Interior doors may be a source of indoor emissions, and wood can be unsustainably sourced.

BuildingGreen-Approved Doors

BuildingGreen approves interior doors made from FSC-certified wood or reclaimed wood as well as composite doors with environmental features like:

What better way to follow up the magic of a live presentation from Peter Yost than with 15 free days of BuildingGreen Premium?

I'm hoping for some help answering the question of whether buildings/communities should pursue net-zero energy on site versus investing in new renewable energy (i.e. through the electric utility) that can be built at a more efficient scale elsewhere in the state. Our utility is asking us this question as we are working through how to get the... Read more

Related to some recent questions on site-specific sun/wind analysis and early energy modeling tools, are there any tools that account for nearby topography (like bluffs) or large buildings/vegetation in energy calculations? Or favorite methods to estimate its impact particularly during early massing studies?

Thanks,

Rachel

A site license allows your entire organization to access and share the guide, and to keep a copy in your library.  

We’re excited to be releasing the 2020 edition of Spec This, Not That. 

... Read more

Southface will need a procedure for adding and assigning SMEs to the BITuser site. Normally you could just create the user in BITuser and assign the role right there, but we have the added complication of Salesforce SSO, which means the sequence will have a few extra steps.

Here's the basic outline:

Does adding solar panels reduce a building's EUI?

Existing operational use of a building is 80 kBtu/sf/year. When we add solar, it will change the source of energy but does not change the usage.

My understanding is that the EUI does not change, but it would be good to hear from others.

It's energy consumption at the point... Read more

Hi Everyone, just as governors are regionally deciding how to reopen their economies, it's probably time we started thinking about what getting back to work looks like for us.  And, just as governors are leaning on each other for ideas and coordination, we can benefit from discussing strategies as a group.  To that end, I wanted to get your... Read more

If you haven't seen it yet, today's U.N. report "Making Peace With Nature" tackles climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution jointly within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The analysis is anchored in current economic, social and ecological reality and framed by economics and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable... Read more

What is the lag time for historical embodied carbon data catching up with real-time information as manufacturers source renewable energy? Is our professional time best spent calculating with out-of-date information or more simply calling for manufacturers' elimination of fossil fuel combustion in their production and transportation of materials... Read more

Auto-quiz used for CEUs for attendees of the 2023 SCL Wintger Summit.

Hi folks,

We will be having a call for the Sustainable MEP Leaders group on Monday, April 8 at 3pm Eastern time. Hope you can join us! We'll be talking about our first in-person Summit, as well as diving into discussion about some top-of-mind topics related to being a sustainability point person within an MEP commercial practice. Here’s... Read more

Question for you all: there is this wonderful graph showing how we can shift mechanical and electrical dollars into envelope investments to make deep energy savings cost-neutral. Have you experienced this on a project?

1-minute or less survey! (two questions, more detail if you want)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of What Makes a Product Green?.

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


1. List and describe at least three attributes that address each of the following categories: "efficient use of materials"; "responsible sourcing"; "energy and water... Read more

Greetings, colleagues!

Here's an opportunity for this community from AIA COTE Advocacy: US Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, is looking for input from national stakeholder groups to help develop new federal climate legislation. Congressman Tonko... Read more

Metal roofs can also provide high solar reflectance, minimizing a building’s contribution to the urban heat island effect. 

BuildingGreen-approved

Materials and finishes recognized by Energy Star maintain solar reflectance levels after three years of use of 50% for low-slope and 15% for steep-slope. Some unpainted metals and many... Read more