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
Carol Venolia, Publisher/Editor
If “progressive construction” can be defined as pushing the tools and techniques of conventional builders in the direction of less environmental destruction, then Building With Nature’s material goes beyond progressive, into the forefront of visionary thinking about construction. This bimonthly newsletter, now... Read moreFeature
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
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
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
Forum topic
Who else is playing in this year’s #SustainabilityScavengerHunt by BE+!?
Meredith Elbaum and team at Built Environment Plus are launching the second annual hunt this Friday. Teams of up to four people compete over a couple of weeks to complete missions and bring awareness to environmental topics.
It was a lot of fun last year - we... Read more
Product Guide
Durability is the first priority for roofing membranes since interior repairs and replacement waste material, time, and money.
BuildingGreen-Approved Roofing Membranes
BuildingGreen approves:
best-in-class TPO membranes from companies that support enhanced heat testing and show proactive attention to performance EPDM products... Read moreForum topic
Hello everyone,
Here's a reminder that our next monthly call will be taking place next Tuesday, September 10th at 2:00pm EST.
Please feel free to join us!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/661110941
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
GBD turns 50 this year! I would like to share some examples with leadership of how we can make it more than just an event for clients... something that can give back, engage the public, focus on sustainability, etc. I remember that a Seattle firm had an awesome event that engaged a public plaza, etc. I had read something about it... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks,
I hope you're all doing well, despite the heat (thermal, political, social...ugh!).
We've had low turnout on the SAL monthly calls lately; it seems that these aren't a high priority for many of you. That's not necessarily a problem, if you're finding value in being in the network for other reasons, that's fine.
We... Read more
Forum topic
This are opportunities for us to get involved as design and construction allies with the new administration and the US Department of Energy on more efficient building.
The first link below is for low-carbon projects that will provide the case studies and solutions that the industry can follow. The second is identifying barriers and... Read more
Forum topic
I was recently asked about potentially specifying concrete with wood nanoparticles and concrete with biochar as a way to further lower the embodied carbon and to increase concrete strength. These approaches are something I know nothing about, and wondering if anyone in this group has any experience and/or observations that might be relevant to... Read more
Forum topic
is anyone aware of some guidance about citation protocols for when a person/team/org uses an AI tool to generate some base components for a report (which is then heavily edited by humans)?
I'm inclined to disclose in detail which tools were used and how ... but would love to know if there are some industry protocols shaping up about this... Read more
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
Successfully managing the LEED documentation process requires specific knowledge, tools and skills that are not covered in the LEED Reference Manual. This condensed, online training is based on the LEED Project Management course that GreenStep developed and teaches through the University of California–Berkeley. As part of this interactive... Read more
Forum topic
Hey all,
Question for those of you who do in-house daylight analysis about modeling translucent glazing.
We use ClimateStudio for our modeling. It has plenty of material options for clear glazing but nothing for translucent glazing, and we are trying to understand the impacts of a translucent interlayer at some skylights. We can... Read more
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This page contains our full User Agreement.
This Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions for your use of all webpages under both the BuildingGreen and LEEDuser names and domains, published by BuildingGreen, Inc. (collectively, the “Site”), including The BuildingGreen Report (formerly Environmental Building News) and BuildingGreen... Read more

