News Analysis
A study published in the June 5, 1992, issue of
Science by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona suggests that smoke emitted into the atmosphere from human activities may be having a significant effect in counteracting... Read more
Product Review
To the best of our knowledge, this product is now being marketed under the name Rauhsaser by Better Wall System of Kenora, ON.
CoverAge is a tacky name for a great product that all remodelers should know about. It is a paintable, textured wallpaper that’s made entirely of recycled paper (at... Read moreFeature
Ozone depletion and global warming are two of our most serious environmental problems—and foam insulation materials containing CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contribute significantly to both of these problems. The environmentally concerned builder or designer should make it a highest priority to avoid them. Even many of the non-CFC alternatives... Read more
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
Forum topic
Our firm is looking into our hiring process with JEDI objectives and looking for examples that have been successful. Just like any other firms, we utilize career fair opportunities from local Universities, we have scholarship & endowment programs for several institutions, which became a major pipeline. We are working on evaluating all... Read more
Forum topic
Hey Team,
I'm in a Living Future session where a number of manufacturers are talking about the low uptake they're seeing in their take back programs. Contractor friends... What barriers (if any) are you running into in using take back programs? How might we as architects help increase utilization of these programs?
Aley
Forum topic
This would be a great place to share insights and reflections from the opening session.
Forum topic
Imagine folks have seen this, but thought it was worth bringing up: this study which shows the great need to build new renewable infrastructure to support electrification.
I've been in a few discussions with folks where we've discussed how electrification is objectively a good goal, but are we passing carbon from one source to another?... Read more
Forum topic
Hi all,
AGC is the biggest umbrella organization for general contractors in the states. To date, there has been practically no interaction between the SCL and AGC. In my mind, the SCL group is the most knowledgeable group of dedicated sustainability professionals out there; so is there a way that we can partner with AGC to collaborate ... 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
Hi Everyone!
Here is your friendly reminder for the last call to submit your Salary Survey! Here is a PDF to collect your thoughts first if that is helpful.
*This survey will be closed end of day Friday Feb. 15th.*
Important Note: There is a link to a Google Form at the end of the survey to let us know you have completed... Read more
Forum topic
Mark your calendars! Wednesday March 9th, 3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT) - Sustainability Leaders State of the Regions.
We’ve seen a lot of momentum building around the potential for regional Sustainability Leaders groups, and we want to learn how best to support this activity. On this call, we’ll have a few currently active regional groups share... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of "The Potential of Prefab: How Modular Construction Can Be Green"!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Forum topic
Hello good people and fabulous troublemakers,
PFAS is in everything. In May, the NY Times published an article about this, along with the governments work to remove it from drinking water. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/climate/six-things-to-know-about-forever-chemicals.html
As you may know, a working group has been gathering... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:


