Happy Friday, SDL!

We're running a Tally WBLCA for an environmental education center, which has a very small floor area but a fairly robust concrete/steel structure. Still, I was surprised to find an intensity of over 1,000 kgCO2/m2 for the building.

This is way higher than the general benchmarks I've found in the CLF's database,... Read more

We've got a great private (BG Communities/SD Leaders) webinar lined up for December. Register now to get it on your calendar. And let us know if you have suggestions or requests for future webinar topics!

Register here

Topic: Organizing Sustainability: knowledge management as the key to high performance

Description: Corey... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Rebuilding for Resilience in the Face of Natural Disasters!

IMPORTANT: This quiz covers three related articles within this topic. 

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


Explain the importance of resilient design at hospitals for ensuring life... Read more

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

Huge shout out to Patty Lloyd, Luke Leung, Janet Olsen, and Sarah Gudeman for their webinar on the Power of Peer Networks. They share lots of insights into the value of participating in BG Peer Networks and many others. Ten bucks to Illinois Green gets you access to the recording--I loved it. What would you have said that they didn't?

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

The BuildingGreen & GreenStep exam prep materials have been updated to the latest version based on the actual v2 exam. The new study guide and practice exams are now available for your purchase and use in preparing yourself to take the exam.  

If you are interested in sharing this WELL AP Exam Study Guide within your organization... Read more

Hello Everyone,

We wanted to share the highlights and take-aways from the large firm Sustainable Design Leaders (SDL) 2020 Winter Summit at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, AL. Additionally, this was the first year we had a pre-summit workshop for the winter summit. Our amazing workshop facilitator, Julie Huffaker from Deeper Funner Change... Read more

Hi all,

I'm sure many (most? all?) of us have heard the changes to LEEDv4's energy standard are coming. If this is news to you, info on the balloted measures that have passed is available online here: https://www.usgbc.org/articles/leed-v4-energy-update-approved-member-ballot.

My question to MEP friends in the Green Commons: In... Read more

Lisa Richmond

Hey Everyone!

We are delighted to share a major milestone in our commitment to sustainable design. After two+ years of intensive research, refining, and internal application, NBBJ is thrilled to announce the external launch of ZeroGuide, an innovative tool for early-phase carbon estimation, now available to the entire AEC community!... Read more

Colleagues,

As we all know, ventilation rates must be kept the same between the LEED Baseline and proposed energy models. However, we're aware of projects that have been able to claim energy savings associated to reducing ventilation using systems like Aircuity. 

Have any of you successfully claimed credit for reduced airflow due... Read more

If you have been wondering about the Contractor Commitment, we have an update for you!

Several weeks ago, the subgroup leaders and the Steering Committee members gathered to agree on a basic structure for the Commitment. The idea was to align the basic expectations around issues like how many tiers there would be, what would be disclosed... Read more

I'm happy to let you know that Barbra Batshalom has joined the Green Gurus forum!

Many of you already know her from her Sustainable Performance Institute work, and from the great workshop she and her husband Moshe Cohen led before our Boston Summit, but she is also serving a consulting SD Leader for several firms. I'll let her say more... Read more

Hello Gurus,

I’m writing to share with you an effort a small group of lighting designers from the Boston area started which is now rolling into a large scale effort.  We’ve put together a Lighting Advocacy Letter to accelerate the sustainability of lighting products. Inspired by the AIA Materials Pledge, the letter is intended to... Read more

Hi. Happy Monday! Will BG create the BIT-user intro video found on the landing page? Do we partner on it, or should Southface plan to provide it? Thanks.

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