It isn’t just environmental zealots who are up in arms about the U.S. Forest Service’s policies on managing the nation’s timber resources. The Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics has jumped into the fray—from the inside. Jeff DeBonis, the Association’s founder and executive director,... Read more

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

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

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

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

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

Hello everyone!  There hasn’t been much activity on this forum in recent months, so we wanted to give an update about what’s been happening and things coming up. 

Firstly, we are very excited for the upcoming inaugural SCL Summit the day before Greenbuild.  We currently have about 20 people signed up for the Summit and we are expecting a... Read more

I was recently asked if there is a way to quantify financially what one MT eCO2 might be worth in the context of a building owner reducing their own carbon emissions.  How do you put a dollar value on those reductions?  Does anyone have experience with that or can you point me to the correct resource to answer this question?

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

The webinar occurred on Wednesday, February 23rd at 2:00 eastern.

USGBC and IWBI are beginning to see eye to eye across a range of focus areas. Knowing how to leverage each in a mutually beneficial way is the key to driving... Read more

Hi All,

I'm teaching a class this semester at CU Boulder on Zero Carbon Buildings and Cities (a new class that I'm making up as I go). The hardest part, I'm finding, is locating some good materials that cover the basics of energy efficiency for non-building engineers or designers (we are energy and sustainability generalists in this... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Whole-Building LCA Tools for LEED v4 and v4.1.

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


1.  Understand the basic goals of whole-building life-cycle assessment, including how it can improve environmental performance and contribute to credit achievement in... Read more

Hi All- I will be starting bi-weekly mtg for the PFAS working group to align on our goals as consicous firms and finalize our message aka 'letter to manufacturers' for reducing PFAS in building materials. Please email me (pgupta-garg@wrnsstudio.com) to let me know if you are interested in being a part of the group. First mtg will be next week... Read more

Anyone using the USG EcoSmart drywall? I'm writing a short product review and am looking for some quick feedback. I'm particularly curious about reduced greenhouse gas emissions and overall cost. Thanks! Brent

Hi Green Gurus!

We’ve gotten GREAT feedback and input from many of you via the survey about our planned fall events. You expressed a lot of interest in all the events we proposed: a series of in-depth Integrative Design Jams, separate Summits for SDL and SCL, and regional all-network workshops, starting with one in Boston—so we’re moving... Read more

Hello SDL friends,

It has been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with so many of you through this group or through my work with Tally, the USGBC, ILFI, and in my role as an environmental researcher at KieranTimberlake. This is not so much a goodbye as it is a "hope to see you soon." I am making a shift away from building design into... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of The Death and Rebirth of DC Power. 

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


Explain when and how to integrate DC power into buildings, and the benefits of doing so.

Understand the history and background of AC and DC power in the U.S.

... Read more