Championing the
Changemakers

Greetings to all of the AEC SD Leaders (a.k.a. the Green Gurus)!

Over the last two months, the 32-member Build-Back-Better (BBB) letter working group has developed a robust list of first 100-days, built-environment-focused executive actions for the Biden administration to consider. Kara Kempski, the AIA’s Director of Federal Relations,... Read more

Asking for a colleague:

"Have you ever had a large number of fire retardant tarps used to temporarily enclose a building during construction? Do you know of any solutions for recycling/reusing them or another product that doesn't use toxic fire-retardants that meets the performance criteria?"

I think we've all seen poly or fabric... Read more

Hi Everyone, 

Our Vancouver team is looking for some innovative, high performance  building retrofit case studies. We are have been retained to retrofit a significant heritage building in Vancouver and the client has a net zero carbon institutional goal. As such we are looking for some innovative precedents that will provide design and... Read more

Hi everyone! I'm extremely pleased to be back in this group after a couple of years out and I'll spare no time in spamming your inboxes. 

MASS is working with UT Austin to help them evaluate their campus buildings for reuse firstly and then deconstruction and material reuse. Their campus, as with most campuses, is constantly being built... Read more

The construction sector’s take-make-waste approach to materials needs an overhaul. Materials and construction account for an estimated 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. At the other end of the life cycle, demolition in the United States annually generates 90% of some 600 million tons of construction-sector debris. Getting trashed... Read more

As part of the Philadelphia AIA COTE, we have been proposing implementing sustainability in some fashion into the design awards with our chapter's design committee.  I know that many of you have been down this road before, and wanted to get your feedback at a high level about what your local COTE is doing.  Anyone who's interested, can you... Read more

from the Tortured by Randomness Department:

Y'all ... I was recently reminded (by Bill Reed) about a lovely quote ... and I'm keen to use it in a talk upcoming ... 

Here it is:
Place is a doorway into caring. Love of place unleashes the personal and political will needed to make profound change. It can also unite people... Read more

Hello Everyone,

As the staff here at BuildingGreen prepares for our third peer network summit in two months, we'd like to share out the Summit Report from the first online summit with the Sustainable MEP Leaders. We're a little delayed in sharing this with the wider Green Gurus group, but there is still plenty of time to review before... Read more

Hello small firm Sustainable Design Leaders!

We are cancelling our call next week that had been scheduled for 2/13 @ 1pm. That same day, Thursday, BuildingGreen is hosting an all Peer Networks WEBINAR. Please consider participating with the sustainability leaders from all peer networks: Design Leaders, Construction Leaders, MEP Leaders... Read more

Fluid-applied roofing materials can be added to an existing roof to extend its life and provide reflective characteristics.

BuildingGreen-Approved Roofing

Products listed by BuildingGreen have VOC levels below 50 g/l and reflective surfaces to reduce heat gain.

Energy Star requires initial reflectance of 0.65 for low slopes... Read more

Congratulations to Mara Baum (HOK) and Alison Kwok (U of Oregon), FAIA! 

AIA announcement

Welcome to the quiz portion of Video: Eight Steps to Success with LEED-EBOM.

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


1. Describe the first steps project teams should take when considering LEED-Existing Buildings: O+M.
2. Understand the steps and timeline ofthe LEED-... Read more

Has anyone here been involved (taken or taught sessions) in the Healthy Materials Lab Online Certificate program for Healthier Materials? 

https://healthymaterialslab.org/learning-hub/e-learning-online-certifica...

I'm thinking about having some of our staff take this course, especially those that don't have a background in... Read more

Dear all,

Greetings. I'm presenting virtually to an audience of architecture and engineering faculty in India on the topic 'Introduction to Climate Change and Adaptive Architecture.' What is expected of the presentation is a broad overview of how climate change affects the built environment, challenges faced and some coping mechanisms. I... Read more

For consideration in determining CM "Greenness", are we leaders if we wait for city ordinances?  can we collectively agree/adopt a standard?

and for those of you in this market, how is this being received and implemented?

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/701085

Multnomah County, City of Portland commit to reducing... Read more

Hello lovely Green Gurus!

Just wanted to take a quick second to let you all know how much I've appreciated this amazing network over the last few years. I have taken a position at Amazon Worldwide Sustainability in their Sustainable Buildings group, and while I will be leveraging all of my skills and experience doing much the same thing... Read more

Good Afternoon -

I'm wondering if anyone has a sample project wellness plan or survey that they'd be willing to share?  The 2.0 says additional resources are coming soon but I have a few project engineers that want to help get these going and are looking for a starting point.

You can email me direct if you don't want to post here... Read more