Hi - We have some projects within reasonable reach of ILFI's Zero Carbon Certification, which will require purchasing some off-site renewable energy. As a State Building Code Council member, I'm also eyeing the Zero Code which we will seriously consider in the next 12 months; this also requires a purchase of off-site renewable energy. 

I... Read more

Hi all,

We're seeing more interest and desire for outdoor work spaces, and as we consider the design implications around working outdoors, teams have been asking about wind comfort. We've tested Ingrid Cloud and now SimScale. I'm curious if anyone would recommend any other CFD tools that are geared toward architects? Also curious if... Read more

Hi folks,

Mahesh announced today that he's leaving his position as CEO of USGBC, GBCI, and ArkScoru, effective Nov. 1. An interim CEO will be announced tomorrow.

I think that Mahesh did some great things for the organization(s)--and he had some really loyal team members. He could also be challenging to work with--as I learned... Read more

I received the following email from Naajia at Southface.  I'll be out of town until November 8, but I'll see if there's time for me to address at least the second part before I leave:

A question regarding the BIT-User Forum was brought to my attention by a participant. Apparently when you are posting a question and you pick your location... Read more

HI All,

Really hoping to get some insight from all you wonderful people on how the Sustainability teams are set-up in your construction companies. As mentioned in my introduction post, I am the first ever Sustainability Engineer hired by my company.....until now all the work was handled by project teams. Which worked for them in the... Read more

Alerting building occupants about indoor air pollutants is important in many situations.

BuildingGreen-Approved IAQ Equipment

Products approved by BuildingGreen range from single-use test kits to monitoring systems installed throughout a building. Some test for gases such as radon, VOCs, or carbon monoxide, and some for mold and... Read more

Hello SD Leaders!

Two weeks ago a group of us gathered for the Winter 2020 Sustainable Design Leaders Summit. Those of us from BuildingGreen that were on site, greatly appreciated everyone's time and energy. It's always a pleasure to work along side you all!

Here is the summit report!

Reminder: We are giving a priority look... Read more

In trying to help a client write a case study on avoided carbon by using slag and flyash, I am having trouble finding a one for one equivalency that can be verified.

I have found for one pound of flyash, one pound of carbon is saved - but I can't verify that.

Appreciate the feedback!

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

Check out this new executive order. It is broad and includes a lot of items, but of interest to this group, there are some things in here that we pointed towards in our letter back from the beginning of the year, including 24/7 carbon-free electrical energy, a net-zero emissions portfolio by 2045 and net zero emissions from procurement... Read more

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is an increasingly common expectation throughout financial sectors, and the real estate industry is no exception. 

This live webinar with our friend Chris Pyke, Ph.D., a senior vice president... Read more

What a great first day!

Here are the slides from the show and tell presentations last night at SOM's office; everyone who presented with slides has given approval to share them.

Hello SCL,

Version 2.0 of the Contractor's Commitment has officially been ratified with 33 "yes" votes out of 52 members. Congratulations, and a big thank you to everyone who helped move this forward--especilly Amanda Atkinson, who really took this project by the horns. 

You can find the updated version here.

Next, I'll be... Read more

Hello everyone,

Wondering if anyone has evaluated/considered/specified wood fiber insulation for use in lieu of mineral wool as the exterior wall insulation?  Am mostly looking to better understand domestic availability, r-value and fire/combustibility.

We have a multi-family building in DC where the client is interested in using... Read more