Welcome to the quiz portion of Avoiding the Global Warming Impact of Insulation.

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


1. Define “embodied global warming potential” and “lifetime global warming potential” as they relate to insulation materials.
2. Describe why some... Read more

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

Peeps, in case you haven't gotten the email blasts--the AIA wants YOU! Now is the time to throw your hat into the ring for volunteering on the following committees/groups: 

Carpet is comfortable, offers good sound control, and offers great aesthetic options. But it is typically made from petrochemicals, and carpet and its adhesives can offgas VOCs. It is also a challenge to recycle, increasing the chances that it will be incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. Broadloom carpet cannot be readily repaired if... Read more

Dear Colleagues:

This is a request from AIA COTE Advocacy to sign another petition on behalf of your firm. I know it's incomprehensible that we have to do this, but we at AIA COTE Advocacy think the US Federal Emergency Management Agency's removal of the term "climate change" from all their strategic planning documents is evidence of an... 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

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

Welcome to the quiz portion of Go with the Flows: The Promise and Peril of Hygrothermal Modeling

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


1. Describe the true role of hygrothermal modeling in design.
2. Name four instances in which to consider using hygrothermal modeling... Read more

Hi All,

At the SCL Summit in November 2019, the Carbon Group discussed meeting in Q1 2019 to craft an action plan for measuring and voluntarily disclosing carbon emissions from our operations.   To kickoff that effort, we will be having an online meeting. 

If your company is already disclosing greenhouse emissions or if that's... Read more

Greetings Green Gurus!

You've probably been hearing about the infrastructure package on the news... apparently things are heating up on this topic in Washington DC as they try to get the package sorted out before the August congressional recess. Because of this, both the USGBC and the AIA are mounting advocacy campaigns in this regard,... Read more

Friends, I reviewed the firm's 2019 AIA 2030 data with a Principal, having organized the data in such a way that we could manipulate it. I included the average EUI and weighted EUI, since the latter gives a truer picture of where we are as a studio. In the past, the assumption was we would raise all boats with efforts to improve our practice in... Read more

Hi folks,

We often hear from you with a suggestion of someone who would be great for the network, and a question about how to refer them. We've now made that easy, with three steps laid out in an Outreach Toolkit that's posted in the left margin of the Member Directory.

So, if you're thinking of someone to invite or come across... Read more

There are a number of clear finish options available, from natural oils and low-toxicity products primarily used on residential woodwork through factory-applied finishes where specific aesthetics and/or added durability are required (such as those used on cabinetry or commercial architectural millwork). Many of these have very high VOC levels,... Read more

Plans are coming together for this Summit! Here's what we know (at least tentatively) so far:

Location:
Chicago, SmithGroup office

Timing: 
July 9-10, 2019

1:00 p.m. start time on 9th, 3:00 p.m. end on 10th