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 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 moreNews 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
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
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
Forum topic
For those of you working in jurisdictions with both prescriptive and performance-based commercial energy code pathways, roughly what percentage of your projects are using the performance pathway? How do your project teams decide which pathway to follow?
In Minnesota we are seeing very few projects pursuing the performance pathway,... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Sustainability Literacy: A Foundation For Transformed Practice!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Forum topic
Anyone know what stages does CARE include? Does it include B1-5, C1-4 or D?
Thank you!
Forum topic
It’s here! By popular demand we’re re-running the SDL Salary Survey that we last ran in 2015.
This is for people who are currently in an SD Leader role at a firm. We’re sending this invitation out on both the Green Gurus and the SD Leaders forums, because some of you are still in transition and haven’t moved into the SD Leader forum yet... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Design for Adaptation: Living in a Climate-Changing World.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the major known causes of climate change
2. Describe the range and reliability of predicted temperature changes.
3. List... Read more
Forum topic
Hi Everyone,
HKS is looking for an energy analyst & systems design engineer for our Dallas office. If you know anyone that might be interested and qualified for this position, please send them our way!
https://careers-hksinc.icims.com/jobs/2428/energy-analyst-%26-systems-design-engineer/job
Thanks,
Ellen... Read more

