Hi friends,

As you might have seen from my op ed last week on BuildingGreen.com, I’m convinced that just voting is not enough; we all need to do all we can to improve our chances of success in this election. My wife Janice and I have been writing get-out-the-vote letters using Vote Forward as our platform. I thought it might be fun, and... Read more

In this live webinar on the sustainability of wood construction, we tap the expertise of leaders in the field and look into three main issues:

I'm happy to let you know that Barbra Batshalom has joined the Green Gurus forum!

Many of you already know her from her Sustainable Performance Institute work, and from the great workshop she and her husband Moshe Cohen led before our Boston Summit, but she is also serving a consulting SD Leader for several firms. I'll let her say more... Read more

Does adding solar panels reduce a building's EUI?

Existing operational use of a building is 80 kBtu/sf/year. When we add solar, it will change the source of energy but does not change the usage.

My understanding is that the EUI does not change, but it would be good to hear from others.

It's energy consumption at the point... Read more

This month on our Sustainable MEP Leaders call we were asked what resources would be suggested for advancing integrative design.

Two books immediately came to mind for me:

How Building Learn, by Stewart Brand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Buildings_Learn

It was many years ago but reading Stewart Brand’s How... Read more

Hi folks - update here for our FUN saturday night "show"!! What a great way to start the year and celebrate new beginnings!

The Lighter Side of Green will air THIS coming Sat night at 7pm with Anne Hicks Harney MC'ing - check out the link to see the roster of amazing talent and log on for great tunes, humor, camraderie and community! ... Read more

Huge shout out to Patty Lloyd, Luke Leung, Janet Olsen, and Sarah Gudeman for their webinar on the Power of Peer Networks. They share lots of insights into the value of participating in BG Peer Networks and many others. Ten bucks to Illinois Green gets you access to the recording--I loved it. What would you have said that they didn't?

Hi,

I have a colleague doing research on PCM in several projects. For context in their report, they were wondering if this group has seen any recent increase in application of PCMs in recent years. Is it just in ceilings or other applications? If so, what products are being used? They were having difficulty finding manufacturers other... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of How to Spot Greenwash--A BuildingGreen Webinar.

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


1. Understand the characteristics of quality standards and certifications to help screen out greenwash.
2. Recognize strengths and weaknesses of... Read more

Wood was the first material used in window frame and sash construction, and it remains popular for homes with its warm feel and relatively high energy efficiency.

BuildingGreen-Approved Windows

Wood windows must achieve an NFRC-certified unit U-factor of 0.22 or lower. Manufacturers also must demonstrate that their highest-... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Downscaled Climate Data: Where to Get It and How to Use It.

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


1.  Define “downscaled climate data” and understand where to find it and how to apply it in modeling to achieve greater environmental sustainability and... Read more

Hi All, wanted to share this webinar below :
The AIA 2030 Commitment and the Design Data Exchange (DDx) have transformed the way architecture firms collect project data on energy and carbon metrics, but it has never been a good place to visually understand these metrics. Architects tend to be visual people and have an intuitive... Read more

Hi all, curious if anyone is involved with development / advocacy for the new MA stretch code? https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stretch-energy-code-development-2022 

My firm recently added a Boston location & I'm slowly getting to know the green building world there - would love to know if anyone is organizing public comments on the... Read more

Attached are the raw notes from the Design Process Conversations.

And here are the Guiding Questions from the Agenda Survey:

Design Process: how to intervene to get better outcomes?

How do I crack the nut of making a difference within my firm in the Design Process?

What strategies alter our fast-paced design... Read more

My firm is mobilizing for a year of carbon awareness and reduction that goes beyond the energy consumption of our designs. We are looking to hire a full time person to take on LCA tracking for our current projects. Ideally it is a climate crisis super-hero of sorts who could also look at our design process and help develop multi-faceted... Read more

HGA is looking to fill several positions, including: a senior leader for resilience services and research, senior and junior simulation experts, senior and junior sustainability leaders. Please pass this along to anyone interested in working in a collaborative, passionate, and seriously fun team setting. Locations all over the country too.... Read more

I have been watching LEED Zero for a while, and have appreciated certain things, but one thing I think is an absolute disaster is their allowance of mainline RECs for claiming Zero Energy and Zero Carbon performance.  I just asked this question on the LEED Zero webinar, and the panelist basically said, "it's part of LEED Zero, therefore it is... Read more