Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... 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
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
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
News Analysis
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Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Is Wood Construction Green? A Look at the Issues.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Determine what distinguishes wood products sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified forests, and why these products improve the environmental impact of... Read more
Forum topic
We just had a planning call for the tour, and I’m more convinced than before that: a) we picked a great location for this year’s Winter Summit and b) you won’t want to miss this tour!
Alabama’s Gulf State Park got a big infusion of funds from the BP Oil Spill (that’s an interesting story in itself), and now has some amazing new... Read more
Forum topic
I'm looking for precedents of retail centers (think outdoor centers with multiple buildings or converted indoor malls) that have incorporated any of these strategies. Also, any research studies on the health, social, and other benefits of incorporating these strategies.
a. Preserve/restore natural ecology, green infrastructure... Read more
Author
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, accuracy, and thoroughly... Read more
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 2-3 pm Eastern (11 am-12 pm Pacific)Whole-building life-cycle assessment (WBLCA) can help project teams reduce embodied carbon as well as many other environmental impacts of building materials. And it’s incentivized in LEED and... Read more
Forum topic
Hi everyone,
Just a reminder to please fill out the 2024 All-Networks Workshop Attendance Poll by the end of next Monday, December 18th. Thank you so much to those who have filled it out already! :)
-Amanda
Forum topic
Hello Sustainability Leaders,
I am writing with some news from the Peer Networks team.
I recently accepted a job with a local college I have long admired in their advancement office. Therefore, my last day at BuildingGreen will be Fri. Feb. 11th.
Working with you all these past four and a half years has been such an... Read more
Basic page
Our all-volunteer Advisory Board helps BuildingGreen identify the most critical topics for our coverage, and directs our research as we investigate these topics and bring them to our readers. Their distinguished and varied service in the field of environmentally responsible building is an inspiration.
Steve Baczek, R.A., Reading, MA Bob... Read moreForum topic
Hi folks,
There are a few Peer-Network related opportunities at the AIA Conference on Architecture, and it's coming up soon (June 4-8)! If you'll be in town, I hope you can join us! And if you're speaking at the Conference, let us know--whatever people in this network are talking about is likely to be super-interesting to the rest of us... Read more
Product Guide
Preservative treatments extend the service life of wood, but many such treatments are highly toxic, especially to aquatic life.
BuildingGreen-Approved Preserved Wood
Products approved by BuildingGreen use chemicals (commonly borates) that are relatively low in toxicity and have low VOC emissions.
Health and Environmental... Read more
Forum topic
HGA is collaborating with the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) to research how the AE industry is currently using climate projection data, and what they need in order to grow their use of data. MCAP is currently producing a set of dynamical downscaled climate projections for the state of Minnesota and unlike other... Read more
Forum topic
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

