Championing the
Changemakers

Hello all, 

Our firm recently signed onto the Material Pledge and while there is no reporting requirements at this time we are wondering how other architectural firms are, or plan to, report projects. 

Thanks for any insight that can be shared!

-Dave

Hi All,

I meant to put this is in Green Gurus and put it in SAL instead.  Rookie mistake.

After this long winter, who is up for some fierce creativity and friendly competition internal to your company or between Green Gurus?  What do you think of a location agnostic, virtual, Sustainability Scavenger Hunt from Earth Day to Mother'... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of When Passive House Goes Big!

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


Evaluate the main barriers to achieving the Passive House Standard on a large, urban project.

Identify design strategies for successfully and cost-effectively achieving the... Read more

Hi All,

USGBC MA is doing a study on the cost of net zero energy buildings in MA.  I’m wondering if you all have any data to share on plug loads in ZNE projects. I’m looking for single family res, 2-4 unit residential, +/- 60 unit residential, 10-12 story office, and k-12.  The engineers have presented initial results and their... Read more

Hello Everybody,

I would like to invite you all to an event being hosted by the AIA Seattle COTE.  This is the next event in a series entitled Pathways to Decarbonization.  Date and time: May 13, 12:00pm - 1:00pm 

Description:  Universities are learning laboratories to explore and implement solutions to our greatest challenges... Read more

Sometimes referred to as “the dark side”, the construction industry isn’t actually so bad.  We are mostly good people.  And, we need good people. 

Consigli is hiring a Sustainability Manager to work in Massachusetts, and we could use your help to fill the role.  If you or someone you know is brimming with the sustainability force, please... Read more

Hi - we're working with the University of California Office of the President to put together low-carbon case studies. The two types we are looking for now include 1) a low-carbon TI (not a full building gut/renovation), and 2) any that involve the circular economy (in this case not just building reuse but product reuse) which could include... Read more

Know any awesome sustainability leaders within GC or CM firms? They can be at mid-sized or large construction companies—any firm in the ENR top 400 qualifies for sure, others might need some vetting. The key is people who have sustainability as the focus of how they spend their time--either formally by title or otherwise. 

We want to... Read more

Typically made from petrochemicals, carpet and its adhesives can offgas. It is also a challenge to recycle them, increasing the chances that it will be incinerated or disposed of in a landfill. Because carpet has a limited lifespan, its life-cycle performance is key.

BuildingGreen recommends modular carpet that demonstrates lower life-... Read more

Hi folks,

A press release about this just showed up--most of what they're including in their "Clean Construction Declaration" involves reducing embodied carbon in materials, but they're also calling out construction equipment:

"Procure and, when possible, use only zero emission construction machinery from 2025 and require zero... Read more

Are your clients asking you about wellness? You’re not alone. Healthy interiors and wellbeing are the trending buzzwords of sustainable design. Lighting design for circadian rhythm and water filtration methods might be on the... Read more

Hi folks,

We're kicking off a new way for us to collaborate as a network: monthly web-based conference calls. The first one will be on Friday, Nov 15 at 1:00 eastern time. The topic will be "Sustainability and the Small Firm: Practices in Transition" -- which is the name of the proposal James has submitted (and gotten first-round... Read more

We have started a folder on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in this forum. When you upload a file to share (which you can ONLY do in the web browser, not directly through email), you get an option to choose a folder. If you have an EDI-related document to share, choose "Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion" as your folder. I'm saving the first... Read more

How much will it cost to achieve LEED v4 certification?

“We’d love a green building, but can we afford it?”

“We’re required to be LEED Silver, but we’re not sure how to get there under the new rating system.”

“Sure, we’re interested in LEED, as long as it doesn’t cost extra.”

LEED v4 and cost uncertainty

With... Read more

Welcome! We are updating our popular WELL Study Guide and Practice Exams to reflect IWBI's new WELL v2 exam, and expect the new materials to be available for you by mid JUNE 2022. Please watch your email for the announcement and check back!

The v2 version is a substantial change from... Read more

If you have a moment and are working in the IAQ arena, please consider filling out this survey, and you could also win an AirGradient ONE monitor. (Check my review video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpqYOWLzv7o) 

https://forms.gle/ytLcq2dvtGrD2UZY7

I also have access to the results and will happily share the data whenever... Read more

...for all the folks on the west coast.

It’s smokey out there. For anyone looking for a cheap and relatively effective way to clean your indoor air, here is an article on a DIY box fan filters. 

https://www.texairfilters.com/a-variation-on-the-box-fan-with-merv-13-filter-air-cleaner/

This PSA is from our friends at NEEA (... Read more

Hi all,

Due to the eclipse, Nadav and I will be out on our usual call day, April 9th, and we anticipate others may as well. We will be moving the call to Tuesday April 16th at the usual time (2-3pm ET). For this meeting, we'll be holding a whiteboard session about MEP2040, the development of plans to achieve it, and tactics to getting... Read more