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
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
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
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
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Know Thy Client: 9 Un-Green Strategies for Delivering Better Buildings
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Focus on a client’s values to drive sustainability solutions.
2. Define the quality of the work being delivered to underscore... Read more
Forum topic
If I'm remembering correctly, someone at the summer summit mentioned working on / or being familiar with the Berkeley CA gas ban. A town here in MA is also considering a ban and wanted to get some feedback from Berkeley.
Forum topic
Many of you have heard me speak of our foundations effort to host a conference in Houston this November that is focusing on the social and economic side of community resilience preparedness. While we purposely are emphasizing these topic areas, we do see the importance of these conversations being witnessed by the design and planning community... Read more
Forum topic
I looked through the forums and was surprised to see that from what I can tell this 2018 article from Yale I'm going to share here has not been discussed previously. It basically says that FSC is not trustworthy, ineffective, and greenwashed, as critiqued by the likes of Greenpeace and others.
I would like to hear from someone in the... Read more
Forum topic
Hello, Sustainability Leaders!
I’m excited to be sharing a virtual hello to this network more formally (waving, big yellow energy, sparkle emoji - all of the above). If we’ve yet to meet, I’m so looking forward to chatting down the road. I’m Jill Maltby-Abbott, BuildingGreen’s newest team member. I'm working most closely with Brent,... Read more
Forum topic
Hi folks, I was asking around during Greenbuild and getting a variety of answers on this, and since our Contractor Commitments make a distinction between "GC's" mobile equipment as scope 1 and "Sub's" mobile equipment as scope 3. I know that many of us acting as "CM" claim full "operational control" of a jobsite and consider all fuel using on... Read more
Product Guide
There are a variety of products and practices that contribute to environmentally friendly landscaping.
BuildingGreen-Approved Landscaping Products
Edging
BuildingGreen approves products with recycled content or other environmental benefits.
Erosion Protection
Natural-fiber erosion protection options include... Read more
Forum topic
The Winter Summit participants have had this for a few weeks now, and no one has screamed about anything being inaccurate, misleading, or too revealing, so it's time to share the latest Summit report more widely.
Per our long-standing policy, this report can be shared outside our "safe space"--it's a great way to share the wealth of... 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
Hi folks,
Some of you have seen me do a 5-minute presentation on an initiative to divert urine from wastewater. That team is now developing a building-scale urine treatment technology with support from the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award.
In order to learn more about the sustainable... Read more
Forum topic
I was talking to Nadav recently about job posting opportunities through Building Green and/or through the Peer network. He shared this topic has been discussed in the past, and thought I should send a question out to the network. I am guessing many of you are looking for talent right now too? Wouldn't it be cool to know people of have been... Read more

