News Analysis
EBN Advisory Board member Mike Nicklas led an international delegation of renewable energy experts in promoting sustainable energy at the Earth Summit last month. He and others were negotiating for inclusion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures into agreements being worked out for the United Nations... Read more
Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... Read more
News Analysis
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
News Analysis
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
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
News Brief
At first glance,
An Environmental Handbook for Florida Contractors looks like it deals only with the environmental regulations that Florida contractors must contend with. And, indeed, the Handbook describes in detail the requirements for complying with regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. But the book goes much further,... Read more
Explainer
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
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
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
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
Product Guide
Choose a photovoltaic (PV) system to fit your energy needs, budget, and the space you have for installing the modules.
BuildingGreen-Approved PV
BuildingGreen approves PV modules that have high warranted minimum power ratings and high PTC (PVUsa test conditions).
Building-integrated PV (BIPV) products approved by... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All,
I wanted to share a program of superstars including many of you. I look forward to electronically connecting and learning together.
Every Monday from June through August, the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) and the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Boston Hub will present Embodied Carbon 101, a 12-part program series in... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of "The Potential of Prefab: How Modular Construction Can Be Green"!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Forum topic
Sorry this is last minute but it just came to my mind to share this as I am looking forward to this roundtable which is happenging Wed, July27th from 12-1pm EST.
The Built Environment Plus Women in Green Roundtable is hosting some amazing women in the industry who are working on DEI issues for a panel discussion. The conversation... Read more
Forum topic
Hi,
There is a Blog section on the BIT User site. Will you have a blog post in time for launch? Or should we hide that section to begin with?
https://live-bituser.pantheonsite.io/blog
Andrea
Forum topic
Hello SMEPers,
I’m hoping to crowd source some anecdotes for a guest lecture I’ll be giving at Yale’s architecture school. The topic is integrated design (especially between architects and engineers) and how it enables better sustainability outcomes.
John Boecker has this great story about how choosing a paint color with higher... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
Just a reminder to please fill out the SDL 2024 Events Attendance Poll by the end of next Monday, December 18th. Thank you so much to those who have filled it out already! :)
-Amanda
Forum topic
Dear All,
I'm happy to announce the Call for Speakers for our next Gulf Coast Green conference, which will take place June 1, 2018 at Rice University in Houston. The theme is Resilience: Beyond Recovery. (Harvey, you know). We absolutely love to have SDL members at Gulf Coast Green, and I know there are several of you who specialize... Read more

