Hey Team,

Has anyone had experience either taking or delivering a Carbon Cure CEU that ISN'T from Carbon Cure? We have a project for which Carbon Cure is a really good option to reduce embodied carbon, but the client has now started having second thoughts and we're looking to get them a CEU on it that isn't from Carbon Cure directly so... Read more

Cabinets are often made from unsustainable wood bound with adhesives that offgas formaldehyde and finishes that have high emissions or contain PVC.

BuildingGreen-Approved Cabinetry

Approved residential cabinetry has:

Please share your thoughts in preparation for our monthly call this Thursday (call info below). 

Given these items that are changing at AIA, are any of them motivating changes within your firm? If so, how? If not, why?

1. Awards criteria now includes COTE Measures of Design Excellence

2. Code of Ethics now includes rule on... Read more

Consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Passive Solar Heating.

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


1. Explain the three classic approaches to passive solar.
2. Understand the relevance of passive solar today.
3. Describe some key elements of passive solar design.
... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

Here's another fun announcement to help round out this year and get us excited for the next to begin: Join us in 2022 for First Friday Fikas!

What is a fika? Pronounced fee-ka, this is a Swedish custom of taking a break from work to have a coffee and a snack while catching up with friends. It’s a... Read more

A new article addressing whether PFAS finishes on upholstery fabric actually work (Spoiler alert - they don't) has been published and can be found here:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/24723444231159856

This is authored by the fine folks at Green Science Policy, Arlene Blum's group that is the source of the Six Classes of... Read more

Hope I'm posting this in the right place.  I have a client who's interested in estimating the embodied carbon of multiple buildings (primarily apartment buildings) they own and operate.  Not sure if I'll have access to drawings or area takeoffs of materials for their buildings.  How would you approach this?  Would appreciate input on resources... Read more

Hello friends,

We are looking for recommendations for solar photovoltaic consultants to support one of our projects. We have used SEI in the past, but would like to develop a deeper bench and approach it from another angle. We aren’t too concerned about the consultant’s location, but are looking for someone that is on top of the current... Read more

Hi all,

Thanks for your patience as we've finally compressed this video file enough to upload it onto the forum. You can watch the recording of "Are We There Yet? A Sampling and Exploration of Project Process Diagrams" here.

Enjoy!

-Amanda & the BuildingGreen team

Dear SDL'ers

After many months of soul searching about my role as a sustainability leader and how to have the most positive environmental impact, I have decided to take a leave from practice to pursue further studies this September. I will be undertaking a two year Master’s degree at the Institute for Resources, Environment and... Read more

This just in from AIA Leadership:

https://www.aia.org/pages/6522198-aia-statement-on-scotus-decision-in-west-v

Please share this with your networks.

Thanks.

Mary Ann

The Minnesota CLF chapter’s Specification Subgroup (myself, Andy Marolt/Ryan Companies, Laura Eder/ESG, Java Nyamjav/MSR Design, with input from Annie Perkins/SFI) recently collaborated on a draft set of specification templates incorporating embodied carbon requirements into product performance and action submittals. This work builds on sample... Read more

Dear SDL,

After almost 12 years at Sasaki, I have finally decided to leave for a path slightly-less-traveled. My own development project in Boston (passive house, ZNE condos) is in construction and I will be focusing my attention on that over the course of this year, and then hoping to continue doing similar integrated... Read more

We just wrapped up an awesome Winter Summit at Gulf State Park in Alabama. I'll be posting flip chart pages and notes here--we can use this forum to continue the conversations. 

Apologies for the flurry of emails, but it seems best to start separate threads for each topic. If you'd rather limit the flow, you can switch to daily digest... Read more

Colleagues

It has been my great pleasure to serve the AIA's COTE Top Ten review process, both as a main juror and, most recently, as one of the technical review team.  I have specifically reviewed the Discovery and Energy measures for the past few years.  I will be serving again on the 2021 team.  The AIA has already received many more... Read more

Producing a ton of cement releases approximately a ton of CO2 into the atmosphere, but accessories like finishes and additives can also be major sources of VOCs, soil contamination, and human health risks.

BuildingGreen-Approved Concrete Accessories

BuildingGreen approves the following concrete accessories: