Championing the
Changemakers

Sustainability leadership has requested that you take this quiz to help assess sustainability literacy across the firm. Your own results will be presented to you at the end of the quiz but will not be shared with anyone else. Only aggregated, anonymized results will be available to others.

Please don’t do research to inform your answers... Read more

On our Contractor Coffee talk a few weeks ago, Emi LaFountain (Turner Construction) brought up the idea that there was a lot of blue stain wood that are being landfilled instead of used, and suggested that maybe the designers among us could find a way to turn ugly into beautiful.

I had never heard of this issue, but I was on a call the... Read more

Hi SCL,

It's my first time posting in the SCL group, as a somewhat new member. I'm grateful for any input you can provide to me!

My company, Nibbi Brothers, is currently brainstorming how to roll out an EV incentive program to employees. We recently polled our staff to get a general idea of where they stood with EV in terms of... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Choosing Insulation: High-Performance Roof Assemblies and Retrofits – Unit 4.

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


1. Explain the industry trajectory of healthier alternatives to foam insulation.
2. Describe the nuances of insulation... Read more

Good morning all,

I'm new to the forum and I am really happy to be here. For the last year or so, I have been working to advance high performance design at Flad, grappling with so many of the issues discussed in this forum. Especially in the context of recent times, it feels really wonderful to join a group of people dedicated to helping... Read more

Split systems are multi-component units that use an outdoor condenser along with separate indoor fan coils to move refrigerant—and provide heating and cooling—in buildings without the need for ducts.

BuildingGreen-Approved Systems

BuildingGreen approves mini-splits that are tested to AHRI standards and have minimum SEER and an... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Cost-Effective Green Retrofits: Opportunities for Savings in Existing Buildings.

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


1. Define the term retrocommissioning and list at least three examples of how it might help commercial building owners.... Read more

Hi all, 

Following the SCL Summit back in November, the Waste Subgroup agreed to complete a Model Waste Management Plan to serve as a contractor commitment to reduce construction waste. I distributed the attached (very rough) draft back in Jan., and received some good feedback via forum comments. 

We would like to set up a call to... Read more

Hi all: I'm looking for experience, insight, or advice as it relates to ISO 14001. I know it is more popular internationally than in the US, and I am trying to ascertain if the the value-add is greater than the cost and effort. If your company is certified, or even if you have looked into it in any capacity, I would love to pick your brain.... Read more

Hi SDL,

I'm heading to Greenbuild next week and one of my teammates who's not attending has asked me to look for expo hall vendors who are involved in Design for Freedom. He's starting up a new project that he thinks could be a good DFF pilot and wants to get some manufacturer contacts. Is there any kind of informal DFF meetup happening... Read more

Hardware has to be durable and resist weathering to ensure that features such as doors function properly.

BuildingGreen-Approved Hardware

BuildingGreen approves hardware that uses post-consumer recycled metal content beyond what is standard in the industry. Products from manufacturers that have engaged in information transparency... Read more

Last summer I shared a request here for folks to take a survey we had open that aimed to understand how architects and engineers are (or aren't) using climate projections to inform design. This white paper, written in collaboration with HGA and the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, reports on the results of that research. ... Read more

Happy Thursday, all!

I will be presenting with my colleague, Emily Hoffman, and our counterpart from Seattle, Duane Jonlin, on how firms can contribute more to aggressive energy and carbon targets, from the perspective of three people that see thousands of projects each year.  We see the best and the worst, and we're convinced that our... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Katrina Amaral
Timberdoodle Farm

Jacob Dunn
ZGF

Steve Rigdon
Yakama Forest Products

Jennifer Shakun
New England Forestry... Read more

Hi Folks - 

The "request for participation" email below is from Brendan Owens, who most of you know was at the USGBC for over 18 years, and is now the Chief Sustainability Officer for the US Dept of Defense. As I read the text, I couldn't help but think of this group as a deep well of expertise and experience that could undoubtedly help... Read more

Hi SDL: Check out this great interview with Paul Hawken and  COTE members Gunnar Hubbard and Kira Gould. Lots of inspirational ideas about the importance of the built environment in carbon drawdown: 

Here's that link---

https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/aia-cote-in-conversation-with-paul-hawken_o

thanks.

... Read more

I have a colleague researching existing, proposed, or anticipated changes to urban planning and building codes that encourage lower carbon footprints.

Can anyone comment on or point me to resources on how cities are using carbon footprint analysis and carbon reduction in permitting, now or in the future?

Some specific topics that... Read more