Championing the
Changemakers

Hi folks,

A press release about this just showed up--most of what they're including in their "Clean Construction Declaration" involves reducing embodied carbon in materials, but they're also calling out construction equipment:

"Procure and, when possible, use only zero emission construction machinery from 2025 and require zero... Read more

Know any awesome sustainability leaders within GC or CM firms? They can be at mid-sized or large construction companies—any firm in the ENR top 400 qualifies for sure, others might need some vetting. The key is people who have sustainability as the focus of how they spend their time--either formally by title or otherwise. 

We want to... Read more

Hello, 

We are becoming involved with the design/construction of a new k-12 school that is intersted in entertaining geothermal. Does anyone have payback studies on geothermal?

Thanks!

Welcome to the quiz portion of Building Re-Entry with Arc

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


1.  Explain the similarities and differences between LEED v4.1 O+M performance metrics and the Arc Re-Entry program.

2.  Understand how Arc Re-Entry contributes to an iterative re-... Read more

Hello Everyone - we posted this to SAL, but also wanted to reach the Green Gurus folks!

To prepare for a co-creative workshop at the Environmental Design Research Association annual conference, "Health in All Places" our team ( myself, B. Sanborn, Penny Cole) is soliciting input via an all-questions-optional survey regarding ungendered... Read more

Both Z Smith and Lois Vitt Sale have been notified that they have been elected to the College of Fellows of the AIA, class of 2018.

Please join me in congratulating Z and Lois, and post here if you know of others who can now carry the FAIA label.

Well done guys!

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

All, today is the day I had committed to sending out the DRAFT request to equipment manufacturers of what is needed for full electrification.  I apologize that I didn't have time or focus to get my thoughts together till now (I had intended to share this with Chris and others prior to sending to the full group, but just didn't get my thoughts... 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:


...for all the folks on the west coast.

It’s smokey out there. For anyone looking for a cheap and relatively effective way to clean your indoor air, here is an article on a DIY box fan filters. 

https://www.texairfilters.com/a-variation-on-the-box-fan-with-merv-13-filter-air-cleaner/

This PSA is from our friends at NEEA (... Read more

https://www.usgbc.org/articles/us-green-building-council-celebrates-2021-class-leed-fellows

I'm sure you will see many familar names on the list - not the least of which is our fellow SMEPL:  Sarah Gudeman.

Congratulations, Sarah - well done!

Hello everyone,

Wondering if anyone has evaluated/considered/specified wood fiber insulation for use in lieu of mineral wool as the exterior wall insulation?  Am mostly looking to better understand domestic availability, r-value and fire/combustibility.

We have a multi-family building in DC where the client is interested in using... Read more

Practitioners interested in reducing the embodied carbon of buildings are likely now used to considering the impact of different materials, like mass timber or low-carbon concrete. Low-carbon construction, however, may be less familiar. 

Contractors are just... Read more

Hello Green Gurus,

We have an exciting cross-network opportunity coming up next week! Members of the SDL (Design Leaders) and SCL (Construction Leaders) networks will share about their experience at the recent SDL/SCL Summits. We will also preview the Reports for each Summit, and share some news about other events coming up this year.... Read more

Hi All,

Attached are the meeting notes from the Carbon Group's 2/26/20 -- also in the PDF are the slides presented in the 2/26 meeting.

Before our next meeting in late March/early April, we are looking for input on the following topic related to tracking and reporting carbon:

Does anyone have a recommendation for software that helps organize and track product and material selections for projects? 

Thanks!