Sustainable Materials
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Sustainable Materials
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation
Feature Article
In an effort to eliminate the use of halogenated flame retardants, building code changes are being proposed by a group of fire experts, architects, chemists, and environmentalists.
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The Hidden Science of High-Performance Building Assemblies
Feature Article
Any four walls and a roof make an enclosure, but for efficiency, comfort, and durability, those elements have to be meticulously designed and installed.
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Seal, Tape, Gasket: A Sticky Search for Better Materials
Feature Article
Given the importance of sealing hidden joints in our air and water barriers, you'd think we'd know how long our sealants, adhesives, and gaskets last.
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Exterior Paints: Long-Term Protection and Environmental Tradeoffs
Feature Article
Exterior coatings protect buildings from the environment but often contain hazardous ingredients, so maximizing their durability is often the greenest option.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Life-Cycle Assessment: Tracing a Product's Impacts
Explainer
Life-cycle assessment—accounting for all of the environmental impacts of a product from its manufacture to its disposal—is a simple concept, but using it to compare products in practice can be difficult.
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Binders in Manufactured Wood Products: Beyond Formaldehyde
Explainer
Concerned about emissions regulations, the manufactured wood products industry is moving away from glues formulated with urea formaldehyde and phenol formaldehyde.
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Volatile Organic Compounds: Definitions Matter
Explainer
Because of how air-quality regulators define VOCs, judging a product's contribution to indoor air quality using only VOC content can be misleading.
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Drywall Options: Paper-Faced, Monolithic, or Fiberglass-Faced?
Explainer
Drywall types differ in cost, recyclability, and response to moisture and mold.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Innovative Heat Pump Replaces Window Air Conditioners
Product Review
Gradient is introducing an integrated heat pump that fits into a window opening, but unlike a standard AC unit, it can also supply heat during winter months.
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The Benefits of Urban Honeybees
Product Review
Our urban buildings can provide habitat for vulnerable honeybee populations, as well as research opportunities that might help the species and our food supply.
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Commercial Heat Pump Water Heaters Using CO2 Refrigerant
Product Review
Mitsubishi’s Heat2O commercial heat-pump water heater uses CO2 as a refrigerant and is now available in the U.S.
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Water Savings and More Using Vacuum Toilets
Product Review
Jets vacuum toilet systems use significantly less water than standard systems, reduce wastewater, provide design flexibility, and can be used in combination with graywater and composting systems.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Biden Orders Carbon-Neutral Federal Government by 2050
News Analysis
New policies from Biden's executive order will require carbon-free electricity and embodied carbon disclosure for building materials, and could limit procurement of products with PFAS.
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Mining Companies Pledge Net-Zero Operations by 2050
News Brief
Decarbonized raw materials will mean final products with lower embodied carbon.
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Design Guide Tackles All Angles of Decarbonization
News Brief
Embodied carbon, electrification, and renewable energy: practice guide from the William J. Worthen Foundation pieces together decarbonization best practices.
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ASID Commits to Addressing Climate, Health, and Equity
News Brief
The American Society of Interior Designers pledges in a new position statement to support people and the environment with new tools and advocacy.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Tape It? Seal It? Glue It? Sealing Weather Barrier Seams
Blog Post
Lots of building products offer some help in keeping air, water, and heat in our buildings, but without attention to the joints, you lose critical continuity in your barriers.
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A New Edge in Specifying Green Building Products
Op-Ed
BuildingGreen will link our Web-based green products resource, GreenSpec, with the Healthy Building Network's Pharos Project to provide one trusted, authoritative, independent source for specifying green building products, information and research.
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EBN's Position on Fly Ash
Op-Ed
EBN is concerned about heavy metals leaching from products made with fly ash, and thinks these products should only be used if they reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere or if the risk of leaching is very low.
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Chemicals Article Lacked Balance
Op-Ed
Reader Ross Leonard challenges us on our reporting in the recent article on chemicals in green building.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Just For Fun
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