News Analysis
A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of
Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... Read more
Explainer
News Brief
Energy Source™ Directory
Life has been a whole lot easier around the office since theEnergy Source Directory arrived. Assembled and published by Iris Communications, this is the most complete and most useful guide to specialized products and materials used in energy-efficient construction that we've seen. The 500-page directory is... Read more
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
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
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.
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
News Brief
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
Feature
Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority.
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
Feature
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
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Natural Ventilation: The Nine Biggest Obstacles and How Project Teams Are Beating Them
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the primary reasons to design a building for natural ventilation.
2. Understand how cost, comfort... Read more
Product Guide
The opportunity for water savings from installing efficient toilets, and from toilet replacement, is significant. In addition to improvements to the traditional gravity system, pressure- and vacuum-assisted flushing systems are available that offer superior performance—albeit often with some increase in flushing noise.
Cautions Certain... Read moreForum topic
I'm so excited to share that the call for submissions is now open for 16cubits, a design festival and competition for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, to take place at Berkeley’s Urban Adamah in October 2024.
Please share with anyone you think might be interested! Our hope is to create a forum for builders, designers, and architects to... Read more
Forum topic
Happy Monday all!
i am looking for ROM on cost premium for LEEDv4 to go from Gold to Platinum and from Gold to Net Zero, anyone have any stats? just looking for % premium. Our projects show around 1% to get to Gold but not sure what it looks like above that. Thank you!
Forum topic
Hi SAL friends,
As some of you have heard by now, we've decided to shut down this Peer Network.
After several years of trying, we have not managed to activate it as we had hoped. Given the urgency of the collective action we need to transform the building industry into a force for good in the world, we all need to focus our... Read more
Forum topic
Hello All,
ASHRAE and ICC released a draft standard for operational and embodied GHG evaluation. It's on a fast track to be completed in time for the next code cycle. This 30 day advisory draft includes dozens of questions looking for feedback from experts like all of you. Please take a look and provide comments. I've uploaded the... Read more
Forum topic
Not a green design question but a green firm design question... Finalizing the renewal of our Just certification, we're taking a fresh look at all our benefits & policies. We have already reviewed industry-wide survey data (AIA and PSMJ) but are interested in how the firms we admire (i.e., *you*) are approaching benefits in the transformed... Read more
Forum topic
There is a ton of stuff being posted about this, so this is definitely an area where it's nice to have had someone going through it and selecting the best. Thanks for doing that, Jen!
- These tips from 350.org have a great focus on connecting people and using different techniques. Their sample retreat shows how some of it might look in... Read more
Forum topic
Hello everyone,
I'm Jen, the administrative assistant for Peer Networks here at BuildingGreen. I haven’t been too involved with the SAL network yet, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you better!
There has been some interest in convening the Sustainable Advising Leaders to determine the shared purpose that will motivate us... Read more

