Untreated rainwater leaving a developed site is effectively a chemical spill, laden with pollutants that include oil, sediment, heavy metals, nitrogen, and phosphorous. The heat carried by stormwater is also harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms.

BuildingGreen-Approved Systems

We approve systems that:

The Minnesota CLF chapter’s Specification Subgroup (myself, Andy Marolt/Ryan Companies, Laura Eder/ESG, Java Nyamjav/MSR Design, with input from Annie Perkins/SFI) recently collaborated on a draft set of specification templates incorporating embodied carbon requirements into product performance and action submittals. This work builds on sample... Read more

Hi all,

We’re thrilled to share that registration is now open for our All-Networks Workshop on Integrated Design + Delivery from the Inside Out! The workshop will be held on July 15th at Miller Hull’s Seattle office, right before the Summer 2024 SDL Summit. Register now before it fills up, and please feel free to email me with any... Read more

The headlines are everywhere—from heat waves in Europe to wildfires in the Western U.S. to tropical cyclone flooding in Australia. In this age of climate change, just as there’s an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and other greenhouse gasses, we also need to adapt and invest in resilience.

Increasingly, owners are asking for risk... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

The monthly all Peer Networks Meetup has been a wonderful way for casual “face-to-face” connections since the beginning of the pandemic. However, after more than a year with the same structure, we think it’s time for a change. Throughout our virtual summits and events one of the most popular aspects has been... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Video: Making the Green Insulation Choice for Your Project.

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


1. Discuss how insulation works.
2. Explain why certain materials make more sense than others in particular applications.
3. Summarize... Read more

Hi,

Has anyone been asked by a client to track welding rods on any projects? We were recently asked to do this. I was asked why the client would ask us to do this. I don't know if it has to do w/ "real property" and is a property tax-related reason, or if it is an environmental/sustainable reason. There is piping associated with the... Read more

Do you have the authority to start using only EVs in your renderings?  Let’s normalize and accelerate this change!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_production_battery_electric_vehicles

Why are we showing gas cars in renderings of our green buildings?

Hello Sustainability Leaders,

I am writing with some news from the Peer Networks team. 

I recently accepted a job with a local college I have long admired in their advancement office. Therefore, my last day at BuildingGreen will be Fri. Feb. 11th. 

Working with you all these past four and a half years has been such an... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Certified Wood Update: Comparing SFI to FSC on Key Forestry and Health Issues.

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


1. Explain the purpose of forest management standards and what they measure.
2. Differentiate between FSC and SFI... Read more

HGA is collaborating with the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) to research how the AE industry is currently using climate projection data, and what they need in order to grow their use of data. MCAP is currently producing a set of dynamical downscaled climate projections for the state of Minnesota and unlike other... Read more

Hi folks, 

SERA is pursing WELL certification on our new office headquarters in Portland. We'd like to pursue their innovation credits on carbon disclosures and reductions since there are great synergies with our LBC and Zero Carbon certification pursuits. We’re finding the WELL requirements for carbon disclosures to be quite different... Read more

There has been some great press in the last couple of days related to Healthy Building Network's (HBN) newly released report "Chlorine & Building Materials Project".  That report is over 200 pages long, but there is some great commentary available that makes the top issues much quicker to grasp.

Chlorine is used to make PVC and PVC... Read more

Interior doors may be a source of indoor emissions, and wood can be unsustainably sourced.

BuildingGreen-Approved Doors

BuildingGreen approves interior doors made from FSC-certified wood or reclaimed wood as well as composite doors with environmental features like: