For those of you who have attended the event above, I think you will agree this has been a high quality event.  But DFC is changing the forum this year. Instead of holding an annual event in September, this year they are holding 4 half day events around the country.  Attendance will be limited to 40 people and it is focused on sustainability... Read more

Hi all - I am in need of specification language for wood sourced from tribally owned and managed forests. Does anybody have examples they would be willing to share? I would be so greateful! thank you

Per our discussion on today's SMEP call, it would be interesting to have a more in-depth discussion on Indoor Air Quality. Questions I have personally...

Wondering if we can have a dialog on HVAC load calculation software... we are currently still using Trane Trace 700, but with the future migration to Trace 3D+ coming are looking into other options. Never used HAP but I haven't heard great things, and we dabbled in IES VE for a while, but went back to Trace since at that time there was no... Read more

Is your team working on a LEED v4 or WELL project? 

Finding products for these projects is daunting, and even when you find products you believe will meet the requirements, you have to know exactly... Read more

Many of today’s surface coatings are either too toxic or lack durability and require too much maintenance to be viable choices for commercial or heavy residential use.

BuildingGreen-Approved Coatings

Products approved by BuildingGreen meet California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District’s strict VOC limits. They also:... Read more

I read a very misleading article on the AIA's website today regarding antimicrobials and the benefit of microbicidals in paint. It was written by a manufacturer, not a healthcare professional, and was not obviously labeled as sponsored content on the website. (I received the link in an email, which did label it as such).

https://www.aia.... Read more

Hi all,

I am working on a Div 01 sustainability spec section for our firm to include by default on all projects. I've been finding a lot of great sample language out there for embodied carbon measures and material transparency (huge thanks to anyone here who had a part in developing those resources). 

One thing I'd like to include... Read more

Has anyone heard of floating solar technology? I can't think of an application other than covering power plant retention or agricultural waste lagoons. Covering up the sun on a natural body of water and adding electrical wiring seems like a bad idea. I am curious though if others have heard of this technology and have other (unbiased) ideas... Read more

Hi all - at the suggestion of Nadav and some of the Sustainable MEP Leaders, I'm reposting a thread I started a couple days ago in the SMEP forum.

In response to increasingly aggressive (and effective) targeting of building owners (particularly schools), a group of researchers have put their support behind a letter warning against the... Read more

Hans “Grumpy” Grimm

Thought I'd share this interesting research about something I hadn't considered as another pandemic impact - the use of video in Zoom etc calls vs. audio only. Maybe an excuse to keep your camera off some of the time?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210114134033.htm

MAL

Hi all,

Here's a good follow up to Maria's steel question on Monday.  We have a Midwest project that unfortunately (from a carbon perspective) is required to use a traditional, thick precast facade.  We’re working with the contractor and potential future (not yet bid out) fabricators to determine an appropriate % of pozzolanic material... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of What You Need to Know About Concrete and Green Building.

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


1. Recognize concrete's environmental footprint and how to reduce the quantity of concrete used in buildings.
2. List the advantages and... Read more