Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects

We’re excited to issue our special report, Spec This, Not That.

In updating the report in 2020, we engaged a respected toxicology and regulatory-compliance firm to review and assist in our revision of the entire publication. This edition reflects the latest science in... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Better Choices in Low-Slope Roofing.

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


1. Explain life-cycle impacts, health and environmental hazards, and durability of low-slope roofing options.
2. Classify situations for which reflective roofing... Read more

Water and electrical metering and submetering equipment provide valuable diagnostic information and verification of building energy and water usage.

Measuring Water Use

The Alliance for Water Efficiency recommends metering all new connections, retrofitting meters onto existing unmetered connections, and submetering all new... Read more

Hey gang,

We're working on a project that's currently designed as mass timber. We're up against some cost control efforts (of course) and the CM/Client is asking about changing some of the building to steel or green steel. We set out with a goal on the project that within the core and shell, Module A GWP emissions will be net zero.... Read more

As you might well remember, one of the Working Groups that came out of the SummitPalooza earlier this year was for MEP Embodied Carbon & Refrigerants.  That Working Group began working with the Carbon Leadership Forum and is now excited to announce the rollout of the MEP 2040 Challenge: “All systems engineers shall advocate for and achieve... Read more

Is anyone planning on attending the WELL Conference in Scottsdale in March?  I'm trying to figure out if it's worth attending or not?

I am very interested to understand the deployment of LED temp jobsite lighting on a national level.  I think this all goes back to the low emitting jobsite.

1. Does your firm utilize temp jobsite lighting on your projects?  

2. Is this every project or a percentage of projects?

3. In your state or area is it prevalent, one... Read more

I really appreciated our day on Tuesday--seems that we had a great inaugural Summit, and covered a lot of important ground. 

Here are the raw notes (flip-chart pages) from the day. Some of us came away with Action Items--see the list on the last page. 

Five-minute presentation decks and a more polished report to follow shortly. We... Read more

Hi All,

I have a client interested in exploring the development of their own custom framework to address environmental, health/wellness, and data security, among other parameters, but would also like to have it audited by a 3rd party.

Leveraging ISO 14001 could be one option. I also understand that GreenCirle certifies a few... Read more

This came up a number of times at the SDL Tempe Summit so I thought I would share. If you have not already I highly recommend this recent research paper from the UW-IDL on the tradeoffs of operational and embodied carbon in envelope design in different climates. As a Passive House nerd it made me question the super-insulated envelope at least... Read more

In a recent e-mail to BuildingGreen subscribers, Paula Melton pointed out that USGBC has opened the call for suggestions for LEED v5.

Every day, I encounter dripping skepticism from building owners about LEED for New Construction, because of the many many times that the fanciful outcomes of energy, water, and daylight models bear little ... Read more

Hi all, 

You all know how much the Living Building Challenge and other ILFI programs have transformed the aspirations of our industry, right? This year ILFI has the privilege of being included in Washington's GiveBig campaign! For the next two days, you can help bring attention to the site, raise support and draw people to the page where... Read more

I hope this post finds you all well. Some news to share.  I have recently made a decision to leave Thornton Tomasetti with an eye toward finding another opportunity to use my 30+ years of green building experience, education, and advocacy to have an even larger impact on climate change. I am going to move slowly to ensure my next chapter is the... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Here are all the details about our Peer Network event in NYC on Wednesday, September 28th. If you'll be in town, we hope to see you!

From 1-5pm we'll have the NYC Regional Mini-Summit, open to members of any of the five Peer Networks (Sustainability Consultants, Community Design Leaders, Contractors, Architects... Read more

Has anyone found any options to recycle safety vests, or discovered an upcycling option for them?  We are about to replace all of our vests company-wide and will have thousands that we don't want in the waste stream and we don't want to be reused as safety vests.  Any thoughts or ideas would be great!

Thanks and I hope everyone is... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Introducing Fitwel v2.1!

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


1.  Explain the purpose of the Fitwel standard, including how it advances the goals of health and well-being of building occupants—as well as public health.

2. List nine ways in... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of What Makes Plumbing Green? BuildingGreen’s Guide to Plumbing Products.

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


1. Explain how plumbing products affect the environment in ways that go far beyond water consumption.
2. Describe ultra-high-... Read more

I am the Moderator of the 2023 Strategic Council and the call for nominations for the 2024-2026 Strategic Council at-large representatives has just been released.  I would encourage any interested parties to apply for this position.

The Strategic Council’s purpose is to develop ideas to inform future needs and opportunities for the... Read more