Hi Everyone - I'm posting this on behalf of Jeff Frost whom many of you know from his days as an SD Leader with SmithGroup and SERA and in his new role as head of Brightworks Sustainability's materials group.  I am excited to be working with Jeff on this concept of multi-attribute product scoring.  Cheers, Lona

Dear SDL’ers,

We’ve... Read more

Hello Sustainable Advising Leaders,

Happy 2022! Here's your reminder that this network's first monthly call of the year is next Tuesday, January 25 at 3pm ET. Zoom call information is below.

All members of the network are welcome! You can see the agenda here. Here's a quick preview:

Hey Peer Network! Curious, if we can crowd-source a solution here for the pervious pavers at our Omaha office (climate zone 5A). Apparently over the years we've tried to add different kinds of fill here (gravel) but it keeps... disappearing. Any recommendations with either a replacement product or fill item? 

Virgin materials can come with major environmental impacts from mining, petroleum extraction, or irresponsible logging practices.

BuildingGreen-Approved Site Furnishings

All approved products contain some post-consumer recycled content, with several boasting 90%–100% overall recycled material. Wood products are responsibly sourced... Read more

Hi everyone! I'm extremely pleased to be back in this group after a couple of years out and I'll spare no time in spamming your inboxes. 

MASS is working with UT Austin to help them evaluate their campus buildings for reuse firstly and then deconstruction and material reuse. Their campus, as with most campuses, is constantly being built... Read more

P.J. is an accomplished writer and speaker who brings passion, humor, and discernment to all her work.

Whether it’s a spotlight report on decarbonization, a webinar on ESG, or just a chummy email bulletin, she is ferociously committed to truth and accuracy.

Greetings to all of the AEC SD Leaders (a.k.a. the Green Gurus)!

Over the last two months, the 32-member Build-Back-Better (BBB) letter working group has developed a robust list of first 100-days, built-environment-focused executive actions for the Biden administration to consider. Kara Kempski, the AIA’s Director of Federal Relations,... Read more

I'm still basking in the glow of yet another great Summit. I hope others who were there are feeling the same.

Here are the flip-chart pages from the many round-table conversations. Five-minute presentations to come shortly, followed by the Summit Report.

Feel free to use this thread to share other resources and thoughts.

... Read more

Are there any metrics for % increase for building PH vs conventional?  These questions are always really hard- especially when there are none to compare to in area.

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking for projects in Chicago that are exemplary in at least one of the following topics: Biophilia, Sustainability, Resilience, or Well-being. I know there is overlap in these topics but we're doing an internal design exercise and are looking at how these different ideas relate and are articulated in buildings. We'... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Introduction to WELL Certification: On-Demand Webcast.

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


1.  Identify the Seven Concepts within WELL.

2.  Describe the differences between WELL and other frameworks such as LEED & Fitwel.

3.  List... Read more

Hey all - sorry I won't be able to join our call today. I had a client request an emergency meeting today (boo) because corporate mandated that they eliminate fossil fuel use from all their buildings (yay!) by 2025 and they've got a project underway that needs to pivot quickly. 

Had I been able to join, I wanted to share this in case... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Cladding: More Than Just a Pretty Façade

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


1. Explain how different commercial wall assemblies handle moisture.
2. Know what questions to ask to determine a cladding system's environmental impact.... Read more

Hi SD Leader: Please review, consider or pass along this terrific new position leading the Sustainability strategic direction at the Washington University School of Medicine. WashU has an ambitious sustainability leader role regionally and across the nation and the School of Medicine (highly ranked nationally) plays a big role in that. The job... Read more

I was shocked to see this new research. Bad news is that acrylic paints are causing 58% of the microplastics pollution in our ocean. Yes, they are plastic. A recent study by Environmental Action, a Swiss-based scientific research firm, shows us that acrylic paint's role in plastic pollution is much greater than most of us realize. The good news... Read more

As part of the Philadelphia AIA COTE, we have been proposing implementing sustainability in some fashion into the design awards with our chapter's design committee.  I know that many of you have been down this road before, and wanted to get your feedback at a high level about what your local COTE is doing.  Anyone who's interested, can you... Read more

Has anyone had experience working with Hyper Metro (http://hypermetro.co/)? If so, did you find this company to provide value especially in dense urban environments where on-site segregation poses challenges to manage multiple C&D material streams on site? Hyper Metro claims to be able to provide rebates and to pay us for our trash.