Electrification in LEED: February 2023 Addenda

Green cleaning updates help ease the use of the O+M rating system, while new pilot credits for electrification, decarbonization, and other issues offer new pathways for project teams.
by Axel Jeremie

This quarter’s LEED Addenda were released on Wednesday, February 8. USGBC posted the official update here.   Our hot take is…. 

Read more »

A Simple Equation for Conducting a Whole-Building LCA

Conducting whole-building life-cycle assessments for LEED is part art, part science. Here are 5 tips and tricks.
by Sarah Buffaloe

As embodied carbon gains more attention, more project teams are pursuing the Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit in LEED v4.0 and v4.1 and choosing option 4, Whole-Building Life-Cycle Assessment. If you are in that boat but wondering where to start, we would like to offer a simple equation.

To conduct a whole-building life-cycle assessment (WBLCA), you need two pieces of information: the quantity of each material and the embodied environmental factor for that material.

Quantity of material x Environmental factor = Embodied environmental impact

Read more »

Google Goes Public with Ambitious Carpet Tile Standard

With a new procurement program, Google adopted comprehensive sustainability requirements for modular carpet tile that raise the bar for major manufacturers.
by Paula Melton and Nadav Malin

When it comes to sustainability, modular carpet is a surprisingly complicated product. It’s made with a range of different backings and face fibers and various other compounds that might be added as filler, surface treatments, antimicrobials, and more. Setting a bar that optimizes for climate, health, and circularity is challenging.

Read more »
Subscribe to