Championing the
Changemakers

Hi Green Gurus,

A "fun" take-away from the sustainable MEP Leaders Summit (just ended today):

Inspired by Passive House, we are embarking on a campaign: "Low Load Buildings Are SEXY".

One idea we have is:  what if the AIA design awards set limits on metrics like heating loads to meet basic eligibility?

If you have... Read more

THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Please share your thoughts in preparation for our monthly call this Thursday (call info below). 

Given these items that are changing at AIA, are any of them motivating changes within your firm? If so, how? If not, why?

1. Awards criteria now includes COTE Measures of Design Excellence

2. Code of Ethics now includes rule on... Read more

Anyone aware of tools or workflows for modeling of a specific outdoor space and effective surface temperatures?  We've done a goodly amoutn of microclimate simulations, but never explicitly factored in the ground surface, in terms of emissivity and other related factors.   

Indoor pollutants can cause health problems and disrupt HVAC system functioning.

BuildingGreen-Approved Filtration

BuildingGreen approves a variety of equipment, filters, and pre-filters that remove particulates and contaminants, minimize pressure drop, or reduce pollution from operations. Products include:

Sitting in SFO after an exhausting but also weirdly refreshing Greenbuild. Saw many of you at the Peer Networks event, which was so awesome!

Before my flight boards, I wanted to let folks know we're seeking a new Editorial Associate. It's pretty entry level with lots of room to grow. If you know a talented writer who's got background in... Read more

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

We are working on a large, commercial, LEED project in the Wash DC area, and the Construction Management firm needs LEED administrative/documentation assistance on their end of the process.  The construction is underway but the CM lacks the staff. 

Can anyone suggest a LEED consultant in the DC area that can work for the CM -- managing... Read more

Hi, all! We've got amazing editorial plans for our December and January coverage, including Brent's rollout of the Top 10 Green Buiding Products for 2024 and a much-needed update to Wood: What's Good? 

Here's the trouble: we have waaaay too many good ideas about what else to cover. And I super suck at mind reading. So Nadav thought maybe... Read more

Hi Everyone!

I am now in my last week in the Bay Area, and in my last three weeks at (my first 15 years at) SERA, as I will be leaving on my extended sabbatical at the end of April!

I will miss following this group's dialogue, and will especially miss attending the summits for the next couple of years! 

My colleagues Mark... Read more

Hello Everyone!

We’re beginning to plan events for the rest of 2021, which means we need your input to make sure we are putting together structures and content that are most valuable for you.

Please take a moment to take this brief survey DUE June 25th! You will find details on our current thinking for these events within the... Read more

Hello Sustainability Leaders!

Here's another fun announcement to help round out this year and get us excited for the next to begin: Join us in 2022 for First Friday Fikas!

What is a fika? Pronounced fee-ka, this is a Swedish custom of taking a break from work to have a coffee and a snack while catching up with friends. It’s a... Read more

A new article addressing whether PFAS finishes on upholstery fabric actually work (Spoiler alert - they don't) has been published and can be found here:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/24723444231159856

This is authored by the fine folks at Green Science Policy, Arlene Blum's group that is the source of the Six Classes of... Read more

Hello Everyone!

Wondering if anyone has expertise in Algae Photobioreactor facades? Here is a product: https://cellparc.com/

My basic understanding is that they produce heat and biogas (as well as providing shade and some thermal value.)  However, I am not clear on the GHG balance benefit, so to speak.  I cannot determine if the... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Innovative Products and Technology from the Greenbuild Expo

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


1. Direct attention to green building products and technologies that show exceptional potential, from a whole-systems perspective, to bring the... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Thank you for your patience while we pulled together the summer summit reports and getting them posted, sorry it took so long!

You can see the most recent summit reports for SDL, SCL, and MEP near the top-left of the Resources page in the Peer Networks Hub.

A friendly reminder, these reports are sharable... Read more