Championing the
Changemakers

Does anyone know of a source for finding the operational solid waste generated by typical building/use types (weight/sf)? I couldn't find anything on LEED, True, or EPA. I found this table but isn't by sq ft for many of hte uses. Waste Generated by Industry and Building Type (wastecare.com)

Hi MEP Leaders,

Just a reminder that our monthly meeting is next Tuesday, May 9th, at 2:00pm ET. All SMEPL network members are invited to join!

You can view the agenda here, and the Zoom info is below.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83598691786?pwd=MjI2S01yZUJRSG4zcXRBNWtPbE5RZz09

Meeting ID: 835... Read more

Figured I'd throw out this topic to the hive mind!

We are working on a project in the Midwest that involves taking down and replacing an 100-ish-year-old brick building. We are hoping to find a way to salvage and reuse some of this brick in new construction. I'd love to do an LCA comparison showing the benefits of salvaging the brick vs... Read more

Hello All,

Through a regional School of Architecture, our firm has been connected with a very intriguing startup that has been engineering a new rooftop wind energy technology. They are developing a system to economically capture the increased wind flows at the edges of commercial building rooftops. They have engineered this system,... Read more

Here are additional slide decks from people who presented in one of our general sessions: at Max's Pot, or in the mornings. Also Jerelyn's Wednesday evening presentation on BuildingGreen's work on sustainability literacy.

Among those included here are my slides on the Rich Earth Institute and urine diversion into fertilizer--did you... Read more

We're consolidating our office and I find I have back issues of EBN going back to 1999 on the bookshelf. Any use for these other than compost?

Facilitating Engagement and Collaboration in Virtual Meetings (or, Avoiding a Goat Rodeo with Many Awkward Silences*)

If you weren't already sitting in virtual meetings every day... We all are now. So how do we facilitate an online meeting in which everyone is focused, engaged, heard, collaborating and problem-solving in an efficient,... Read more

Congratulations on the site launch!  One problem, though... you appear to have overlooked the home page orientation video. Currently there's just a placeholder image that doesn't actually do anything. Did your team end up producing a BIT User video?

Hello Green Gurus!

Here is a [LINK] to an updated version of the letter, including all the signatories we had as of last Friday - thank you all!

This message is really geared for your firm's social media/communications team, so if you aren’t that person, please share this message with them! With that said, all of you (whether your... Read more

Received answers from below questions from NIST Andy Persily

1. Is there a preferred bookends range of CO2 for both “optimal” energy and human performances?

Andy: No

2.Is the ASHRAE ventilation of 1000-1200 ppm average, probably not based on performance, suggesting current ventilation rate is sub-optimal with cognitive... Read more

Does anyone have a good recommendation for getting started with energy modeling with future weather files? We use a combination of Sefaira and Climate Studio, but open to suggestions. Even just links on how to approach this for making good recommendations to clients. Thanks in advance.

Green walls provide an important connection to nature in urban settings.

BuildingGreen-Approved Green Walls

We approve green wall systems designed to:

improve the thermal performance of a building by creating shade and an air space between the plants and the building mitigate stormwater runoff (much like green roofs) reduce... Read more

Hi All,

It's been a great week to get the message out about the importance of sustainability in our work, and this group brings such a rich and nuanced perspective to the table. I'm asking, if you published something for earth day this week for external consumption, could you share that here? I'm curious to see if there are common themes... Read more

Green Gurus –

Clark Brockman brought to our attention an important and impactful opportunity to advance building decarbonization through the US Department of Energy’s proposed rulemaking around water heater efficiency, advancing adoption of heat pumps, while still providing exceptions (and efficiency targets) for electric or natural gas... Read more