Championing the
Changemakers

Hi folks,

It's here! Highlights, key takeaways, and pics from our packed few days together in Ashland, Mass. in the 2023 Summer Summit report.

From the intro:

Effectively meeting the challenge of the moment is what the world needs from us. Being grounded and energized by connections and sharing with our peers in a safe... Read more

Is your team working on a LEED v4 or WELL project? 

Finding products for these projects is daunting, and even when you find products you believe will meet the requirements, you have to know exactly... Read more

In order to successfully contribute to a LEED project, it is important to have an understanding of how the LEED process integrates within a typical design and construction schedule. Every new construction or renovation project, whether large or small, moves through certain project phases beginning with design development, design completion (... Read more

Hello - Other than hiring an acoustic consultant, I am wondering what in-house tools you are using internally at the design stage for modelling acoustic performance? 

Thanks, Mona

Hi all,

All members of the WA Building Code Council received an email from Tim Attebery of the Washington State AGC and I'm trying to make sense of the role of the AGC and whether it is representing the consensus option of general contractors in Washington or not. The letter is very much against the energy code advancement, which... Read more

Dear SDLers,

I wanted to share that Canadian Architectural Professionals declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency and Committed to Urgent and Sustained Action. The declaration was launched last Friday as part of a week of events surrounding the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. Like others around the world, the week of global... Read more

Five types of green buildings explained. Check out this great infographic by the Pembina Institute: What do net-zero and zero-carbon buildings mean for energy use and climate pollution?

Mark your calendars! Wednesday March 9th, 3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT) - Sustainability Leaders State of the Regions.

We’ve seen a lot of momentum building around the potential for regional Sustainability Leaders groups, and we want to learn how best to support this activity. On this call, we’ll have a few currently active regional groups share... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of The Four Core Issues to Tackle for Resilient Design (And the Programs That Can Help).

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


1. Use site-specific hazard analysis to evaluate a project’s resiliency demands.
2. Use climate change data to... Read more

I received the following email from Naajia at Southface.  I'll be out of town until November 8, but I'll see if there's time for me to address at least the second part before I leave:

A question regarding the BIT-User Forum was brought to my attention by a participant. Apparently when you are posting a question and you pick your location... Read more

Beginning this year, Miller Hull will not only continue to quantify the upfront embodied carbon of every project we finish through construction, but now purchase third-party certified carbon offsets equivalent to one-third of the project’s impact. Great design is no longer enough - we must take responsibility for our architectural impact in the... Read more

There has been a lot of discussion re antimicrobials in this group, so here is a pre-release of this month's article on the topic. It's not an extensive feature, but I hope you find it informative.

Brent

Wood decking requires potentially hazardous preservatives and stains, and plastic waste is a significant environmental problem.

BuildingGreen-Approved Decking

Composite decking approved by BuildingGreen has at least 50% total recycled content. For plastic decking, post-consumer content has to be greater than 50%.

Health and... Read more

Are your firms discussing the health effects of silica dust on people working with engineered stone and the recent announcement of the upcoming ban in Australia, as of July 2024?

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/12/14/australia-bans-engineered-stone-silico...

According to the article, a recent report says that there is no safe level of... Read more

Greetings AEC Sustainability Leaders -

This is an update on where we stand with the BBB letter. In addition to posting this to the AEC SDL (Green Gurus) Forum, we are sending the same message to all current signatories by email to make sure everyone is notified. Apologies for putting two items in your inboxes!

First, please read... Read more