Championing the
Changemakers

It isn’t just environmental zealots who are up in arms about the U.S. Forest Service’s policies on managing the nation’s timber resources. The Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics has jumped into the fray—from the inside. Jeff DeBonis, the Association’s founder and executive director,... Read more

At first glance,

An Environmental Handbook for Florida Contractors looks like it deals only with the environmental regulations that Florida contractors must contend with. And, indeed, the Handbook describes in detail the requirements for complying with regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. But the book goes much further,... Read more

The recent ruling to allow logging on several thousand acres of old-growth forest in western Oregon was portrayed in the national media as a blow to environmentalists, but the action may not prove so damaging in the end. While the ruling permits logging on 13 of the 44 sites that were under consideration by the so-... Read more

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

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

Energy Source™ Directory

Energy Source Directory arrived. Assembled and published by Iris Communications, this is the most complete and most useful guide to specialized products and materials used in energy-efficient construction that we've seen. The 500-page directory is... Read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tomorrow is my last day at FXCollaborative before I head back to school. It has been such a gift to engage with you all over the past 10 years. Please stay in touch - my contact information is ilanajudah@gmail.com. I am headed out to UBC next week to do a deep dive into resilience and adaptation in urban environments.

FXCollaborative... Read more

Hi,

HKS is seeking two seasoned sustainability leaders to be part of the DesignGreen Team embedded into either our Mission Critical and Commercial Mixed Use practice. In general, the role is to service clients and drive sustainable design quality forward. We have a great team and need even more wise, energetic, creative, and committed... Read more

***Cross-posting this from SCL Group***

Last year I was approached by Green Advantage, remember them from like 2005? There has been a LEED innovation credit for as long as I can remember.

Has anyone seen employed Green Advantage recently? Is anyone asking for it?

Do you see value in GCs/CMs/trades having this training... Read more

Hi:

I encourage you to review and sign this letter. 

Notes from BDC follow:

Really appreciate the outpouring of support we've received so far on this letter! Various groups let us know that they would like additional time to review, so we've decided to extend the deadline from June 23 to Thursday, July 14 at 2pm.

As... 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