPIC is a data-driven goal-setting tool for use in the earliest... Read more

Great career opportunity to make an impact on existing buildings and emissions reductions. City of Seattle will be hiring a full time Building Emissions Reduction Technical Advisor. Closing date to apply is August 6. Please share if you know someone who may be a candidate.

Description from city of Seattle:
Want to influence large... Read more

Hello Sustainable Advising Leaders,

Here are the notes from the last Zoom call. We had a great turnout! Looking ahead, now that things are rolling along we’d like to get into the rhythm of a regularly scheduled monthly call. Since Tuesdays seem to work well for most people, I am proposing the 4th Tuesday of the month from 3-4pm ET. That... Read more

I'm teaching a LEED GA study group and was rambling on the differences between CIR and precident-setting LEED Interpretation (that gets posted in the addenda library and all). Then I went onto LEED Online and was showing how those are submitted... but can't actually figure out how a LEED Interpretation would be submitted. Has anyone done this... Read more

Five types of green buildings explained. Check out this great infographic by the Pembina Institute: What do net-zero and zero-carbon buildings mean for energy use and climate pollution?

Sometimes referred to as “the dark side”, the construction industry isn’t actually so bad.  We are mostly good people.  And, we need good people. 

Consigli is hiring a Sustainability Manager to work in Massachusetts, and we could use your help to fill the role.  If you or someone you know is brimming with the sustainability force, please... Read more

Please see the following invite from Professor Alexandra Rempel at the University of Oregon to participate a 15-20 minute phone/Zoom interview and share your experience and/or perceptions on the problems, challenges, and barriers to incorporating into your projects.

This effort is part of an NSF research grant that I am involved in and... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Buildings aren’t garbage. But you wouldn’t know it by examining the way the AEC industry works. 

We typically design buildings for a single, limited purpose. We build them partly out of plastics that can’t be readily recycled. We choose diverse materials... Read more

Hi All,

I meant to put this is in Green Gurus and put it in SAL instead.  Rookie mistake.

After this long winter, who is up for some fierce creativity and friendly competition internal to your company or between Green Gurus?  What do you think of a location agnostic, virtual, Sustainability Scavenger Hunt from Earth Day to Mother'... Read more

Depending on seating type­­, these products can contain PVC, toxic flame retardants, hazardous adhesives and finishes, and other unsustainable materials.

BuildingGreen-Approved Seating

BuildingGreen’s seating meets ONE of the following sets of criteria:

I am wanting to take the pulse of this group on behalf of a manufacturer who has asked us a similar question.

The company in question makes wood products and has had FSC CoC for over a decade. Recently, they are encountering issues with sourcing FSC for about 50% of the wood species they offer. There just aren't FSC sources available.... Read more

Here is your friendly reminder to complete the SCL Salary Survey if you have not yet.

There is a link at the end of the SurveyMonkey Survey to a Google form where you will be able to register that you completed the survey—that way we’ll know who participated without having any identifying info in the actual survey. Results will be shared... Read more

The Sustainable Construction Leaders peer network brings together the most committed sustainability directors from leading construction companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. We invite you to apply for membership.