Author
Katherine keeps BuildingGreen’s physical and digital spaces running smoothly. A graduate with honors from the University of Iowa, Katherine has a background in filmmaking and administration. She lives in southeastern Vermont with her partner and enjoys hiking, board games, writing, and cats.
Spotlight Report
When BuildingGreen started publication in 1992, simply finding building products designed with environmental benefits in mind was a big challenge.
In the years since we’ve seen rapid advances in green building materials and products, and manufacturers are beginning to take topics such as embodied carbon and social justice concerns—... Read more
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Hi all,
We are taking a deep look at green accreditations within our firm. Gone are the days when we could say: "our staff is XX% LEED APs!" as a metric of firm progress. Here are a few questions we are asking ourselves, and I'm wondering how you approach this in your firms:
How does your firm "recognize" accreditations: are they... Read moreForum topic
Hi folks,
On today's call James Peterson will be introducing a conversation about how COVID might have changed our ways of working.
If there's time afterwards, we can take a look at this draft article from the USGBC research team. They're interested in our input on how we might want to analyze the info on electrification rates in... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of Finding Furniture Without Toxic Flame Retardants.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain why avoiding toxic flame retardants is important.
2. Explain how we were swindled into dosing our buildings and our bodies with flame... Read more
Quiz
Welcome to the quiz portion of "Spec This, Not That: Avoiding Toxic Chemicals in Commercial Building Projects"!
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Forum topic
Dear Esteemed colleagues: I was recently asked a good question in light of the impending (fingers crossed) passage of the reconciliation bill that will bring alot of funding to energy efficiency/decarbonization upgrades at the residential scale. The question is: What are the arguments/ scenarios about the importance for homeowners to contract... Read more
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Hi: Please check out the fantastic editorial from Ned Cramer at Architect on "The Future of Architecture Education is the Future of Civilization". The deadline to comment on the latest draft of the NAAB accreditation criteria is November 22 and, as in the past draft, it falls far short of prioritizing climate action and sustainability. VERY... Read more
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Hello SCL,
Quick reminder to sign up for our SCL Summit in May! True to usual form, we ask what’s important to YOU before we finalize an agenda. In the next couple of weeks, we will be sending out a draft agenda and asking for your feedback. Sign up now so your voice will be heard. Initial ideas so far have included:
Refining our... Read moreForum topic
Hi all,
I'm excited to announce that LHB (my 250-person multidisciplinary firm located in Minnesota and Wisconsin) is hiring a full-time Regenerative Design Leader. I thought this might be helpful for those of you looking for example job descriptions for your own postings, or if you are looking to make a move (we do have an office in... Read more
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Hello, All! I'm hoping for your help to keep a green roof on a project of ours. We have a large healthcare project in the Midwest that is coming in over budget. To avoid losing our extensive green roof, I'm looking for alternate sources of funding - grants, private sources, etc. Has anyone gone down this path before and have shareable... Read more
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Green Gurus,
Taking advantage of the good stuff that this pandemic is leaving us with, the Boston COTE has gone virtual for its meetings. That means that all of you around the country can join our great program.
Coming up next Wednesday at 2pm EDT (11am PDT, 1pm CDT) we'll have the always inspiring Andrea Love present along with... Read more
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Hello SCL,
Our diligent Contractor's Commitment working group (led by the great Amanda Atkinson) have reviewed a massive amount of feedback and will soon be releasing an updated version of the program (CC 2.0). We will need a majority of the SCL membership to vote YES to adopt the updated version for 2023.
In advance of the vote... Read more
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Hello Everyone,
Here is the 2019 SCL Demographics Report, thank you to everyone who submitted responses. Enjoy!
The SCL Salary Survey Report will be coming next and please note that the Salary Survey is only distributed to those who participated.
All the best,
RoseAnn
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Hi all,
After almost eleven years in this group, today is my last day at Perkins Eastman as I move on to a new step in my career at JLL (wish me luck!). This group has been invaluable to me both professionally and personally, and I have loved connecting with so many of you over the years, over the course of so many events! I hope to make... Read more
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Hey Everyone!
My firm in collaboration with our architect partner organize the REBUILD conference in Cincinnati on October 5th, so I wanted to make a post for those interested to sign up.
At the 2022 REBUILD Conference, we want to Be Positive + and bring sustainability leaders together to celebrate advancement, advocate for... Read more
Product Guide
Cabinets are often made from unsustainable wood bound with adhesives that offgas formaldehyde and finishes that have high emissions or contain PVC.
BuildingGreen-Approved Cabinetry
Approved residential cabinetry has:
Sustainably sourced wood or fiber—either salvaged or FSC certified and verification of low... Read more