Explainer
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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Hello Everyone,
As the staff here at BuildingGreen prepares for our third peer network summit in two months, we'd like to share out the Summit Report from the first online summit with the Sustainable MEP Leaders. We're a little delayed in sharing this with the wider Green Gurus group, but there is still plenty of time to review before... Read more
Author
Ben Hewitt works behind the scenes to build and maintain BuildingGreen.com and LEEDuser. He brings with him over two decades of experience in his field. As an efficient problem-solver, his goal is to make the websites more user-friendly for his coworkers and designers and project teams using BuildingGreen’s resources.
Ben has proficiency... Read more
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Hello SDLs!
Here are presentations from last week's 2018 SDL Summer Summit Show & Tell Presentations.
Best,
RoseAnn
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Is anyone planning on attending the WELL Conference in Scottsdale in March? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth attending or not?
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I was shocked to see this new research. Bad news is that acrylic paints are causing 58% of the microplastics pollution in our ocean. Yes, they are plastic. A recent study by Environmental Action, a Swiss-based scientific research firm, shows us that acrylic paint's role in plastic pollution is much greater than most of us realize. The good news... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Why Schools Are Embracing Net-Zero Energy!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Recount why schools are at the forefront of the net-zero energy building trend.
Describe the financial arguments that have led school boards to accept net-zero... Read more
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I think it now qualifies as a tradition! We've arranged a room where we can gather for an hour and check in during the Thursday afternoon reception time at Living Future. If you'll be there, come join us!
Thursday, May 2 at 5:30, Skykomish Room (#604, 6th floor)
We'll be mostly Sustainable Design Leaders, as that's by far our... Read more
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Hello Green Gurus, here's a reminder that this webinar is happening one week from today!
Register here.
Planning for Resilience in a Climate-Changed World
Thursday, February 11th, 2021
3 - 4pm ET (12 - 1pm PT)
Description: The world is focused on Covid 19 right now, but the pandemic is just a dress rehearsal for... Read more
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Has anyone heard about batu or cumaru as substitutes for ipe? I am looking for a durable deckling material, and would appreciate your recommendations for sustainable choices!
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For anyone attending this year's APA conference in person in San Diego, please consider joining us for our divison's annual reception and Awards for Excellence in Sustainability. We will be joined by members of the City Management & Planning, New Urbanism divisions, and the National Capital Area Chapter. Here's a link to register for the... Read more
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Blast from the past when 179D first hit the scenes.
Are any of you still using this and if so, has it been easy, successful, worthwhile etc
and Happy New Year !


