Reduced Life-Cycle Impacts
Is wood a sustainable material? It depends: a table made from reclaimed wood has a much smaller environmental footprint than one sourced from a monoculture plantation that replaced a rainforest.
Defining responsible material sourcing—and then finding responsibly sourced products—is complicated. Here you will find in-depth resources that detail the benefits and challenges of using biobased materials, reclaimed wood, fly ash, and other materials. Our resources also detail which companies and industries are ahead of the curve in offering responsible choices.
What about the materials you don’t use? Using less is always a good idea—as long as that doesn’t compromise performance.
Doing more with less takes knowledge and attention: it’s about investing in human resources instead of wasting natural resources. And since our small planet has more humans every day, we’re not likely to run out of them anytime soon. Durability, efficient structural systems, and repairing and retrofitting rather than replacing are all key strategies to consider.
Reduced Life-Cycle Impacts
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Reducing Environmental Impacts of Cement and Concrete
Feature Article
This article explores the environmental footprint of portland cement production and future emissions regulations and looks at the issues surrounding its most common replacement, fly ash.
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Prefabricating Green: Building Environmentally Friendly Houses Off Site
Feature Article
Prefabricated housing offers several potential environmental benefits, including reduced transportation impacts, reduced waste, and quality control for better durability and performance. Aside from a few industry leaders, however, most manufacturers do not take full advantage of those efficiencies to create affordable high-performance houses.
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Making Carpet Environmentally Friendly
Feature Article
Carpets are the most popular floorcovering in the U.S., but they have also been associated with environmental problems including indoor air emissions and intensive resource use. However, manufacturers have worked to curb their environmental footprints by recycling carpet, examining their life-cycle impacts, and pursuing broad-based certification.
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Piping in Perspective: Selecting Pipe for Plumbing in Buildings
Feature Article
Potable water supply piping and drain-waste-vent piping represent a significant fraction of a building's materials. Choosing the greenest pipe for both applications, particularly deciding between metal pipe and plastic alternatives, requires evaluating a variety of environmental and human health impacts as well as durability and performance issues.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Recycled Content in Steel
Primer
Steel is made in two different facility types, which have different methods of producing and using recycled content in steel.
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Using Fly Ash in Concrete
Primer
Fly ash lowers the environmental footprint of concrete and improves durability. Pouring and curing concrete with high levels of fly ash requires special treatment.
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Defining Recycled Content
Primer
Accepted definitions bring some clarity to the term "recycled content," but still leave gray areas that are open to interpretation by product manufacturers.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Low-Cost 3D Wall Panels Use Sugarcane Waste
Product Review
Inhabit and WallArt offer decorative three-dimensional wall panels made from bagasse, or sugarcane waste fiber, and with no chemical binders or flame retardants.
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Benjamin Moore Natura Adds Mystery Biobased Content
Product Review
Natura Renew uses 40% biobased-content resins, but the company says it doesn't know the source, making it difficult to judge environmental performance.
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Biobased Interior Panels from Drought-Resistant Sorghum
Product Review
DurahStyle architectural panels are made in the U.S. from rapidly renewable, drought-resistant sorghum and formaldehyde-free MDI resins.
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Carnegie Renews Wallcovering Options with Biobased Xorel
Product Review
PVC-free wallcoverings have gotten greener with a new high-performance, sugar-cane-based textile from Carnegie Fabrics.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Major Canadian Timber Company Loses FSC Certification
News Analysis
Accused of trampling indigenous rights and disrupting caribou, Resolute Forest Products has months to clean up its act before FSC paper and lumber supplies are affected.
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Architects Push for Clearer EPDs with 2030 Challenge
News Analysis
Input from practitioners is needed, says Architecture 2030, to develop a more readable format for life-cycle data and environmental product declarations.
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EPA Finds Coal Fly Ash Safe in Concrete and Gypsum Wallboard
News Brief
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Milk Byproduct Could Become New Flame Retardant
News Brief
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Certified Wood Update: Comparing SFI to FSC on Key Forestry and Health Issues
Webcast
FSC-certified wood is ingrained in green building rating systems like LEED and the Living Building Challenge, but rival SFI has a revised standard. Can it prove it’s just as good on the issues that matter most?
