Welcome to the quiz portion of The PVC Debate: A Fresh Look.

Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:


1. Examine the actual cost-effectiveness of PVC in terms of quality.
2. Explain what makes PVC a health hazard.
3. Recognize market effects of PVC's durability and... Read more

Hi everyone,

As designers who sometimes work in the field of healthcare, we occasionally like to gather data about both current attitudes and future possibilities. Steffian Bradley Architects would greatly appreciate your participation in our 2018 survey by completing the questionnaire linked below.

All responses are anonymous to... Read more

Dear Gurus,

At Greenbuild this year I'll be discussing how statistics can lie (in the context of green building claims).  I'm collecting examples of this to prepare.  If any of you know of examples, please send them to me! 

Here are a few of the fun ways statistics might lie that I would be looking for: biased or too-small sample... Read more

Hi All,

We are trying to make a case for hiring a full time sustainability specialist in our firm, and one of the arguments we want to use is that the ratio of sustainability specialists vs the ratio of full time employees in our company is quite low. That being said, I want to have an understanding of where other firms stand with this... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Here’s a reminder that our first Show & Tell for 2021 is happening next week! Monday, February 1st from 7-8pm ET and Tuesday, February 2nd from 4-5pm ET, come see your peers from all networks present for five minutes each on a variety of topics relating to their work.

This event is connected with the Summit-... Read more

Hi Green Gurus: check out this new series from AIAU that delves into the design and planning application of the 4th National Climate Assessment Report by region with some more recent updates. Free to members...looks like some great speakers and highly relevant. 

https://aiau.aia.org/regional-tour-climate-risk-planning-and-design

... Read more

Hi - we're working with the University of California Office of the President to put together low-carbon case studies. The two types we are looking for now include 1) a low-carbon TI (not a full building gut/renovation), and 2) any that involve the circular economy (in this case not just building reuse but product reuse) which could include... Read more

Hi all - Reflecting on the COTE Top Ten Awards and Lloyd Alter's recent article  https://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/keep-aiacotes-its-time-scrap-aia-awards.html, I am curious how many local/state AIA awards programs have incorporated sustainability reporting metrics as a requirement for all awards submissions, not just for categories... Read more

I'm teaching a LEED GA study group and was rambling on the differences between CIR and precident-setting LEED Interpretation (that gets posted in the addenda library and all). Then I went onto LEED Online and was showing how those are submitted... but can't actually figure out how a LEED Interpretation would be submitted. Has anyone done this... Read more

Hi All - I wanted to share out the All For Reuse initiative below by two peers in the sustainable materials management network. I know some SDL have already done much research on this from quite a few angles, and those with LBC experience probably even moreso in practice. 

Frances Yang (Arup) and Andrew Ellsworth (Doors Unhinged) have... Read more

Fluid-applied roofing materials can be added to an existing roof to extend its life and provide reflective characteristics.

BuildingGreen-Approved Roofing

Products listed by BuildingGreen have VOC levels below 50 g/l and reflective surfaces to reduce heat gain.

Energy Star requires initial reflectance of 0.65 for low slopes... Read more

Please see the following invite from Professor Alexandra Rempel at the University of Oregon to participate a 15-20 minute phone/Zoom interview and share your experience and/or perceptions on the problems, challenges, and barriers to incorporating into your projects.

This effort is part of an NSF research grant that I am involved in and... Read more

Successfully managing the LEED documentation process requires specific knowledge, tools and skills that are not covered in the LEED Reference Manual. This condensed, online training is based on the LEED Project Management course that GreenStep developed and teaches through the University of California–Berkeley. As part of this interactive... Read more

Hi all- 

DiMella Shaffer is seeking a Sustainability Practice Leader! For the last 2.5 years, I have been setting the structure in place, making change, and providing thought-leadership as the first Sustainability Practice Leader (director level leadership) at DiMella Shaffer in Boston. It has been a fantastic firm to work for and this... Read more

Hi All,

I want to share this report, released today, that I and some other folks on Green Gurus have been working on.  The report dispels the myth that Zero Energy Buildings cost more (specifically in Massachusetts) and it goes further, making the case that Zero Energy Buildings are actually great investments.  Take a look, tell us what... Read more

Biophilic design features are not just aesthetically pleasing; researchers have found that patients heal faster, workers are more productive, and children learn better when more elements of nature are present.

And yet there are still very few projects developed today that inspire a connection to life and the natural world. Some people... Read more