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 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
Product Review
Builders concerned about out-gassing of formaldehyde from medium-density fiberboard (MDF) have long used Medex in cabinets. This exterior-grade product, originally developed for highway signs, is considerably more expensive than conventional MDF or particleboard, however. Now Medite II fills the need for a... 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
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
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
Forum topic
My firm is mobilizing for a year of carbon awareness and reduction that goes beyond the energy consumption of our designs. We are looking to hire a full time person to take on LCA tracking for our current projects. Ideally it is a climate crisis super-hero of sorts who could also look at our design process and help develop multi-faceted... Read more
Forum topic
Hi GGs,
We are looking to do a renovation of a very leaky old office space, and we want to get a good snapshot of air quality and effective envelope R values both before and after.
Does anyone have experience with:
1. installing heat flux sensors on windows and walls
2. deploying IAQ measurement devices that can log... Read more
Forum topic
I have been watching LEED Zero for a while, and have appreciated certain things, but one thing I think is an absolute disaster is their allowance of mainline RECs for claiming Zero Energy and Zero Carbon performance. I just asked this question on the LEED Zero webinar, and the panelist basically said, "it's part of LEED Zero, therefore it is... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Happy 2023! Our First Friday Fika* is today - Friday, January 6th at 11am ET (8am PT), we'll meet on Zoom for some lightly structured coffee-chat time. This includes both facilitated sharing and open conversation about the topics you're interested in at the moment. Any Peer Network member who wants to say hi and chat... Read more
Spotlight Report
Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.
And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
Later today, we will be delivering the BITuser development site ready for content input. Andrea has created instructions to help get you started.
We would like to set up a few editor profiles for you. Could you let us know who should have a profile for content management? We need first and last name and an email.
... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All - I have a 3 bdroom close walking distance to Greenbuild venue - but I don't need it.
Last call before I cancel it - if anyone wants it - I can transfer!
Just shoot me an email directly to bb@sustainable-performance.org
Thanks and see you there!
Basic page
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
Forum topic
Hi folks,
As you may know, this network is part of a family of Sustainability Leader Peer Networks that BuildingGreen hosts. They each have their own private forum, and there is also a shared cross-network forum called "Green Gurus."
Those of you have already paid in to be part of this network moving forward have automatically... Read more

