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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Polystyrene Insulation: Does It Belong in a Green Building?
Feature
Polystyrene is widely used as a rigid insulation in North America, offering high insulation values, moisture resistance, strength, and affordability. But a flame retardant in the material, as well as its life-cycle impacts, raise questions about whether it should be used at all.
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Chemistry for Designers: Understanding Hazards in Building Products
Feature
What's in our building materials? Are there chemicals we should be afraid of? Trying to get answers to these questions can be frustrating, but there are a number of good tools available.
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Reducing Environmental Impacts of Cement and Concrete
Feature
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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What's New in Multi-Attribute Environmental Certifications
Feature
The industry is increasingly recognizing the need for a more comprehensive review of green products. We don't have perfect programs yet, but we scrutinize the most prominent programs out there and highlight how they're useful.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Chemical Footprinting: Companies Take Stock of Their Toxic Impact
Explainer
Harmful chemicals are more difficult to quantify than carbon emissions but are equally destructive. Now you can track manufacturers’ chemical footprints.
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Is Particleboard Deadly? Formaldehyde Emissions Explained
Explainer
Formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products will soon be strictly regulated in the U.S., but questions remain.
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How to Read an EPD: 7 Tips from the Field (Video)
Explainer
In this short video primer, Arup engineer Frances Yang explains how to get what you need from environmental product declarations.
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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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Wind Turbines on the Parapet
Product Review
AeroVironment, Inc., is introducing a new approach to small-scale wind generation that takes advantage of the rush of wind as it crests a building's facade.
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Climate Energy Brings Combined Heat and Power Home
Product Review
The idea of combining electricity generation with the production of useful heat-referred to as combined heat and power (CHP) or cogeneration-has long been attractive. Now, after many false starts, a viable residential-scale CHP system is about to enter the market.
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Nail Kicker Aids Wood Reuse
Product Review
A pneumatic tool that aids salvage and reuse of wood, the Nail Kicker has recently been reissued.
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3form Takes Recycled Content to 100 Percent
Product Review
Building on the success of its Varia panels with 40% recycled plastic content, 3form has announced 100 Percent, a new line of panels made with 100% post-consumer HDPE.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Energy Star Labels for LED Lighting
News Analysis
Energy Star ratings for LED light fixtures, to become effective in September 2008, provide assurance that products have been tested to meet a wide range of performance and durability specifications.
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FSC-Certified Bamboo Plywood Now Available
News Analysis
In an industry first, Smith & Fong now offers bamboo plywood panels certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
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Fears Grow with Polycarbonate Chemical Bisphenol-A
News Analysis
Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic for numerous building materials as well as consumer items, is under growing scrutiny in the U.S. and Canada.
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FEMA Working to Limit Formaldehyde
News Analysis
As FEMA looks to limit formaldehyde emissions in its emergency housing units, trade associations for the recreational vehicle and trailer industry are following FEMA's lead.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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The Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard Does Six Things
Op-Ed
Here’s how we’re going to deconstruct “net zero” and rebuild it as a comprehensive standard that applies to every building.
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The Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard’s Path to Adoption
Op-Ed
To decarbonize the building sector, we need to align our efforts. Let’s get to it.
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COP28: Noise and Progress
Op-Ed
The COP28 politics and protests were crucial, but behind the scenes, it was all about good-faith collaboration, community, and commitments.
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Rethinking Polystyrene Insulation
Op-Ed
We should avoid using polystyrene made with the flame retardant HBCD in our buildings, using rigid mineral wool, polyurethane, cellulose, or other alternatives instead.
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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