Hi Green Gurus,

We're off to a great start with First Friday Fikas* this year. We've had good turnout and lots of fun. This new tradition continues this Friday at 11:00 am Eastern Time (8:00 am Pacific). We have more fun planned, with prompts to help us get to know each other.

If you registered previously you can use that same... Read more

Currently not for sale, being updated and re-released in November 2021.

New Guide to Thermal Insulation Report

The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including cost comparisons and detailed recommendations on what insulation to use, and what to avoid. It's a treasure... Read more

All,

I wanted to spread the word to all of you that AIA Minnesota is hosting a virtual edition of Materials Matter, a five-part series starting next Wednesday 3/24, from 10AM-3PM Central Time on five Wednesdays throughout March, April and May. Come to one ($15 per session) or all ($60 for the whole series of 20 CEUs, including GBCI... Read more

Anyone know of tools/methodologies for estimating embodied carbon and carbon sequestration potential of individual green infrastructure projects (e.g. bioswale along bikeway)? I've seen tools for the larger scale (e.g. land use change) as well as specific to trees (e.g. i-Tree), but these don't fully meet my needs.

Thanks!

Hi SDL,

I'm heading to Greenbuild next week and one of my teammates who's not attending has asked me to look for expo hall vendors who are involved in Design for Freedom. He's starting up a new project that he thinks could be a good DFF pilot and wants to get some manufacturer contacts. Is there any kind of informal DFF meetup happening... Read more

Last summer I shared a request here for folks to take a survey we had open that aimed to understand how architects and engineers are (or aren't) using climate projections to inform design. This white paper, written in collaboration with HGA and the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, reports on the results of that research. ... Read more

Hi, and welcome to the Sustainable MEP Leaders Peer Network! 

This online forum is one of the ways we can stay connected and support each other as we collaborate to help MEP design achieve its highest potential as an element of sustainable and regenerative buildings. Please introduce yourself with a little about where you work, what you'... Read more

I have a colleague researching existing, proposed, or anticipated changes to urban planning and building codes that encourage lower carbon footprints.

Can anyone comment on or point me to resources on how cities are using carbon footprint analysis and carbon reduction in permitting, now or in the future?

Some specific topics that... Read more

Hi all, are there requirements to include/submit backup documentation to the CC excel template? Or is it just the template itself that gets submitted? The question is coming up from our leadership over what documents are public vs internal.

After reviewing BP language today with internal staff, we realized we'll need to add a glossary to explain industry jargon and technical terms that might not be widely used. I'd like to consolidate those terms onto one web page, a glossary. This probably should be on the list with the best practices, and it will need its own page. Thanks!

Hello everyone,

For those I have yet to meet, I'm Candace Pearson. I've recently rejoined BuildingGreen after a brief interlude at law school and am now getting back into the swing of things with editorial, consulting, and peer networks. 

We had a great turn out at this year's Show and Tell before Greenbuild and all of the... Read more

Just had a contractor call who said they had a university client interested in using natural-gas-fed fuel cells as an alternative to grid power in some applications.  They were interested in an intermediate scale: 300kW.

Anyone with any experience with these devices? 

Welcome to the quiz portion of Are Cool Roofs Green? The Answer's Not Black and White

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


1. Explain why roofing choices are complicated by heating tradeoffs, climate effects, and condensation and how cool roofs are intended to reduce... Read more

What is the status of the roof insulation market regarding non-halogen containing polyiso boards? I know GAF and Atlas still have them. I thought JM had them as well, but seems to have taken them off the menu. Are there performance issues?

Dear SD Leaders: I'm writing to let you know about a great opportunity in campus-wide sustainability and design leadership. Washington University in St. Louis (my alma mater) is seeking a new University Architect and Assistant Vice Chancellor. WashU has a very strong legacy of sustainability leadership which has recently been reinforced with... Read more