Championing the
Changemakers

Green Gurus –

Clark Brockman brought to our attention an important and impactful opportunity to advance building decarbonization through the US Department of Energy’s proposed rulemaking around water heater efficiency, advancing adoption of heat pumps, while still providing exceptions (and efficiency targets) for electric or natural gas... Read more

Facilitating Engagement and Collaboration in Virtual Meetings (or, Avoiding a Goat Rodeo with Many Awkward Silences*)

If you weren't already sitting in virtual meetings every day... We all are now. So how do we facilitate an online meeting in which everyone is focused, engaged, heard, collaborating and problem-solving in an efficient,... Read more

We are working on a multi-family project in Hartford that is townhouse style so each unit has an exterior door. The client has requested electronic key fob hardware. Has anyone had experience with retrofitting a passive house door with electronic hardware or have they used a door that is already fitted with electronic hardware? 

Board insulation has good thermal performance ranging from about R-4 to R-8 and is used as an integral part of a building envelope’s continuous insulation system.

Because board insulation is used on the building exterior, it is not always subject to the same material health and emissions requirements as batt insulation used inside the... Read more

At Living Future last week a woman from Google asked about cost comparisons and I shared that the City of Santa Monica conducted a study analyzing the costs of a prototypical mixed-use project for a Living Building vs. LEED v4 Platinum vs. code compliant (Title 24, part 6). I thought this group might be interested as well so here is the link... Read more

Dear SD Leaders: I'm writing to make sure that you've seen a letter that has been circulating protesting the ‘pro-asbestos’ rule change the EPA is considering.  The letter is soliciting firm signatures/owners (as opposed to individuals).  I encourage you to sign and/or get your firm to sign ASAP. 

Please forward as well to any firm from... Read more

We're thrilled to announce that, for the first time, the 2025 Summits for each Peer Network will be hosted within one week and in a single location. You’ll get the deep peer-to-peer time you love from a Summit AND some glorious cross-disciplinary time to experience the power of the Green Commons. It’s all happening at the Kimpton Cottonwood, a... Read more

Hello Sustainable MEP Leaders!

BuildingGreen is already hard at work planning next year's MEP Summit. We are looking at venues in Denver, CO and dates in late May or early June.

In order to book a venue, we need to nail down dates soon. Please fill out this Doodle poll to let us know which of these would work for you. All of the... Read more

In the Passive House session at the Winter Summit, I spoke about a Massachusetts DOER report that found that meeting the new energy code in MA (passive house or better in most cases) is cheaper for some building types than traditional construction. Some of you asked to see the report. It was a power point show. On page 34 of this slide deck... Read more

Does anyone have a draft copy of the ASHRAE 209P standard? It has not been finalized? See an overview of it here from IBPSA 2016 summer meeting.

The 209 committee plans to release it for a 3rd public review and hopes to finalize it in late winter or early spring. I'm just trying to track down one of the earlier verisons of the document... Read more

The AIA New Orleans 2030 Committee is running RISING21 this week, November 11th and 12th from 1:30-5:30pm ET. This is the second year of these sessions that aspire to advance awareness and knowledge around climate and access to affordable energy among practitioners from the AEC industry. We invite architects, MEP professionals, interior... Read more

Hello Sustainable MEP Leaders!

I have an exciting announcement today, fall Peer Network events are now open for registration! You can see all the event details and register here!

Based on feedback we received from past events and the most recent surveys, we decided against doing one long week of events for this fall and instead... Read more

Has anyone found/used a non-PVC peel-and-stick countertop film?  Working with a client on a corporate renovation, and while we've been able to find a non-PVC product for the kitchen cabinets, I can't seem to find one that works for horizontal surfaces.  And they're looking for a cost-effective and quick-turnaround solution so don't want to... Read more

Mark oversees strategic marketing and product development for BuildingGreen. In this role, he works closely with our Editorial, WebDev, and Consulting teams to conceive, plan, direct, and budget integrated marketing programs that support our outreach and meet customers’ needs. 

Joining BuildingGreen in late 2021, Mark brings... Read more