Championing the
Changemakers

I'm just wondering if anyone is using GBCI's Better Materials site as their go-to source for transparency and healthy materials.  Having all the search engines on one platform is great in theory, and I keep hoping that it will be the one-stop site/resource that I can get all our designers to use.  Unless I'm missing something though, it still... Read more

Hello all,

Does anyone know of any Rebate Program for either induction cooking equipment or kitchen electrification (new or existing)? Looking for any local or state or even federal programs (outside of California) that incentivize designing/building/retrofitting towards an all electric kitchen for any program type (institutional, single... Read more

I understand the AIA 2030 team is hoping for as many firms (and projects) to submit some form of LCA data in the new DDx website this week, in order to learn how the industry is tracking embodied carbon.  We have four projects that dabbled with Tally last year, which we'd like to report this week.

Has anyone run into a hurdle where you... Read more

Hi all,

For your planning purposes for next year, here’s info on in-person events coming up in 2024:

As you may remember, our Summer 2024 SDL Summit will be July 15-17, 2024 at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island! Tickets will be $1800, which includes the cost of meals and lodging.

We are excited to announce we will also be... Read more

Sustainability leadership has requested that you take this quiz to help assess sustainability literacy across the firm. Your own results will be presented to you at the end of the quiz but will not be shared with anyone else. Only aggregated, anonymized results will be available to others.

Please don’t do research to inform your... Read more

Hi folks,

We had a rich conversation in our monthly meeting last week. I've summarized the highlights below. Next call is July 11 at 2pm eastern. If it isn't already in your calendar, here's the Zoom link.

What’s on people’s minds?

Looking into high-temp water-source heat pumps for industrial applications. Transom and... Read more

Hello Friends,

With my "AIA 2030 Commitment Working Group" hat on, one of the efforts I have undertaken is a campaign to create a "pull" in the market, rather than (only) the sweaty "push" we all take on every day, trying to build a better world. 

I believe that if we can help clients (building owners) articulate clearer... Read more

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much to those who attended and shared at the Greenbuild 2024 Show & Tell! As always, we had a riveting lineup of presentations.

The slides for the presentations are below. We have permission from all of the following presenters to share the slides within Peer Networks-only spaces, but only the slides... Read more

Hi folks,

With all the build-up to Greenbuild (don't miss the Tuesday Show-and-Tell if you'll be in town!), I nearly forgot about another opportunity, coming up sooner! A bunch of us will be in Cleveland in early November for the first Building Resilience conference that BuildingGreen is helping to organize with ILFI and the Resilient... Read more

I’m a volunteer member of the ASHRAE 209 ("Energy Simulation Aided Design for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”) Committee.  Are you familiar with ASHRAE 209? It was first published in 2018, and it outlines a process for incorporating energy modeling into the design process. 

From the forward: 

 ASHRAE Standard 209... Read more

Great meeting everyone and very excited to work with you all.  Reminder about Tuesday night's homework assignment to support Sachin's efforts to upgrade the quality of our AE pipeline:  tell us why you got into this business.

While I was an undergraduate engineering physics major*, I had a partime job at a farm implement manufacturing... 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

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

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


THIS WEBINAR PURCHASE AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Hot spots: they might sound like fun places to hang out and have a drink—but in green building, they’re actually a bad thing. Something you track down so you can get rid of it. Kind of like being an environmentalist bounty hunter.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is... Read more

Dear SD Leaders: The comment period closes January 31st on  NCA Volume II Climate Change Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States.

It's important to have the design communities perspective on these critical issues. I hope you can take a look and submit your comments before the deadline.

Details here: https://www.... Read more

Evaporative coolers use far less electricity than conventional refrigerant-cycle air conditioners and they operate without the use of refrigerants, both features that make them attractive for green buildings. However, their suitability is limited to drier climates, and most products use significant quantities of water.

BuildingGreen... Read more