Hey there hive mind,

I'm hoping y'all can help me as I coach one of my colleagues along his path to develop into whoever he's supposed to be when he grows up. He's interested in focusing on the analysis and innovation side of sustainability and I honestly don't know where to send him for networking with other like-minded people beyond my... Read more

Hello AEC Sustainability Leaders (aka the Green Gurus)!

As we continue to promote and expand the use of mass timber on our projects, it is becoming increasingly important that we learn more about the spectrum of impacts that this material selection is having on the forests and communities from which we’re sourcing our wood fiber…both... Read more

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

I wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss this fun event.  We can all use some fun right now.

Built Environment Plus is celebrating the arrival of spring with a fun competition to get people out and about safely. A digital Scavenger Hunt will allow teams of 4 (or larger families) to complete a series of photo, video, and text missions... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Five Reasons to Be Optimistic About Solar Energy!

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


Describe three ways how PV decreases environmental impact while increasing sustainability and health measures for communities.

Discuss PV life-cycle... Read more

In the run-up to Earth Day 2023, we're trying something new at VMDO: Full, public transparency on everything we know about how our portfolio is performing (or how we anticipate it performing). Here's a link to all of the details on our sixth year of reporting to the 2030 Commitment and more: https://www.vmdo.com/radical-transparency-commitment-... Read more

Hi friends, 

Before i forget, here is the checklist I mentioned yesterday that got such a positive response in our office - again it came about after i was asked (for the Nth time) to write a sustainability description for a concept proposal/ RFP that I was not a part of and frankly didn't have a lot going for it. So it's framed as "you... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Video: Insights to Success on LEED-CI Certification.

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


1. Identify key changes to LEED CI 2009 (ID+C).
2. Identify the circumstances of a LEED-CI project that challenge the abilityto certify.
3.... Read more

Hi All - 

Has anyone explored hydronic system analysis software (1D CFD)? 

Some options are PipeFlo, AFT Fathom, PipeFlow (eerily similar name to first option), COMSOL Pipe Flow Module. 

Applications could range from general system troubleshooting, pump sizing, to district hydronic system network analysis. 

Best,... Read more

For those of you who have attended the event above, I think you will agree this has been a high quality event.  But DFC is changing the forum this year. Instead of holding an annual event in September, this year they are holding 4 half day events around the country.  Attendance will be limited to 40 people and it is focused on sustainability... Read more

Hello everyone!  There hasn’t been much activity on this forum in recent months, so we wanted to give an update about what’s been happening and things coming up. 

Firstly, we are very excited for the upcoming inaugural SCL Summit the day before Greenbuild.  We currently have about 20 people signed up for the Summit and we are expecting a... Read more

Hi SDL!

Our CM recently offered up the possibility of substituting Pozzotive into our structural and paving concrete mix (www.pozzotive.com) on a large public building. Apparently it is on a level with the cost of standard cement.
We are eager to reduce the project's embodied carbon, and this seems almost too good to be true.

Hi Green Friends - I hesitated to post on April Fools, but wanted to get the link out for folks to share with their netowrks    I'll be teaching a workshop at the Pacific Energy Center on May 11 on Electrification Retrofits of Exisitng Non-Residential Buildings.  I'll be bulidng on the great work our sub-committee led by Allison has been... Read more

If you are interested in sharing this WELL AP Exam Study Guide within your organization... Read more

Join our free Coffee Talk with Alex Spilger to discuss the latest WELL AP v2 exam. Hear what's new in this latest version, what to look for, and what to remember.

Alex combed the WELL Building Standard reference materials and took the v2 exam in writing an extensive exam prep guide.  Hear about... Read more

Wondering if we can have a dialog on HVAC load calculation software... we are currently still using Trane Trace 700, but with the future migration to Trace 3D+ coming are looking into other options. Never used HAP but I haven't heard great things, and we dabbled in IES VE for a while, but went back to Trace since at that time there was no... Read more

Per our discussion on today's SMEP call, it would be interesting to have a more in-depth discussion on Indoor Air Quality. Questions I have personally...