Championing the
Changemakers

Hi Green Commons,

It’s been eerily quiet here since Tuesday night. I’ve been quiet mostly because I just didn’t know what to say. The election results are certainly a blow to pretty much everything we’ve been working for. There is so much we don’t know about things might play out, but I’m feeling a range of emotions ranging from... Read more

HI MEP Leaders,

Related to our thread about equipment needed for decarbonization, I have a question about what new or improved equipment is already available now that you're excited about.

Every year we at BuildingGreen publish (and present at Greenbuild) a listing of the Top-10 new and exciting products. Our focus this year is on... Read more

It’s here! By popular demand we’re re-running the SDL Salary Survey that we last ran in 2015. 

This is for people who are currently in an SD Leader role at a firm. We’re sending this invitation out on both the Green Gurus and the SD Leaders forums, because some of you are still in transition and haven’t moved into the SD Leader forum yet... Read more

Hi folks,

Mahesh announced today that he's leaving his position as CEO of USGBC, GBCI, and ArkScoru, effective Nov. 1. An interim CEO will be announced tomorrow.

I think that Mahesh did some great things for the organization(s)--and he had some really loyal team members. He could also be challenging to work with--as I learned... Read more

Fellow Sages,

I was at an interesting lecture last night. Phil Bernstein (formerly of Autodesk, now at Yale) was speaking (in Lawrence, Kansas, at the U of Kansas) about AI and design/AEC ... you may know that he authored the 2022 book, Machine Learning, about AI and the AEC field. 

Phil has a very interesting posture about AI... Read more

Hi all,

We are trying to encourage participation in take-back programs and using recyclable packaging with our vendors and I was wondering how we can add it to specifications. Does anyone have any examples on how we can add wording in specs about participation in take-back programs, using recyclable packaging and/or reducing non-... Read more

Hi all,

We are growing our sustainability group at Flad -- we have a great opportunity to make significant progress as we approach 2030, and we are currently looking for someone to join us in our Madison office. If you know someone who is looking for an entry-level sustainability position, and would enjoy living in Madison, Wisconsin, my... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of Pest Prevention: Steps Designers Can Take!

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


Anyone else having this experience? We've got a LEED 2009 Core/Shell project that we've now been contracted to do a fitout within for one of the first tenants. If anyone else has had this experience and is willing to talk with me about how your process for it has gone, I'd be fantastically grateful.

Find me directly at awilson@asg-... Read more

Hello SMEPers,

I’m hoping to crowd source some anecdotes for a guest lecture I’ll be giving at Yale’s architecture school. The topic is integrated design (especially between architects and engineers) and how it enables better sustainability outcomes.

John Boecker has this great story about how choosing a paint color with higher... Read more

I have a colleague (lawyer) who is trying to assemble a list of precedent projects that used penalties or incentives for achieving energy targets. The topic she is addressing is how contracts may be changed to address growing climate change concerns.

At the moment, the only concrete example she has is a project in Washington by the US... Read more

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard, and interior-grade plywood can emit formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. Some materials  come from non-sustainable sources.

BuildingGreen-Approved Panels

Products meet California Air Resources Board (CARB) ultra-low emitting formaldehyde (ULEF) or no-added-... Read more

In an effort to share expert knowledge on the topic of whole building LCA, we are continuing our expert guest webinar series, addressing the topic of steel on March 19th at 1PM EDT. Michael Gryniuk PE, with LeMessurier and SE 2050, will be joining us to share his strategies for reducing the embodied carbon of steel. This webinar is particularly... Read more

Hello Sustainable Design Leaders!

Here at BuildingGreen we are excited and looking forward to creating a valuable and engaging online summit with you all for 2020!

You can Register HERE as well as review important information.

The Summit will happen throughout the week of July 13. The specific meeting times are: 

3:... Read more

I am still basking in the afterglow of this week's summit, and getting ready to share nuggets of wisdom with my colleagues at our all-staff next week. I was so immersed in the moment that documenting the outlines and choices presented for breakouts slipped my mind. Is there somewhere to access these slides to refresh my memory?

Thanks... Read more