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

We are working on a multi-family project in Hartford that is townhouse style so each unit has an exterior door. The client has requested electronic key fob hardware. Has anyone had experience with retrofitting a passive house door with electronic hardware or have they used a door that is already fitted with electronic hardware? 

Dear SD Leaders: I'm writing to make sure that you've seen a letter that has been circulating protesting the ‘pro-asbestos’ rule change the EPA is considering.  The letter is soliciting firm signatures/owners (as opposed to individuals).  I encourage you to sign and/or get your firm to sign ASAP. 

Please forward as well to any firm from... Read more

Does anyone have a draft copy of the ASHRAE 209P standard? It has not been finalized? See an overview of it here from IBPSA 2016 summer meeting.

The 209 committee plans to release it for a 3rd public review and hopes to finalize it in late winter or early spring. I'm just trying to track down one of the earlier verisons of the document... Read more

The site license permits the purchaser to share the PDF Guide file within their company/organization and post it on their intranet. Site licenses do not include the CEU quiz.​ If multiple individuals in your organization would like to access the CEU accredited quiz, please purchase individual copies.

The sheer number of... Read more

Hi! I hope that others who were at Islandwood found it as fulfilling as I did. (Janice and I spent the weekend exploring the island on bicycles--we're just getting on the ferry to Seattle now. It was a great little vacation!)

Let's use this thread to share notes and documents from the Summit. Please post your highlights here, or send... Read more

Hello SCLers, 

We have heard from many of you who are in the midst of budgeting for conferences and travel for 2024. Although we aren’t quite ready to open registration for our 2024 events, we hope providing some details will help you reserve funds to join us. 

Next year, we are planning two in-person events open to SCL:

... Read more

Hi all, we're looking for a West Coast Regional Sustainability Specialist if you know of anyone who might be interested! They would be part of our amazing firmwide Sustainability team, and could potentially be based out of LA, Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Oakland, or Seattle. Please reach out if you know of anyone who might be a good fit, I'm... Read more

Hi MEP Leaders,

A reminder that our monthly call is next Tuesday, June 13, at 2:00pm ET, and all network members are welcome to join!

Here is the agenda and below is the Zoom link:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83598691786?pwd=MjI2S01yZUJRSG4zcXRBNWtPbE5RZz09

Meeting ID: 835 9869 1786
... Read more

Hi Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders!

Our call today at 1pm Eastern will focus on the ways in which your firm is impacted differently than larger firms on the variety of topics and issues that are reflected in the 2020 SD Leaders Winter Summit REPORT. Take a look at this report and especially at slides 14-33. Bring your observations... Read more

The AIA New Orleans 2030 Committee is running RISING21 this week, November 11th and 12th from 1:30-5:30pm ET. This is the second year of these sessions that aspire to advance awareness and knowledge around climate and access to affordable energy among practitioners from the AEC industry. We invite architects, MEP professionals, interior... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of 20 Ways to Advance Sustainability in the Next Four Years!

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


Identify the challenges to green building during a time of environmental urgency and political unrest, and find opportunity in these challenges.

... Read more

As we begin to look into Scope 3 emissions reduction strategies, it's important to understand ways to reduce tranportation emissions to project sites. Is anyone aware of best practices or programs for contractor carpooling to jobsites? I know many of my colleagues travel to work together in one vehicle because of parking limitations, however,... Read more

P.J. is an accomplished writer and speaker who brings passion, humor, and discernment to all her work.

Whether it’s a spotlight report on decarbonization, a webinar on ESG, or just a chummy email bulletin, she is ferociously committed to truth and accuracy.

Does anyone know where one can locate weather files (EPW) that has predicted future data for climate change?

Thanks in advance.

Hi there SCLers,

Hope everyone is safe and healthy. I am posting on behalf of the Steeering Committee to let you know that the Committee has now adopted a Core Purpose Statement for the SCL Group. Please give it a quick read; we will likely sit with this and spend some time internalizing what it means at the upcoming Summit. 

The... Read more