News Brief
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
Feature
Susan Maxman is the first AIA president to make sustainable design a priority.
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
Feature
Carefully stake the building site and driveway, remove trees that are within the excavation area or too close, then erect a fence to keep heavy equipment off fragile soils and away from nearby trees.
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
Op-Ed
Introducing the first issue of our newsletter.
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
Product Guide
Faucets with high flow rates waste water—not to mention the energy used to treat and deliver it to our buildings—and the additional water stresses our wastewater treatment systems.
Warnings Low-flow faucets may not be appropriate for every application. Where there are long pipe runs or large-diameter supply pipes, it can take longer for... Read moreForum topic
First, special shout out to Carolyn Day from Perkins Eastman for getting permission to use their Pro-zoom account for this Greenbuild wrap-up social session, because...frankly...Greenbuild just wasn't the same without all of you.
So, while we can't be together in person, that doesn't mean we are stuck by ourselves. Grab a refreshment and... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Driving to Green Buildings: The Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Define “transportation energy intensity” as it relates to buildings and understand its impacts on the environment, human health, and... Read more
Forum topic
My colleague, Kira Gould, from the AIA National COTE communications committee, has a great question I am reposting here...
AIA National COTE: In the early 00s, COTE supported an initiative through which we created a Guide to the Green RFP and collected sample RFP language. That now dated guide is no longer findable in our resources and... Read more
Forum topic
I am excited to share with you the final draft of the letter back to LP50 manufacturers. The LP50 manufacturers sent their “Closing the Loop on Product Transparency” to design firms earlier this year. For more background information, please check out Chris Hellstern's original August 20th post on this Green Gurus forum. When we posted the... Read more
Author
Andrea first became familiar with BuildingGreen in 2010 when she and her husband moved to Vermont and built their own passive house from the ground up. BuildingGreen’s president Nadav Malin heard about the project and asked if the staff could take a tour, and the rest is history. She joined the BuildingGreen team part-time in 2011 to work on... Read more
Forum topic
This is something I have been tracking since last year. The same or similar bill was introduced in 2022 but failed by one vote. This would mandate carbon reporting for any company with revenue of $1B or more AND which does business in California. Unlike the upcoming SEC reporting requirements, this would apply to both private and public... Read more
Forum topic
I am forwarding this request from Kate Simonen from the Carbon Leadership Forum to support a grant application for this research. I don't know if the link will work in this format but if you have questions or want to sign you can contact me or Kate and I can send you the mail with the link my email is: lstrain@siegelstrain.com Thanks... Read more
Reports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
Looking for another study option? See BuildingGreen's WELL AP Exam Study Guide and Practice ExamsThis one-hour crash course will review the concepts and key facts within the WELL Building Standard that are covered most extensively on the WELL AP exam. By... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
Thank you again to those of you who attended the Spring 2024 SCL Summit! We had an amazing day of learning from one another, including from our presenters.
The slides for the 5-minute presentations are below, as well as the BuildingGreen slides from the Summit. Please be aware that we have permission from all of the... Read more
Forum topic
Hello friends, Posting this to help out a friend that you all know!
(please reply directly to Kira at her email below) Tx
Dear Gurus,
I am curating/hosting a panel at CarbonPositive RESET:
DESIGNED FOR CLIMATE: A New Construction Showcase
North & South America: September 8, 2020 | 4:45-5:25pm (PST)
... Read moreQuiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Measuring Energy Use in Buildings: Do Our Metrics Really Add Up?.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the differences between site energy, source energy, and energy cost.
2. Summarize three ways in which source energy can... Read more
Peer Network Event
Forum topic
SAVE THE DATE: ALL Peer Networks Show & Tell
Tuesday, November 19 | 8pm - 10pm
The Kendeda Building, Georgia Tech | Atlanta, GA
Start your time at Greenbuild on a high note!
Join your Peer Networks Colleagues from SDL, SCL, MEP, SDLS, and SAL for a high energy evening full of lightning round previews of the best... Read more
