News Brief
Carol Venolia, Publisher/Editor
If “progressive construction” can be defined as pushing the tools and techniques of conventional builders in the direction of less environmental destruction, then Building With Nature’s material goes beyond progressive, into the forefront of visionary thinking about construction. This bimonthly newsletter, now... Read moreNews Analysis
EBN Advisory Board member Mike Nicklas led an international delegation of renewable energy experts in promoting sustainable energy at the Earth Summit last month. He and others were negotiating for inclusion of renewable energy and energy conservation measures into agreements being worked out for the United Nations... Read more
News Analysis
The City of Austin’s Green Builder Program was one of 12 award recipients in the United National Local Government Honours Programme at the Earth Summit in Rio, and the only winner from the United States. “The purpose of the Honours Programme is to recognize innovative local approaches to... Read more
Product Review
The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast,... 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
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
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
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
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
Forum topic
Hi all,
Thank you to those of you who attended the Greenbuild Show & Tell! We had an incredible time and learned so much from the presenters -- thanks so much to each of you for sharing.
I am including the slides for some of the presentations below. Please be aware that we have permission from all of the following presenters... Read more
Forum topic
Hello all,
I've been in communication with a few of you already, but for those who don't know me - my name is Jen and I'm a new member of the BuildingGreen team helping out with the Peer Networks. I've already been learning a lot, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the SDL Network and its members better!
Here are the... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
We have an exciting new addition to the Peer Networks Hub to share with you. The recordings of this summer’s 5 minute presentations are finally available! You can view the full list on the Resources Page in the Hub. Using the headings at the top, you can sort by presenter name, title, or the date or event at which the... Read more
Forum topic
Hi! I'm writing a short news piece on WELL v2 and looking for someone very familiar with the existing and v2 standards to interview about the changes. If you meet that description and would like to go on the record with your thoughts, please reply to me directly at paula@buildinggreen.com. Thanks!
Product Guide
Discarded tires are an environmental disaster, and finding a beneficial use for them is a high priority.
BuildingGreen-Approved Resilient FlooringBuildingGreen does not approve any flooring product that is made with tire-derived rubber, though some products may be appropriate for exterior use.
Environmental and Health Impacts of... Read moreReports, Courses, Study Guides, Live Webinars
If you are interested in sharing this WELL AP Exam Study Guide within your organization... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Sustainable Advising Leaders!
We have another call coming up next Tuesday, March 17th at 1pm Eastern Time. Here is an agenda, Zoom call information is below.
We'll dive into getting to know each other better and also talk about the best path forward for this group.
Hope you can join us!
Jen
Join Zoom... Read more
Forum topic
Hello Green Gurus,
Here is the information for October's Peer Networks Webinar, How to use the Building Environmental Justice Tool for your next project. We hope you will join us!
Register HERE
How to use the Building Environmental Justice Tool for your next project
Monday, October 24, 2022
2 - 3pm ET (11am -... Read more
Product Guide
Pint-flush and non-water urinals can save tens of thousands of gallons of potable water per year. A single non-water-using urinal can save more than 10,000 gallons of water per year compared with the U.S. EPA standard of 1.0 gallon per flush (gpf).
When older 3.0 gpf urinals are replaced, the savings can be as great as 50,000 gallons... Read more

