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
Forum topic
Hello friends, Posting this to help out a friend that you all know!
(please reply directly to Kira at her email below) Tx
Dear Gurus,
I am curating/hosting a panel at CarbonPositive RESET:
DESIGNED FOR CLIMATE: A New Construction Showcase
North & South America: September 8, 2020 | 4:45-5:25pm (PST)
... Read moreForum topic
Allison Mears at Parsons asked me to share this. Several folks on this list participated in these recordings. The courses are comprehensive.
Parsons Healthy Materials Lab has created a series of online learning courses specifically designed for professionals like you, dedicated to making the built environment the best (and healthiest... Read more
Peer Network Event
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
For Peer Network members and customers with BuildingGreen Premium or LEEDuser Premium membership.
Learn more about our Peer Networks Membership »
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"Already a premium or peer network member? Login in... Read more
Product Guide
Water and electrical metering and submetering equipment provide valuable diagnostic information and verification of building energy and water usage.
Measuring Water Use
The Alliance for Water Efficiency recommends metering all new connections, retrofitting meters onto existing unmetered connections, and submetering all new... Read more
Forum topic
We are working on a Core & Shell project with a developer that we work with frequently. I'm looking for advice on best approaches to achieving the Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment credit- we haven't used TALLY and done this type of analysis before. What are some approaches to achieving this credit that others have found successful? I... Read more
Forum topic
Hello,
Has anyone come across a rating system 'crosswalk' infographic?
Cheers, Mona
Forum topic
What is your favorite, tangible example of an EUI?
I find it easy for individuals to undervalue the power of a single EUI and curious what useful parallel the creative folks in this forum have used to illiterate its compounding value?
Cheers!
DiAnn
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of the Wood, Forests, and Embodied Carbon Webinar!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the complex relationship between forests and carbon, with an emphasis on how carbon releases from forestry affect the sustainability of buildings that... Read more
Forum topic
Hi SCL,
I realize that there are already a couple of threads on this topic, but I didn't see anything from the past year. We have been trying (unsuccessfully) to work with large rental companies to request jobsite trailers that are at a minimum energy efficient, and ideally solar/battery ready and/or built to passive house or similar... Read more
Forum topic
Following my retirement from BuildingGreen, I’m also looking to retire from the nonprofit Resilient Design Institute, which I’ve been leading since 2012. My default plan is to sunset the organization in the fall of 2024, but I wanted to offer the idea of someone (or multiple people) taking over the organization.
RDI is incorporated as a... Read more
Forum topic
I have been asked to recommend folks to join the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. The AIA Framework for Design Excellence is basically the top ten toolkit, that has been rebranded by the AIA and is forming the backbone of much of the policy that the AIA is currently setting.
From the AIA's website:
The Framework for Design... Read moreForum topic
I'm sure we'll learn more soon, but several people have asked on various platforms about how Betsy del Monte is doing (she lives in Asheville, NC, which was hard hit by Hurricane Helene).
I had a brief text exchange with her on Saturday 28 September, and I feel sure that she would be OK with my sharing it with you all:
We’re... Read more
Forum topic
Call for Reviewers and Call for Proposals now out. If you're not planning on submitting a proposal to present, please consider volunteering as a reviewer, subject matter expert or member of the Program Working Group. The quality of the education program is directly proportional to the people who select it!
See many of you in Alabama... Read more
Forum topic
For those of you that attended Greenbuild this year you may have heard about the Legacy project taken on by the USGBCMA Chapter. The winning project was The Green Building Tech Club at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. The USGBCMA Chapter recently reached out to me and asked if Structure Tone would take on an intern this summer,... Read more
Forum topic
My company is looking for ways to introduce and train employees on jobsite recycling and composting. There is definitely a culture shift that needs to change in order for it to happen, but we are looking for any success stories to help us on our journey.
1) Has anyone been successful in setting up recycling/composting programs for... Read more

