Championing the
Changemakers

In a recent e-mail to BuildingGreen subscribers, Paula Melton pointed out that USGBC has opened the call for suggestions for LEED v5.

Every day, I encounter dripping skepticism from building owners about LEED for New Construction, because of the many many times that the fanciful outcomes of energy, water, and daylight models bear little ... Read more

Hi all, we have a date for our SCL Carbon Group online meeting.  Looking forward to connecting with you all on 2/26!

Please see agenda below.

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Join Skype Meeting      

Trouble... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

Here is the information for August's Peer Networks Webinar, Using a Circular Economy as a Framework for Zero Waste, Zero Energy + Zero Carbon. We hope you will join us!

Register HERE.

Using a Circular Economy as a Framework for Zero Waste, Zero Energy + Zero Carbon
Monday, August 23rd, 2021
... Read more

"The man with one watch knows what time it is; the man with two is never sure."   --Segal's Law

We recently purchased two indoor air quality meters in the $200-$300 range and find that they never agree, not even close. I would like to find out what other people's experiences have been, and if they have tested affordable models that... Read more

Hey All,

Those of us in the electrification working group have been talking about the impending release of this new NREL tool, which provides hourly (TOU) GHG emissions forecasts for grid regions around the country. This will be a useful tool in evaluating the impacts of HVAC electrifcation, EV integration, load shifting, storage, etc. I... Read more

Conventional heating systems burn fossil fuels on the building site or use outrageous amounts of electricity.

BuildingGreen-Approved Heat Pumps

The best heat pumps solve both these problems and provide efficient cooling. BuildingGreen approves air-source heat pumps with minimum HSPF and SEER levels of 10 and 20, respectively.... Read more

P. U. L. Antelo, M.A.

This came up a number of times at the SDL Tempe Summit so I thought I would share. If you have not already I highly recommend this recent research paper from the UW-IDL on the tradeoffs of operational and embodied carbon in envelope design in different climates. As a Passive House nerd it made me question the super-insulated envelope at least... Read more

Welcome to the quiz portion of 20 Ways to Advance Sustainability in the Next Four Years!

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


Identify the challenges to green building during a time of environmental urgency and political unrest, and find opportunity in these challenges.

... Read more

This just in from Berkeley Earth. The definitive report on 2023 global temperatures. Lots of incredible graphs to peruse but the news is pretty incredible. Actual temperatures far surpassed predictions. "At the start of 2023, we foresaw only a 14% chance that 2023 would become a record warm year, and only a ~1% chance that 2023 would reach 1.5... Read more

Hi all,

We are taking a deep look at green accreditations within our firm. Gone are the days when we could say: "our staff is XX% LEED APs!" as a metric of firm progress. Here are a few questions we are asking ourselves, and I'm wondering how you approach this in your firms:

Dear Colleagues,

The EPA has released a very impressive proposal for ENERGY STAR specs for residential water heaters that will strongly encourage electrification and decarbonization of these appliances. 

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program for high performance appliances and this is a huge opportunity to begin the decarb transition... Read more

Seeking a dashboard system that will take energy use data from individual (college student) apartments to display in the lobby. Something where the display is both educational, easy to understand, and that could inspire a little friendly competition. Welcome any recommendations you have installed on projects or have seen that would be cool to... Read more

We are growing our Design Performance Group at NBBJ! We're looking for two special people right now: a senior sustainable material consultant and a senior energy analyst. Help us design the next generation of healthy, low impact buildings - this is a chance to impact across the scale of our global company and build a better future! Know anyone... Read more

With depth of thought and a broad view of the horizon, Candace Pearson can take a nuanced vision and sharpen it into focus, propelling the team around her forward. Operating in all three of BuildingGreen’s service offerings—publications, consulting, and peer networks—she finds pragmatic ways to fundamentally shift how we create our built... Read more