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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What’s an EPD? Environmental Product Declaration FAQs
Feature Short
We answer FAQs on EPDs, which allow manufacturers to disclose a product’s carbon footprint and other impacts.
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Wood, Concrete, and Steel—And Their Incomparable EPDs
Feature Short
Don’t expect the turf battles over sustainability of structural systems to be settled anytime soon by EPDs.
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EPDs Will Change How We Build—But Slowly (Executive Summary)
Feature Short
Are EPDs actually going to have an impact on sustainable design and construction practices? Eventually. Just don’t get caught up in the hype.
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How to Use EPDs in Your Practice: Advice from Designers
Feature Short
Sure, you can just check a box for LEED v4. But the data can also inform your project, if you use it wisely.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The 12 Product Rules
Infographic
These 12 product rules provide a simple approach to selecting better, healthier, and more environmentally responsible building products and materials.
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HPD Quick-Start Guide: 5 Easy Steps
Infographic
How to get solid information from a Health Product Declaration (HPD), in just five steps.
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What's Your Hazard Avoidance Profile?
Infographic
How early or late are you when it comes to jumping on the bandwagon to avoid toxic chemicals in buildings? Find yourself on the hazard avoidance curve.
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The 8 Shades of Greenwash: How Many Do You Recognize?
Infographic
Most building products these days have an environmental angle to their sales pitches. Many are legit, but as ever, you still have to watch for the telltale signs of greenwash—the practice of inventing or exaggerating the environmental benefits of a product.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Cables and Wiring
Product Guide
When possible, products should meet the European Union’s RoHS standards and be free of halogens and PFAS.
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Resilient Flooring
Product Guide
PVC-free and recycled-tire-free flooring, including linoleum and composites with low or no indoor emissions
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Tile
Product Guide
Porcelain tiles that meet third-party environmental standards, and BPA-free adhesives
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Concrete
Product Guide
Producing cement, the primary ingredient in concrete, generates significant amounts of CO2, mercury, and other pollutants, so maximizing its performance and finding substitutes when possible can improve the environmental footprint of a building.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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PrimeBoard Ag-Fiber Panel Plant Sold to Masonite
News Analysis
Masonite, the world's largest producer of doors, has purchased straw-particleboard manufacturer Primeboard and plans to shift most output to internal use for door-core stock.
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News on the Toilet Testing Front
News Analysis
Veritec Consulting has redesigned its toilet-performance testing protocol to save soybean paste, and a new system helps consumers identify toilets that save water and flush well.
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Flexible Noryl Resin Could Offer New Wire-Coating Option
News Analysis
GE's Flexible Noryl Resin could rival halogenated materials for plenum-rated electrical and data cable insulating and sheathing.
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Wallboard Recycling Monster Arrives from Europe
News Analysis
Gypsum Recycling America, LLC, is importing a new technology that processes wallboard into reusable gypsum powder and paper fragments.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Concerns About Broadening LEED's Wood Credit
Op-Ed
Bill Edgerton, AIA, writes about his concerns that broadening LEED's wood credit would weaken LEED and erode USGBC's credibility.
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USGBC Supports Screening of PVC
Op-Ed
Tom Lent of the Healthy Building Network explores the recent PVC report from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Polystyrene's Track Record
Op-Ed
Steve Russell, of the American Chemistry Council, suggests that the hazards associated with polystyrene are being overblown.
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Watch for Other Toxics
Op-Ed
Two architects argue that some of the alternatives to polystyrene, such as polyurethane, come with their own hazards.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Green Building Materials 101: A Syllabus Supplement
Syllabus Supplement
College professors: here’s a curriculum module for introducing students to healthier and lower-impact products and materials using BuildingGreen articles.
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Sustainable Design 101: A Syllabus Supplement
Syllabus Supplement
College professors: here’s a curriculum module you can use to introduce students to sustainable design using BuildingGreen articles. Feel free to cherry pick content that fits your syllabus.
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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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The Urgency of Embodied Carbon and What You Can Do About It
Spotlight Report
Building materials emit massive amounts of carbon long before the lights go on. Here’s how thoughtful design can reduce global warming impact.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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A Concrete Phoenix Rises: Meet the Brutalist Tiny House
April Fools
Two great movements—from the past and present—come together in a towable 45,000 lb. package
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Reclaimed Building Materials in the Age of COVID
April Fools
Using reclaimed building materials is a great way to save resources and lower the embodied carbon of a building, but obtaining these materials in the age of COVID has created a new set of legal and ethical challenges.
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OK COVID, It’s HAMMER Time!
April Fools
COVID has upended our lives, homes, and offices. It’s time to fight back with HAMMER brand biocidal antifungal nonviral germicidal disinfectant antimicrobial therapeutic (BANGDAT) sprays, coatings, and composites.
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Time to Desert the Island
April Fools
A mass timber controversy compels BuildingGreen to bid a regretful farewell to its hippest and most popular event venue.
