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Understanding the Emission Scopes

But less influence is not the same as no influence.

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It started as a way to strengthen carbon literacy among designers at NBBJ Design. Four years later, ZeroGuide has been released to the public for free with a dual mission: to support early design decisions for projects and to influence future projects.

Several widely respected data sources—including Cambium and PVWatts from the National... Read more

Remember all those times when a sustainability “conversation” felt more like a fight? A fight you were losing?

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is helping project teams replay that old scene with a new character: Uncle Sam, proffering his open wallet.

By incentivizing technologies that slash emissions and processes that include... Read more

“We just started to ask better questions.”

That’s how Megan Feenstra Wall, AIA, credits the Framework for Design Excellence for helping Mathison | Mathison Architects “go farther sooner in a way that’s been great for our clients and our projects.” Because of the framework, she believes, the small Grand Rapids, Michigan, firm where she... Read more

Many building owners are just waking up to the massive carbon footprints of their portfolios. The higher their emissions are, the greater the financial and reputational risks. And owners face increasing pressure to disclose climate-related risks to investors and the public through environmental, social, and governance (ESG)... Read more

This article has been prepared for informational purposes only; it is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your firm’s tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.​

Since the late 1940s, the United... Read more

Common refrigerants used to heat and cool buildings “can drive up to 75% of the embodied carbon emissions related to HVAC systems,” according to MEP 2040, a group of signatories committed to building decarbonization. The group recently issued a call to action to speed progress toward its 2040 net-zero target.

When we think of the future of all-electric buildings, two technologies tend to rise to the top: heat pumps and batteries. Heat pumps are now ubiquitous for providing heating and cooling, and lithium-ion batteries have become increasingly popular. Alone, the two technologies can work great, but each has limitations. There are... Read more

The diversity of the AEC sector hasn’t shown much progress in two years, according to the second Social Equity in the Built Environment Workforce Survey. But the survey, conducted by the nonprofit National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), had far fewer respondents in 2023 than in 2021, complicating efforts to compare data over time.... Read more

Concrete is one of the construction industry’s largest carbon emitters, responsible for about 5% to 8% of the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is also one of the most important building materials. 

There are well-proven ways to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint, such as replacing... Read more

Mindful MATERIALS is partnering with BuildingGreen, a leader in green building knowledge, consulting, and communities, to broaden the building product manufacturing and AEC industries’ understanding of the Common Materials Framework (CMF). The CMF is a common language for sustainability data that will help databases and certification... Read more

Our homes, offices, and cars are electrifying—but they are only as green as the grid. Fossil fuels still supply 61% of electric power in the U.S. and account for about a quarter of national greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The success of electrification as a decarbonization strategy in building, transportation, and all other sectors relies... Read more

With the adoption of LEDs, the reduced energy impacts of lighting are now taken for granted, but there are still a lot of old fluorescent and first generation LEDs on the market. And LED lighting is still complicated, especially for outdoor applications. How do you balance efficacy (lighting energy performance, measured in... Read more

There’s nothing like a breath of fresh air.

Nice phrase—but considering the rampant wildfires, diesel fumes, industrial plumes, excess pollen, higher concentrations of CO2, and literal plagues that plague modern life, clean air is increasingly hard to come by, whether outdoors or in.

Meanwhile, we now know more than ever about... Read more

The recent Getting to Zero Forum in Minneapolis included both policy- and technology-related strategies on how to make the transition to a net-zero-energy and net-zero-carbon economy. One highlight was a presentation in the technical session “Building Communities That Survive and Thrive,” in which I was also a presenter, about... Read more

Where we live, the quality of our homes, and the resources we have determine our vulnerability to climate change. As the United States continues to fight and prepare for the impacts of global heating, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring that everyone—people earning lower incomes and communities of color, in particular—have access to... Read more

It’s graduation day. Partners, grandparents, aunts and uncles, young children, aging parents, and even neighbors gather to celebrate.

But this isn’t about a high school diploma or college degree. It’s far more consequential. Eight graduates have just finished a six-week training program that... Read more

Cities are getting dangerously hot. It is fairly obvious that more people will need air conditioning (AC). But there are a couple of reasons adding AC alone won’t keep people safe, says recent research.

There are equity concerns with AC units. They come with ongoing maintenance expenses, can spike... Read more

Human-made “forever chemicals”—known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—have a wide range of negative health impacts and have been found in most consumer and building products. Even with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states like Maine trying to regulate them, there are more than 10,000 PFAS... 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 beginning to track the emissions from their job sites... Read more