Going to BuildingEnergy this year? There are a lot of exciting sessions to choose from.
Alex Wilson, a naturalist as well as a green building expert, knows a thing or two about being prepared.
It's easy to get lost in a sea of greenwash. Our updated GreenSpec criteria provide clear direction on what makes a product green.
BuildingGreen has been defining what makes a product green since the start of the GreenSpec directory in 1998--and we're repeatedly surprised by how far and wide our list of green attributes travels. The industry is not static, though, and it is our aim to continue providing a compass that points from today's best practices to truly sustainable materials management.
There are plenty of products that simply aren't efficient, low-emitting, or sustainable. but here are some products that have a lot going for them, but also have some serious flaws.
LEED Minimum Program Requirement #6, requiring energy and water use reporting, is the most controversial and the most difficult to comply with. Our free webcast explains it step by step.
Free Webcast: LEED Energy Reporting Made Easy: Fulfilling LEED-2009 MPR #6
Tues. Feb. 28, 2012 | 1 p.m. Eastern Time
When the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) were introduced in 2009, it quickly became clear that MPR #6 would be perhaps the most controversial and the most difficult to comply with. Under the requirements of MPR #6, certified LEED-2009 projects are committed to sharing whole-building energy and water usage data.
The Army is still going for Gold and Platinum despite recent legislation calling a halt to LEED spending.
Fort Carson is piloting net-zero energy, water, and waste--and expects to meet that target by 2020.
Lighter, more fire-resistant, and a better insulator, autoclaved aerated concrete caught on in the rest of the world ages ago. It's taking a lot longer in the U.S.
The porous AAC structure comes from being "leavened" with aluminum. Photo: H+H UK
Will environmental product declarations end greenwashing for good? Not so fast.
This is Part 3 in our series on transparency.
Part 1: Why We Care About Product Transparency
Part 2: Why We Need "Nutrition Labels" for Building Products
Contact with nature is not just an amenity: it's important for well-being. Green walls liven up urban spaces while improving building performance.
There are more than 20 different standardized tests manufacturers can invoke to "qualify" as a code-accepted weather-resistive barrier (WRB); with our GreenSpec section on WRBs, we've picked just one that we think does the job.
It's not easy being a weather-resistive barrier (WRB): it has to stop liquid water, be tough and not tear, but also be flexible to wrap around building elements. And it often needs to be vapor-permeable to promote drying.
