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
News Brief
At first glance,
An Environmental Handbook for Florida Contractors looks like it deals only with the environmental regulations that Florida contractors must contend with. And, indeed, the Handbook describes in detail the requirements for complying with regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. But the book goes much further,... 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
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
Forum topic
Hi,
HKS is seeking two seasoned sustainability leaders to be part of the DesignGreen Team embedded into either our Mission Critical and Commercial Mixed Use practice. In general, the role is to service clients and drive sustainable design quality forward. We have a great team and need even more wise, energetic, creative, and committed... Read more
Forum topic
Hello All,
I'm supporting a project that is pursuing Green Globes and trying to get familiar with its content. I'm hoping someone might have experience with the program and be able to provide direction toward products that have an OESR. From what I've read, this is a material ingredient disclosure type report, based on ASTM std. E3182-... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Everyone!
Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information regarding an All Peer Networks 2020 Summit Season Closing August 10th, 3-5pm ET (Noon-2pm PT).
Register HERE to get it on your calendar! The staff at BuildingGreen are looking forward to planning a fun and engaging cross-network event focused on this... Read more
Forum topic
SDL folks,
I wanted to make sure that you all saw that the call for presentations is open for AIA Houston’s Gulf Coast Green conference. GCG is the leading sustainable design conference in the region and has historically had some great participation from this group. The theme this year is Sustainability + Technology. Details here:... Read more
Quiz
Learning Objectives:
Explore the relationship between smart buildings and cybersecurity through their shared history.
Clarify the difference between OT and information technology (“IT”) cybersecurity including the protocols that drive OT cybersecurity programs.
Provide recent examples of critical attacks on building... Read more
Forum topic
Dear Green Gurus: I'm so sorry to have missed seeing many of you at AIA last week. I heard the BG and COTE events were the highlights of the week! Congrats.
I'm sure by now you've heard of the dreadful Supreme Court decision about the EPA. I thought I'd share a helpful, if not sobering, perspective in an Op-Ed today in the Washington... Read more
Forum topic
A brief non-technical rant about OneClick LCA - from someone who is not actually USING the tool, but lobbying for its access. Wondering if you all have better intel, or if it is just me.
We are working on a number of projects for which te teams are using OneClick LCA - for some cases it has a better international data set than others. ... Read more
Product Guide
Prefabricated, or modular, buildings can provide environmental advantages over conventionally constructed buildings. They are built in factories where manufacturing and cost can be tightly controlled, so materials are kept out of the elements, there is less waste, and thermal properties and air sealing can be enhanced. There are also fewer... Read more
Forum topic
I have to admit that I wasn't particularly paying attention to LEED during Greenbuild, but anyone recall the "big announcement by USGBC" that LEED v4.1 is coming?
Article can be found @ Green Building Law Update by Stuart Kaplow and the title is "LEED v4.1 Announced by USGBC at Greenbuild."
https://www.greenbuildinglawupdate.com/... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Improving Resilience!
IMPORTANT: This quiz covers five related articles within this topic.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Forum topic
Hello all!
I'm new to the group, and so excited to be here. Two part question here (as we think about processes and new year goals).
I am at a smallish firm (20 people) in Boston helping to reform our processes to enable even those that are not steeped in sustainability at a daily level to be comfortable looking for opporutunities... Read more

