Dear Esteemed colleagues: I was recently asked a good question in light of the impending (fingers crossed) passage of the reconciliation bill that will bring alot of funding to energy efficiency/decarbonization upgrades at the residential scale. The question is: What are the arguments/ scenarios about the importance for homeowners to contract... Read more

Many wood panels are unsustainably sourced, and some have high formaldehyde emissions.

BuildingGreen-Approved Panels

Laminate panels approved by BuildingGreen:

Welcome to the quiz portion of Climate Change: Building Industry, You’ve Got This!

Important: This quiz covers all related articles within this topic. Scroll to the bottom of the article page to find links to all the articles covered by this quiz.

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course,... Read more

I am looking for examples of police stations and fire stations that are operating at an ENERGY STAR or better level.  Google searches have not provided much to go on - I found one net zero energy police station (Cincinnati Police District 3 West Side).  Curiously, Justice Facilities Review write ups do not include details about energy... Read more

Hi All, 

The rural concrete supplier that is used for most of our projects sources their fly ash from a nearby coal burning plant that is scheduled to be closed in the next two years. In anticipation of this, they are looking into alternative fly ash sources and SCM options and we'd like to provide suggestions.

Does anyone have... Read more

Hello, All!  I'm hoping for your help to keep a green roof on a project of ours.  We have a large healthcare project in the Midwest that is coming in over budget.  To avoid losing our extensive green roof, I'm looking for alternate sources of funding - grants, private sources, etc.  Has anyone gone down this path before and have shareable... Read more

We are coordinating an effort to produce a "Building Reuse Practice Guide for Climate Action" for the AIA.  This is intended as a resource for architects working on major renovations and adaptive reuse, with a focus on reducing energy use, lower embodied carbon, electrification, and adapting to a changing climate. We are looking for around 5... Read more

I have reached out to the AIA staff members that I work with on the Energy Leadership Group (AIA ELG) to see about getting into the cycle of updating these standard documents.  Another member of the ELG, architect Kjell Anderson of LMN in Seattle, is interested in working with us on this effort, as he has started including Standard 209 language... Read more

Hi folks -

I was contacted last week by the producer of the documentary that launches this Thursday, 12/10 - he is hoping to generate interest among folks across the environmental spectrum (which of course includes all of us!) so I am sharing his pitch below with you all. The subject of water scarcity and drought is only going to... Read more

Hi all,

We have been noodling on how to preference socially just building products and are feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of questions that we would need to ask our suppliers. Essentially we find ourselves wishing that there was a fair trade label for building products very similar to the one for global agriculture. Or, maybe... Read more

Hi all,

For your planning purposes for next year, here’s info on in-person events coming up in 2024:

As you may remember, our Summer 2024 SDL Summit will be July 15-17, 2024 at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island! Tickets will be $1800, which includes the cost of meals and lodging.

We are excited to announce we will also be... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Whole-Building LCA Tools for LEED v4 and v4.1.

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


1.  Understand the basic goals of whole-building life-cycle assessment, including how it can improve environmental performance and contribute to credit achievement in... Read more

All,

I'm looking for a quick methodology to estimate GHG emissions from refrigerants on a per SF basis. Are there any benchmark studies or quick calculators similar to the embodied carbon study? https://carbonleadershipforum.org/embodied-carbon-benchmark-study-1/

Thanks,

Josh

Hi all!

I've heard several people talk about developing tools for assessing/codifying a client's values for a project as part of an integrated design process (ie. a set of questions, survey, etc.). Would anyone be willing to share?

(Z, are you listening? I specifically recall you mentioning a tool like this...)

Thanks!... Read more

Hi all, 

Following the SCL Summit back in November, the Waste Subgroup agreed to complete a Model Waste Management Plan to serve as a contractor commitment to reduce construction waste. I distributed the attached (very rough) draft back in Jan., and received some good feedback via forum comments. 

We would like to set up a call to... Read more

Hello all,

Does anyone know of any Rebate Program for either induction cooking equipment or kitchen electrification (new or existing)? Looking for any local or state or even federal programs (outside of California) that incentivize designing/building/retrofitting towards an all electric kitchen for any program type (institutional, single... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Waste Water, Want Water.

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


1. Help clients make sound, holistic decisions about wastewater that take into account site, municipal infrastructure, energy goals, occupant needs, and maintenance considerations.... Read more