Championing the
Changemakers

Nice brief article on how to talk to clients about materials transparency. It was the right level of information to send out to the office at large. Kudos to Lona and Ralph for your contribution.

https://www.aia.org/articles/210821-how-to-talk-to-clients-about-materials-tran

SERA Architects is pleased to invite you to join a discussion with Paul Hawken about his new book, "Regeneration".
Kira Gould and I will be the hosts on September 28, at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

Please register in advance for this free event with this link:
https://lnkd.in/gCMY4TTn
 

Hi folks,

BSR/ASHRAE/ICC Standard 240P, Quantification of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Buildings, is out for Public Review until March 18. It covers what construction activities have to be tracked and reported and provides placeholder values to use during design. If you have input or suggestions on what would be needed to make... Read more

Hi, folks! Posting on behalf of an individual outside of the networks. Are you seeking a sustainability and materials specialist in-house? This candidate great qualifications, including:

This may seem a bit in the weeds, but I have typically paid extra at Greenbuild for the access to the materials after the conference - we use that to develop presentations back to the teams who are not able to attend. For many years it was helpful - getting some materials to help folks see what they missed.  Last year they went to a new service... Read more

In the run-up to Earth Day 2023, we're trying something new at VMDO: Full, public transparency on everything we know about how our portfolio is performing (or how we anticipate it performing). Here's a link to all of the details on our sixth year of reporting to the 2030 Commitment and more: https://www.vmdo.com/radical-transparency-commitment-... Read more

Attached are the raw notes from the Design Process Conversations.

And here are the Guiding Questions from the Agenda Survey:

Design Process: how to intervene to get better outcomes?

How do I crack the nut of making a difference within my firm in the Design Process?

What strategies alter our fast-paced design... Read more

Hello All - It is so wonderful to virtually meet everyone and read through introductions. I'm a believer that positive change starts with groups of passionate and like-minded people organizing, and I think this group has the potential to push our industry forward, as well as offer a place for support and knowledge sharing.

I am Director... Read more

Interior luminaires often use inefficient, outdated technology such as compact fluorescent or halogen lamps, some of which contain mercury and have poor light quality and limited controls.

BuildingGreen-Approved Lighting

BuildingGreen lists lighting products using LEDs (light-emitting diodes) from manufacturers whose luminaires... Read more

I have been watching LEED Zero for a while, and have appreciated certain things, but one thing I think is an absolute disaster is their allowance of mainline RECs for claiming Zero Energy and Zero Carbon performance.  I just asked this question on the LEED Zero webinar, and the panelist basically said, "it's part of LEED Zero, therefore it is... Read more

Hello all,

Could any of you point me out to recent studies showing the health impacts of plastic piping vs. copper piping? 

We have a project where NIRON or Aquatherm are proposed as a VE item in lieu of copper.  I know there is some studies showing PEX and PVC piping health impacts, but I can't seem to find anything on these 2... Read more

Hello AEC Sustainability Leaders (aka the Green Gurus)!

As we continue to promote and expand the use of mass timber on our projects, it is becoming increasingly important that we learn more about the spectrum of impacts that this material selection is having on the forests and communities from which we’re sourcing our wood fiber…both... Read more

I wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss this fun event.  We can all use some fun right now.

Built Environment Plus is celebrating the arrival of spring with a fun competition to get people out and about safely. A digital Scavenger Hunt will allow teams of 4 (or larger families) to complete a series of photo, video, and text missions... Read more

Hello - I have met several of you virtually over the last couple years. My name is Megan Zack and I am excited to share that I have changed positions and will be the Cheif Sustainabilty Officer at Wight & Company. After spending the last 20 years working as an architect with a small percentage of my time dedicated to sustainabilty, I'll be... Read more