Product Review
To the best of our knowledge, this product is now being marketed under the name Rauhsaser by Better Wall System of Kenora, ON.
CoverAge is a tacky name for a great product that all remodelers should know about. It is a paintable, textured wallpaper that’s made entirely of recycled paper (at... 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
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
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
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
The live webinar occurred on Tuesday, June 20th 2:00pm Eastern (11am Pacific)Practitioners interested in reducing the embodied carbon of buildings are likely now used to considering the impact of different materials, like mass timber or low-carbon concrete. Low-carbon... Read more
Forum topic
Hello SCL,
Version 2.0 of the Contractor's Commitment has officially been ratified with 33 "yes" votes out of 52 members. Congratulations, and a big thank you to everyone who helped move this forward--especilly Amanda Atkinson, who really took this project by the horns.
You can find the updated version here.
Next, I'll be... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainable Design Leaders!
Here at BuildingGreen we are excited and looking forward to creating a valuable and engaging online summit with you all for 2020!
You can Register HERE as well as review important information.
The Summit will happen throughout the week of July 13. The specific meeting times are:
3:... Read more
Forum topic
Hope you can join the Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders CALL this Thursday, 12/12 @ 1pm Eastern.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/629388002
AGENDA
Nadav will lead a conversation about the new(ish) sustainability clauses in AIA’s Code of Ethics
1. Do you think that they... Read more
Forum topic
Sages,
I suspect that some of you have already seen this or already signed it, but just in case, for your consideration:
Add your voice to the powerful chorus for climate policy and sign the LEAD statement.
More than 500 sustainability professionals have now signed, and the number is growing!
To learn more about... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
We’re so excited to announce that registration for the 2025 SMEPL Summit is now live! Register here and save your seat to join BuildingGreen, your SMEPL peers, and members of all three other networks for a first-of-its-kind summit this year.
In addition to the SMEPL Summit, you’ll have the option of joining us for... Read more
Forum topic
Does anyone have install experience with Duracryl yet? I'm looking at it for a large project in place of Marmoleum. We've had multiple instances of install failures with Marmoleum, which leads to lots of finger pointing.
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Greetings all, and welcome to all those who already introduced themselves! My name is Steven Burke and I am a Sustainability Manager at Consigli Construction in Massachusetts. We are East Coast only, but we have a few offices from DC up to Maine. I’ve been helping Jenn and Nadav get this group up and running, and I’m relatively new to the... Read more
Product Guide
Food waste is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills due to methane released during anaerobic decomposition.
BuildingGreen-Approved Composters
BuildingGreen approves in-vessel commercial composters, which require the smallest footprint and are most likely to be suitable for a densely populated area.
Why... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Here is an exciting event we're planning for the end of the month!
Innovative Projects Showcase - “The Power of Collaboration”
A selection of your fellow sustainability leaders will showcase a few recent projects that exemplify integrative process and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Each presentation... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Choosing Insulation: High-Performance Roof Assemblies and Retrofits – Unit 4.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the industry trajectory of healthier alternatives to foam insulation.
2. Describe the nuances of insulation... Read more
Forum topic
Hello SD Leaders!
I recently joined and looking forward to all the amazing dialog. I was told that for membership to be official, I must reveal my unsustainable secret. As much as I preach environmental protection in architecture, I’m a bit of a motorhead with a 1967 HP 289 Mustang that I resurrected from a junk yard when I was 16 — that... Read more


