Hi all - I can't remember this topic being posted recently so here goes. With fossil fuel free finally being something our clients are increasingly wanting to know about, we are stuck on diesel generators. They have several advantages including: cost, inherent refillability from a truck, reliability, and are the market standard. In initial... Read more

Water treatment systems often rely on harsh chemicals to treat bacteria, and on high water use from drawdown of water to reduce build-up of concentrates—a process called blowdown.

BuildingGreen-Approved Water Treatment

BuildingGreen approves systems that:

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Shane, please confirm that there is a meeting this Friday (4/6) and if the time is 3:00 ET. We plan to have at least one member from our team there. Also, please forward the links/numbers for joining the meeting.

It would be helpful to know any questions you have ahead of time (if possible) so we can bring answers and what portion of... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Can Commercial Kitchens Go Electric?

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


Understand why building electrification can be better for the environment and human health than use of fossil fuels, including natural gas.

List eight reasons... Read more

Hi all,

Later today, we will be delivering the BITuser development site ready for content input. Andrea has created instructions to help get you started.

We would like to set up a few editor profiles for you. Could you let us know who should have a profile for content management? We need first and last name and an email.

... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Engineering a Wood Revolution

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


1. Compare engineered wood to steel and concrete; and describe how engineered wood offers better dimensional stability, less waste, and more consistent performance than... Read more

Cher Hiblthren

I suspect that some of you have already seen this or already signed it, but just in case, for your consideration:

Add your voice to the powerful chorus for climate policy and sign the LEAD statement.

More than 500 sustainability professionals have now signed, and the number is growing! 

To learn more about this: please read... Read more

Hi friends, 

Before i forget, here is the checklist I mentioned yesterday that got such a positive response in our office - again it came about after i was asked (for the Nth time) to write a sustainability description for a concept proposal/ RFP that I was not a part of and frankly didn't have a lot going for it. So it's framed as "you... Read more

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

Green Gurus,

We'd love your feedback.

The MEP group is endeavoring to make progress on integrative design. It has been long accepted that integrative design is necessary to make real progress, but a lack of stellar results demonstrates that it is easier said than done.

What is your experience with successes and failures... Read more

Hi, all.

Has anyone used Unicel's Timber Curtain Wall System? It uses engineered glulam wood mullions on the inside with aluminum mullion caps / butt joints. Has anyone gotten close to using it, but couldn't get it procured for a particular reason? They note up to 72% more energy efficienct than a conventional aluminum curtain wall and... Read more

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...

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

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

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