Hope you can join the Small Firm Sustainable Design Leaders CALL this Thursday, 12/12 @ 1pm Eastern. 

                Join Zoom Meeting
                https://zoom.us/j/629388002

AGENDA

Nadav will lead a conversation about the new(ish) sustainability clauses in AIA’s Code of Ethics

1. Do you think that they... Read more

For folks in the Southern New England, New York City area, I wanted to let you know about this interestesting design summit that is focusing on eliminating forced and slave labor in the building materials supply chain. I am not involved in organizing the summit, but I plan to attend. It is at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT from 9:00 to 5:30 on... Read more

Now that Ben has set up access restrictions, we have to decide what message to put on "paywall" screens. For example, on the Best Practices pages, the "Official language" tab is fully accessible, but if an anonymous user clicks on any of the other tabs they'll hit a login wall:

https://live-bituser.pantheonsite.io/best-practice/energy-... Read more

Hello everyone,

Wondering if anyone has evaluated/considered/specified wood fiber insulation for use in lieu of mineral wool as the exterior wall insulation?  Am mostly looking to better understand domestic availability, r-value and fire/combustibility.

We have a multi-family building in DC where the client is interested in using... 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:

Hi SDL'ers, as promised I am sending information about how to support getting flame retardants out of foam insulation. I am attaching a draft letter to Foam Manufacturers, an intro to that letter giving some background and a list of From manufacturers.   Thanks, please contact if you have any questions.   Larry Strain, Siegel & Strain... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

We have an exciting cross-network opportunity coming up next week! Members of the SDL (Design Leaders) and SCL (Construction Leaders) networks will share about their experience at the recent SDL/SCL Summits. We will also preview the Reports for each Summit, and share some news about other events coming up this year.... Read more

Hello, 

All my experience with sustainability has been at the building-level. We are currently being asked within an RFP to list our firm's ESG score and certifying organization. Our firm is about 300-employees and is owned soley by the employees. 

When do A/E firms obtain an ESG score?

is it based on company size? or... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of The Great Eight: High-Impact Material Choices for Green Building.

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


1. Specify green building materials in product categories that truly make a difference for human health, the environment, or both.
2. Conduct a... Read more

Hello SD Leaders!

I recently joined and looking forward to all the amazing dialog. I was told that for membership to be official, I must reveal my unsustainable secret. As much as I preach environmental protection in architecture, I’m a bit of a motorhead with a 1967 HP 289 Mustang that I resurrected from a junk yard when I was 16 — that... Read more

Hello everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that I'm no longer at Bergmeyer and have moved on to a new position at Sustainable Brands as of this week.  As a non-architect/non-designer, it's always meant so much to me how readily I was accepted into this group and how much of your knowledge and expertise you willingly shared.  As is the... Read more

I am putting together my conference/training budgets for 2023 and I am hoping to add a BuidlingGreen SDL in-person summit to my list. Are there any plans for in-person summits in 2023? I seem to remember Nadav speculating about Puerto Rico as a location for a Winter summit. Wishful thinking?

As BuildingGreen’s Content & Data Wrangler, Fran is a spreadsheet and content-management wiz who:

Fran also compiles data submissions... Read more

Hello, folks! We recently had contact with Northeastern University about sand. I know it sounds ... dry. But sand shortages are a serious issue globally and are leading to criminal activity everywhere and even "sand mafias" in poorer nations without resources to enforce mining laws.

The ask from Northeastern is that BuildingGreen amplify... Read more

Hello,

Has anyone come across a rating system 'crosswalk' infographic?

Cheers, Mona

Our fledgling group had an organizing call last Tuesday, March 17th. Of course, it was a great conversation - the group is full of amazing people! The focus of our conversation was the goals and actions that should drive this group forward. I have a few ideas. Please share your own in this thread!

I start from the belief that we see our... Read more