Sustainable Materials
Parent
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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Affordable Housing and Sustainable Design: The Goals Are Aligned
Feature Article
Green building is not just for those with means.
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Better Steel, Lower Impacts
Feature Article
Steel’s reputation for high embodied energy and carbon emissions are well documented, but improvements in processing, product selection, and end use can minimize these impacts.
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20 Ways to Advance Sustainability in the Next Four Years
Feature Article
In this age of political revolution and environmental urgency, it’s time to step back and take a look at priorities, challenges, and opportunities
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VOCs: Why They’re Still Here and What You Can Do About It
Feature Article
“Sick building syndrome” was one of the first problems the green building community tried to solve. We’ve come a long way, but we’re not done yet.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The Lacey Act and the Building Industry: Sourcing Legal Wood
Explainer
Lumber Liquidators will pay millions for importing illegal wood products. Could architects or contractors be fined for buying them?
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The High Price of Stain Resistance: Environmental Persistence
Explainer
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances increase product longevity. Though these PFAS don’t last forever on our textiles and carpets, they do stick around in our bodies.
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Green Chemistry Meets Green Building
Explainer
What is green chemistry, and how does it fit into LEED? We explain the relationship—and some tensions.
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Understanding GreenScreen and List Translator Benchmarks
Explainer
The Health Product Declaration and some other programs ask for GreenScreen benchmarks. What does that actually mean?
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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MDF and Particleboard
Product Guide
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard, and interior-grade plywood can emit formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. Some materials come from non-sustainable sources.
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Textiles
Product Guide
These high-performance, low-impact fabrics are painstakingly vetted and include biobased synthetics and some natural fibers.
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Wallcoverings
Product Guide
These durable wall treatments have no PVC and no toxic phthalates. This mitigates health concerns with this important design choice.
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Hardwood & Bamboo Flooring
Product Guide
Hardwood and rapidly renewable flooring that's sustainably sourced and tested for ultra-low indoor emissions
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Glass Pozzolan Wins Innovation Award
News Brief
Urban Mining Industries’ Pozzotive glass pozzolan can replace portland cement in concrete and is now a Concrete Innovation Award winner.
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A New Effort to Ensure Carbon Offsets Mean Something
News Brief
Core Carbon Principles and assessment guidelines from the Integrity Council aim to help purchasers identify “high-quality” carbon credits.
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GSA Drafts Carbon Limits for Select Building Materials
News Brief
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is establishing thresholds for concrete and other high-embodied-carbon building materials.
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A Bad Week for PVC: Toxic Spill, and Imports Halted Due to Forced Labor
News Brief
A train derailment released toxic vinyl chloride in Ohio, and due to forced labor concerns, U.S. Customs has stopped the import of PVC products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, a major supplier of vinyl flooring.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Wingnut Real-World Testing of Basement Waterproofing
Blog Post
A basement testing of UGL Drylok Extreme, Koster NB1 Grey, Xypex Concentrate negative-side waterproofing
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Installing Insulation With the X-Floc Ventilated Dry Injection System
Blog Post
X-Floc claims the blowing equipment they use delivers cellulose at a more consistent density, and they were willing to prove it with this demonstration.
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An Embarrassment of Riches: Products and Materials at Greenbuild 2017
Blog Post
A new focus on embodied carbon and LEED v4 are driving designers to dive deep into what we choose for our buildings
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Pete’s Product Puzzle: VersaDry
Blog Post
Simple folded metal solves a common moisture problem
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Construction Emissions: A Virtual Roundtable
Webcast
In this one-hour panel discussion, we will tap the leading experts on estimating and tracking construction emissions and talk about best practices for reducing this slice of a project’s carbon footprint.
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The Missing Embodied Carbon Link: Construction
Spotlight Report
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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do about It
Feature Article
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
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Using Low-Carbon Concrete in Your Next Project
Spotlight Report
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