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 moreNews Brief
Energy Source™ Directory
Life has been a whole lot easier around the office since theEnergy Source Directory arrived. Assembled and published by Iris Communications, this is the most complete and most useful guide to specialized products and materials used in energy-efficient construction that we've seen. The 500-page directory is... Read more
Explainer
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
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
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
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
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
A site license allows your entire organization to access and share the guide, and to keep a copy in your library.
Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building ProjectsWe’re excited to be releasing the 2020 edition of Spec This, Not That.
... Read more
Forum topic
Sages - see below for what was posted in the SDL forum
seems this topic needs all of you - to guide, critique, move, question
nadav forgive the blend posting but I dont know who sees what, and the SAGES are the bomb on this kind of troublemaking
thoughts all?
PFAS is in everything and you – Please join
Hello... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
I just wanted to post a quick message to introduce myself to the group. My name is Jeff Geisinger, and I'm an architect with Utile in Boston. We're a 50-ish person firm with a pretty broad project base, including affordable multifamily housing, institutional buildings, commercial interiors, and urban planning/public realm work... Read more
Forum topic
I am looking for a healthy and safe mold preventative product to use on wood construction to prevent mold growth as this full wood building (truss, framing, exterior sheathing) will be exposed to moisture via the elements until the roof gets put on in earlywinter.
Please share your feedback, thus far we have found what looks like a lot... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainability Leaders!
It’s been almost a month since we met in NYC for our Regional Mini-Summit! I’m pretty sure time moves faster when the seasons are changing! I hope the fall is treating you all well.
We have completed our Post-Summit Report, and would like to share with you all. Click here to view the report.
... Read more
Forum topic
Hi, all. We missed you at the standing check in today. We have a couple of questions for the BG team:
1. What is the timing criteria you need for Best Practice content? We need to back into a deadline on submissions and believe your critical path timing will help define ours.
2. Can you elaborate on what LEED User/BG content may... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Better Choices in Low-Slope Roofing.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain life-cycle impacts, health and environmental hazards, and durability of low-slope roofing options.
2. Classify situations for which reflective roofing... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
During the "Integrating Social Sustainability" session at the Winter Summit, an idea was hatched to form a working group dedicated to understanding how equity services can benefit a client's pro forma. Our first step (of course) is to identify the range of services captured under "equity services" and we'd love to speak with... Read more
Forum topic
Greetings,
I'm looking for recommendations from this esteemed group for 3rd-party vendors/verifiers of GHG emissions to support our CSR initiatives. We currently have a provider, but our company has grown to the point to where we need to transition from "analaog" reporting (location by location) to a higher level of service offering (... Read more
Product Guide
Replacing windows is expensive and comes with high impacts, but simple films can improve performance.
BuildingGreen-Approved Films
BuildingGreen approves three types of window films:
surface-applied films that have earned NFRC ratings and have a minimum 10-year warranty seasonal flexible-film kits bird-safety filmsEnergy... Read more



