BuildingGreen Report

Product Review

July 1, 1992
CoverAge

Update: (September 26, 2006)

To the best of our knowledge, this product is now being marketed under the name Rauhsaser by Better Wall System of Kenora, ON.

CoverAge is a tacky name for a great product that all remodelers should know about. It is a paintable, textured wallpaper that’s made entirely of recycled paper (at... Read more

News Analysis

July 1, 1992
Resisting the Forest Service

It isn’t just environmental zealots who are up in arms about the U.S. Forest Service’s policies on managing the nation’s timber resources. The Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics has jumped into the fray—from the inside. Jeff DeBonis, the Association’s founder and executive director,... Read more

News Analysis

July 1, 1992
Logging and the Spotted Owl

The recent ruling to allow logging on several thousand acres of old-growth forest in western Oregon was portrayed in the national media as a blow to environmentalists, but the action may not prove so damaging in the end. While the ruling permits logging on 13 of the 44 sites that were under consideration by the so-... Read more

Feature

July 1, 1992

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

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.

July 1, 1992

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.

July 1, 1992
Welcome to Environmental Building News

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

Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority. 

July 1, 1992
Interview with Susan Maxman, President, AIA 20 June 1992

Q.Where would you say architects as a group stand on environmental issues?

A.Architects tend to be reactive rather than proactive. It is important that we take the lead on these environmental issues. The architecture schools in particular tend to be conservative. They just aren’t... Read more

News Brief

July 1, 1992

The American Institute of Architects convention in Boston this past June was the setting for a changing of the guard in the American architectural establishment. The Institute’s first woman president took the reins, the Committee on the Environment became its largest and fastest growing committee, and the first installments of the Environmental... Read more

Product Guide

Ground- and water-source heat pumps move refrigerant or water through the ground or a body of water for use as a heat source (for indoor heating) or heat sink (for indoor cooling).

BuildingGreen-Approved Heat Pumps

BuildingGreen approves:

super-efficient commercial systems residential ground- and water-source heat pumps that... Read more

Forum topic

Hi everyone! LMN is embarking on a 17-part series to explore a more comprehensive carbon metric via summaries of various topics with lots of link. This dovetails with many other efforts in the industry and will reference all the best stuff that we are aware of...such as MEP 2040, SE 2050, CLF stuff, Epic tool, CARE tool, Arch 2030 publications... Read more

Forum topic

Checking in to see if any of you have had good job site success with plastic water bottle recycling. Due to the LBC recycling requirements, we have to source separate onsite, and we're trying to has a separate plastics bin. For the most part, water bottles is going to be on of our biggest contributors.

Forum topic

Hello, 

We have recently been introduced to the Innovation Design Consurtium and are considering becoming members. Wondering what others have experienced with this recently created group. Any feedback / experience is most appreciated.

Thanks!

Forum topic

Green Gurus –

Clark Brockman brought to our attention an important and impactful opportunity to advance building decarbonization through the US Department of Energy’s proposed rulemaking around water heater efficiency, advancing adoption of heat pumps, while still providing exceptions (and efficiency targets) for electric or natural gas... Read more

Quiz

Welcome to the quiz portion of The PVC Debate: A Fresh Look.

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


 

1. Examine the actual cost-effectiveness of PVC in terms of quality.
2. Explain what makes PVC a health hazard.
3. Recognize market effects of PVC's durability and... Read more

Forum topic

Happy Friday Everyone!

Hoping to add a bit of excitement to the end of your week: 

Here is the Sustainable Construction Leaders 2020 Summit Report.

Enjoy!

RoseAnn for Candace, Nadav, and the BuildingGreen team

Forum topic

We should probably agree on the correct spelling for what we at BuildingGreen are calling "BITuser." I noticed that on the Salesforce portfolio screenshot provided by Dennis, it's spelled "BIT User."

BITuser has the advantage of more closely resembling LEEDuser, but it has the disadvantage of looking a little weird in all-caps, as in... Read more

Campus-wide Group

Forum topic

Hi everyone,

We're pitching a green wall to a client for a project in NYC and are looking for recommendations on systems/companies.  We've done them locally, but the company we've worked with only services the Boston area.  There are so many companies out there now that we'd rather go with one that's recommended.  Thanks in advance for... Read more

Forum topic

Hi All,

My team member is leaving Webcor, and unfortunately that means we have to fill her big shoes with someone new! I thought I'd reachout here and see if you know anyone of high caliber looking for a Sustainability Manager position? Someone with LEED PM experience preferred, and a bit more technical background with MEP/ZNE ideally... Read more