Hi everyone,

I'm excited to share this report from the 2024 Sustainable Design Leaders Summer Summit.

As usual, this report contains no revealing information that would counter our "safe space" rule so that it can be shared publicly. Feel free to pass it along to anyone interested.

It's hard to capture such a rich event in... Read more

I wanted to post a reminder for you all that the Sustainable Design Leaders Summit will be kicking off with a Pre-Summit workshop in Seattle July 31st, 9am - 3pm. If you are interested in joining your peers for this workshop, please see the registration link below. Also, if you know someone in the Seattle area that would be good to have in the... Read more

Hi Everyone!

I am now in my last week in the Bay Area, and in my last three weeks at (my first 15 years at) SERA, as I will be leaving on my extended sabbatical at the end of April!

I will miss following this group's dialogue, and will especially miss attending the summits for the next couple of years! 

My colleagues Mark... Read more

If any of you did not get this via email directly from the AIA, here is the link to the AIA’s recent letter regarding HFCs…for firms to sign.

https://p2a.co/SlgBxFL

Looking for as many firms as possible to sign!

many thanks.

Mary Ann

Hey all,

I got plugged into this group about two weeks before GreenBuild and wasn't able to make it to the summit. I'm still catching up on all the work this group has been doing recently, but I know one of the big ticket items is the SCL Contractor Commitment. 

I've read through the commitment that was posted right before... Read more

Hi SAL friends,

As some of you have heard by now, we've decided to shut down this Peer Network.

After several years of trying, we have not managed to activate it as we had hoped. Given the urgency of the collective action we need to transform the building industry into a force for good in the world, we all need to focus our... Read more

Hello everyone,

Over the past couple of years the Climate Smart Wood Group has met monthly to discuss all things related to the use of timber in building design and construction.  From forestry practices, to supply chain and sourcing information, to design experiences and examples, the group has operated as an open forum for advancing... Read more

Our high performance consulting team is frustrated by project teams that regularly fall back on outdated rules of thumb in their system and equipment sizing. 

What challenges do you face in your work flow to limit oversizing and promote right-sizing?

By the way, Roger Chang, our literature search on the subject turned up an eleven... Read more

Hi folks,

Wondering if this group has insights about the low-embodied carbon product "Vertua" from Cemex, which appears to be a proprietary concrete product launched in 2020.

Our client wants to use CarbonCure; but our likely concrete sub is saying Cemex (where they typically source their concrete) offers an alternative called... Read more

Older buildings—especially those from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s—need our help. Many leave something to be desired in terms of aesthetics and comfort. But the truth is that they are part of the urban and suburban fabric now, and they aren’t going anywhere. As tempting as it might seem to tear them all down and replace them with high-performance... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Finding Furniture Without Toxic Flame Retardants.

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


1. Explain why avoiding toxic flame retardants is important.
2. Explain how we were swindled into dosing our buildings and our bodies with flame... Read more

We are looking to refine our general office specifications to weed out harmful materials and to prioritize sustainability for all of our clients. Have you had good experience with outsourced specification writers who are helping to push sustainability forward? Who do you recommend? Bonus points if they are familiar with Massachusetts codes and... Read more

Water and electrical metering and submetering equipment provide valuable diagnostic information and verification of building energy and water usage.

Measuring Water Use

The Alliance for Water Efficiency recommends metering all new connections, retrofitting meters onto existing unmetered connections, and submetering all new... Read more

As the Communications Associate, Petra works closely with both the marketing and editorial teams at BuildingGreen. Whether it is creating posts on Instagram, analyzing metrics, editing feature articles or writing news briefs.

Petra has a background in journalism, digital marketing and social media. She has a BA in journalism and media... Read more

Nothing exciting like embodied carbon or EPDs... but I'm interested in some real talk on the actual performance of low-flow fixtures.  

We continue to encounter pushback on water-saving fixtures for concerns of ongoing performance. I'd love to have a dialog in this group because I find it hard to believe these challenges can't be... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of "Spec This, Not That: Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects"!

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