Explainer
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
News Analysis
EBN Advisory Board member Mike Nicklas led an international delegation of renewable energy experts in promoting sustainable energy at the Earth Summit last month. He and others were negotiating for inclusion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures into agreements being worked out for the United Nations... 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
Explainer
News Analysis
The City of Austin’s Green Builder Program was one of 12 award recipients in the United National Local Government Honours Programme at the Earth Summit in Rio, and the only winner from the United States. “The purpose of the Honours Programme is to recognize innovative local approaches to... 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 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
Forum topic
Hi everyone! The CLF Boston | NE Hub and BSA are holding an embodied carbon summit and we'd LOVE to see people from this group there.
The first version of this summit was held in 2019, and since then we've made huge strides. Through our advocacy work, state and city regulations are addressing embodied carbon in procurement and materials... 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
Following up on conversation from the Fika today, Kim said the IRS is supposed to be issuing rules for tax-based (even for orgs that don't pay tax) credits by the end of first quarter. Sounds like we all just need to be on the look out still.
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
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Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
I'm excited to share another Peer Networks webinar we have on deck for August, coming up next week!
Register HERE.
“How Good is this Product?” - Multi-Attribute Assessment of Products and Product Selection Management Tools
Thursday, August 19th, 2021
12pm - 1pm ET (9am - 10am PT)
... Read more
Product Guide
Ground- and water-source heat pumps move refrigerant or water through the ground or a body of water for use as a heat source (for indoor heating) or heat sink (for indoor cooling).
BuildingGreen-Approved Heat Pumps
BuildingGreen approves:
super-efficient commercial systems residential ground- and water-source heat pumps that... Read moreForum topic
Hey all,
Thanks to everyone who joined today's peer network webinar - it was great to share what our working group has been developing in the last year. This group gathered to work through a series of decision-making trees to publish some kind of relatively repeatable guidance for how to advance this conversation with a variety of owners... Read more


