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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Greening Your Electricity
Feature
Many businesses and homeowners are choosing to buy green power, including renewable energy credits (RECs). This article examines the environmental benefits of green power, including on-site renewables, what REC buyers should know about their purchases, and investing in energy conservation.
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Cradle to Cradle Certification: A Peek Inside MBDC's Black Box
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Cradle to Cradle is a multiple-attribute product certification program based on the philosophy of architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, and the work of their company, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). While MBDC's consulting services are driving breakthroughs in green manufacturing, the certification program lacks some of the comprehensiveness and transparency that are increasingly expected in the green certification market.
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Piping in Perspective: Selecting Pipe for Plumbing in Buildings
Feature
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.
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Making Carpet Environmentally Friendly
Feature
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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Building Products and Health: A Look at Risk vs. Hazard
Explainer
Use of "hazard avoidance" versus "risk assessment" for understanding toxicity of building materials is hotly debated. Why, and is there a common-sense answer?
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Embodied Carbon: Measuring How Building Materials Affect Climate
Explainer
Just as operating buildings emits greenhouse gases, buying and installing building materials, product, and appliances causes emissions as well.
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Safety Sheets Getting New Format—And Some New Data
Explainer
The new Globally Harmonized System for the MSDS will make reporting requirements stricter and should make the forms easier to read.
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Putting a “LID” on Harmful Stormwater Runoff
Explainer
Low-impact development (LID) minimizes pavement and maximizes rainwater infiltration, filtering out pollution and preventing erosion.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Mitsubishi Jet Towel Hand Dryer
Product Review
The Jet Towel uses high-velocity air to dry hands in five or six seconds. It also produces less noise and uses less energy than its competitors and captures water in a storage reservoir.
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PaperStone: Panels Made with Cashew-Nut-Hull Resin
Product Review
PaperStone, a solid-surface material used for interior and exterior applications, is made from post-consumer recycled paper and phenolic resin derived from cashew-nut shells.
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New Delta Showerhead Advances State of the Art
Product Review
The Delta Faucet Company's newest showerhead delivers a satisfying shower using only 1.6 gallons of water per minute.
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Kohler Enters the Waterless Urinal Market
Product Review
The Kohler Company has introduced two stylish, vitreous-china waterless urinal models.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Stone Industry Gathering Life-Cycle Data
News Analysis
Responding to a lack of data on the environmental impacts of building stone over its life cycle, the Natural Stone Council is funding a three-year research program.
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Materials Innovators Engage Cradle to Cradle Protocol
News Analysis
Material ConneXion has agreed to feature products certified under the Cradle to Cradle protocol in its materials library.
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MP Global's Fibrous Underlayments Achieve Indoor Advantage Gold
News Analysis
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Healthcare May Take LEED in New Directions
News Analysis
The draft of the LEED for Healthcare covers new ground for a LEED rating sytem, including requiring integrated design and offering a credit for avoiding certain chemicals. If approved by the members of the U.S. Green Building Council, these concepts may find their way into other LEED rating systems.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Let’s Talk: Mainstreaming Transparency Takes More than Letters
Op-Ed
To move the building industry toward greener products, there are two big things we need to do.
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Revisiting Wood and Embodied Carbon
Op-Ed
A reader argues that a flawed study mars the message of a recent BuildingGreen report on embodied carbon.
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Thanks To You, Transparency is Reaching Deeper into the Supply Chain
Op-Ed
The A&D community’s “ask” for ingredient transparency continues to move entire industries toward healthier products, especially now with the Supplier HPD.
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A Manufacturer’s Guide to a Successful Sustainability Platform
Op-Ed
Manufacturers have a unique role in sustainable building and LEED—and they don’t need to leave profits behind. Here’s a manufacturer’s guide to improving and promoting green products.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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