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
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
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus!
ILFI’s annual Living Future Conference is coming up, so we thought we might host a (virtual) Show & Tell session of 5-minute versions of peer network members’ presentations like we often do in conjunction with Greenbuild. First we want to see if this is of interest to you all. Please take 30 seconds to let us know... Read more
Forum topic
Thank you BuildingGreen for yesterday's fun news and much needed chuckles. I really appreciated the GOOP article the most! I mean, dare I say, a kegel powered elevator - absolutely brilliant!
If you have not seen the April Fool's edition, take a look at the talent and time that was put into these stories.
https://www.... Read more
Forum topic
Are you ready to share the story about your best projects?
AIA COTE Top Ten Awards is a great way to get recognition for your best work and the call for submissions for the 2024 cycle is now open!
The awards cycle has shifted, and the deadline for the 2024 awards is October 26.
So NOW is the time to pull together... Read more
Forum topic
Hi All,
My understanding is that SCL reporting is only for refrigerant use, or recharging for headquarters. I've asked our MEP contractor for a list of our 21 units, refrigerant use, and what quantity of refrigerants were used to charge equipment during installation or service.
Is anyone tracking this for job sites?... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus!
We are planning a virtual Show & Tell and Happy Hour for Oct. 30th 7pm - 9pm ET (4pm - 6pm PT) with a Halloween theme, bring your best costumes! We will hold presentations (virtually of course!) for about the first 1 hour and 20 minutes and then will transition to some fun Happy Hour festivities, sharing, and... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Building Re-Entry with Arc
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the similarities and differences between LEED v4.1 O+M performance metrics and the Arc Re-Entry program.
2. Understand how Arc Re-Entry contributes to an iterative re-... Read more
Forum topic
Hey, team. Would it be possible to get premium access to LEED User while we're developing the best practices resources? (without subscribing to it- I don't LEED consult any longer) Southface has basic membership, so I can't see what's available, etc. Thanks.
Forum topic
I give you... the content-ready site. The editors should be able to start adding Best Practice content.
Development site:
https://live-bituser.pantheonsite.io/
Instructions (with tutorial videos):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EUIzitkW0CczFQo8V2q3gVDVO4Juk4EI9iv8...
I created accounts for all the editors... Read more
Forum topic
All,
I'm sure a few of you attended our recent webinar on the LEED v4.1 LCA webinar. In case you missed it, the recording is posted. We were stunned by the amount of engagement from the audience; we allotted 30 minutes for questions and I think it went even longer. The webinar recording should be a great starting point for anyone... Read more

