Composting toilets convert human waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for nonfood plants, rather than mixing the waste with potable water and flushing it down the drain. They can also save infrastructure costs and minimize the burden on wastewater systems.

They’re not for every project, but they do warrant consideration. Composting... Read more

Join Brent & Alex to learn what's new and what's been updated in our BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation, Fourth Edition, including what you should know about:

So much has changed so quickly!

Our 30-minute roundtable... Read more

Hi All, this is primarily directed at our Sustainable MEP folks, but please anyone with insight feel free to weigh in.

I am increasingly seeing designs and specifications asking for Passive House levels of airtightness as verified by blower door testing, but with traditional ventilation system designs. 

To me, Passive House US has... Read more

Has anyone developed a disclaimer to be issued with LCA models and reports? I have been asked to look into developing a disclaimer to be used with LCAs, and unfortuantely I have not been able to find past precedence on this. 

Thank you,

Stephanie Fargas

Hello SCL! We are excitedly planning for a return to in-person SCL Summits. In the past we've scheduled our Summit for the day before Greenbuild, but that day is Halloween and we understand the importance of spending that time with family. We are exploring a January 2023 option for this Summit instead, and are hoping to return to our usual... Read more

Hi All: I'm writing to see if I can get some recommendations/links to some great, free web tours of sustainable projects for use in an intro to sustainability class I'm teaching online this fall. Typically we tour some local buildings but that isn't an option this year. I'm hoping to find a few different ones for students to choose from. They... Read more

Hello SCL members,

We’re anticipating wanting a few more people to serve on the SCL steering committee and would like to open the process up for self-nominations. If you are interested, please email me directly (candace@buildinggreen.com) by Nov 5th.

The Steering Committee meets monthly and serves the important role of helping... Read more

All,

I think there may be more than a few people interested in an article I co-authored titled Comparative whole building life cycle assessment of renovation and new construction. It is now available in the journal Building and Environment. Fortunately we have a link that gets you past the paywall that is good for 50 days. If you have... Read more

I'm looking for successful examples of net-zero, Living Building, or similar office buildings that are NOT owned by highly-motivated organizations like RMI or the Bullitt Foundation (or one of your firms).

We are looking to team with a developer on a small-mid-size office building that will house our new office with us as a tenant (no... Read more

Welcome to the Sages forum! Some of us have been hanging out together for ages, but others might be new to this group (if not to sustainable design/construction). So let’s start by introducing ourselves, with some highlights from our career and history with the Peer Networks, and why we’ve now joined this one.

My career history is pretty... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Retrocommissioning: Big Savings for Big Buildings.

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


1. Define the term retrocommissioning.
2. Explain how whole-systems RCx differs from energy-focused RCx.
3. Describe several examples of how... Read more

Hi folks,

On behalf of ILFI, I'm sharing a notice that the early registration deadline for the Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh is tomorrow! This is a great event for anyone interested in a deep dive into materials transparency, hazard avoidance, low-carbon products, overall innovation, and the Living Product Challenge. There will also... Read more

Are there any built or in design, Net Zero ALL-ELECTRIC Life Sciences building(s) that you can name for me? I'm looking for precedents, as we consider designing one.

Thanks,

Harry

Welcome to the quiz portion of Lighting Design for Health and Sustainability: A Guide for Architects​!

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


Describe how high-quality lighting design dovetails with sustainability by improving energy efficiency and supporting occupant health and... Read more

I am very interested to understand the deployment of LED temp jobsite lighting on a national level.  I think this all goes back to the low emitting jobsite.

1. Does your firm utilize temp jobsite lighting on your projects?  

2. Is this every project or a percentage of projects?

3. In your state or area is it prevalent, one... Read more

I hope this post finds you all well. Some news to share.  I have recently made a decision to leave Thornton Tomasetti with an eye toward finding another opportunity to use my 30+ years of green building experience, education, and advocacy to have an even larger impact on climate change. I am going to move slowly to ensure my next chapter is the... Read more

I understand the AIA 2030 team is hoping for as many firms (and projects) to submit some form of LCA data in the new DDx website this week, in order to learn how the industry is tracking embodied carbon.  We have four projects that dabbled with Tally last year, which we'd like to report this week.

Has anyone run into a hurdle where you... Read more