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 HPD? Health Product Declaration FAQs
Feature Short
We answer frequently asked questions on HPDs, which allow manufacturers to disclose product ingredients and hazards.
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Wood Certifications: How FSC, PEFC, and SFI Compare
Feature Article
Do wood certifications from FSC, PEFC, and SFI do what they claim? We analyzed forestry standards to find the most reliable markers of responsible sourcing.
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The Promise of Biobased Materials—and How to Use Them Now
Feature Article
There is a lot of hype about carbon storage and other benefits of natural materials, but their potential is real. Read about those that are ready for prime time—and the ones we hope will take off next.
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Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Feature Article
Sustainability doesn’t have to cost more—and no one knows that better than affordable housing experts. But every project type can benefit from these 12 cost-reducing ideas that support people and the planet.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Weighing Embodied vs. Operational Carbon Tradeoffs
Explainer
There can be a seesaw dynamic between operational and embodied carbon. Under what circumstances is a tradeoff worth the price
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Building Decarbonization: Learn the Lingo
Explainer
Building decarbonization 101 for architects, engineers, and sustainability consultants cutting emissions from building materials and operations.
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Circular Economy: Better Design from Start to … Start
Explainer
“Circularity” is about more than just recycling. It means building and buying things only when necessary—and without wasting anything.
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Building Decarbonization: How LCA and EPDs Fit in
Explainer
Life-cycle assessment and environmental product declarations reveal embodied carbon and other impacts, but it’s important to know their limits.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Products at an Exposition
Product Review
These are select products from the Greenbuild expo floor, highlighting natural materials, innovative new technologies, and important updates.
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You Can Now Specify Low-Embodied-Carbon Steel
Product Review
ClarkDietrich is now offering low-embodied-carbon cold-rolled steel products that meet the federal purchasing requirements of the Build America, Buy America Act and Buy Clean Act.
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Spray-Applied Hempcrete
Product Review
Ereasy is a spray-applied method for applying hempcrete that significantly speeds installation, making it a more viable commercial product.
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New Recyclable LVT Replacement Is PVC Free—and Affordable
Product Review
EcoWorx Resilient flooring outperforms LVT on durability and sustainability, at a comparable price, claims Shaw Industries.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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USGBC Certifies First LEED v5 O+M Projects
News Brief
USGBC announces the first three projects certified under the new LEED v5 Operations & Maintenance (O+M) rating system, still in beta testing.
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C2C Launches a New, More Accessible Circularity Certificate
News Brief
With its Certified Circularity Standard, Cradle to Cradle hopes to expand the reach of its product circularity efforts.
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Industry Aligns on Federal Zero-Emissions-Building Definition
News Brief
The federal government finalized its definition of a “zero-emissions building” in June of this year, and now major industry groups have formally announced their intentions to align with it.
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Carbon Now or Later: The Arguments for Delaying Emissions
News Analysis
A new Arup report demystifies the time value of carbon, why it matters, and why we need to be careful with it.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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SFI Takes Issue with Recent Wood Certification Report
Op-Ed
In a letter to the editor, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative details eight objections to BuildingGreen’s evaluation of its programs.
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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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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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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.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Wood Certifications: How FSC, PEFC, and SFI Compare
Feature Article
Do wood certifications from FSC, PEFC, and SFI do what they claim? We analyzed forestry standards to find the most reliable markers of responsible sourcing.
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Wood Certifications: Comparing Programs and Their Impacts
Spotlight Report
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Building Product Certifications and Ecolabels- Discounted
Special Report
This BuildingGreen publication provides a no-nonsense guide to the world of green building product certifications to help designers, purchasers, manufacturers, and others in the industry to focus on what is significant and relevant so that market forces can work and the industry can focus on bigger issues.
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Build More or Build Green? Affordable Housing’s False Choice
Feature Article
The housing crisis is also a climate crisis and a social equity crisis. If we change our ways, we can address them all at once.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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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.
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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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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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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
