GreenSpec Insights
Saving Wood from the Landfill, Without the Supply Issues
Posted by Brent Ehrlich on 07/25/2012
Oregon-based Viridian upcycles shipping waste to make stylish flooring, tabletops, veneers, and other products
Over the years, the GreenSpec team has looked at a lot of reclaimed lumber. It’s usually taken from barns and other aging structures, checked for lead paint and chemicals, and then turned into flooring and other products.
It’s rustic and attractive, but actually ordering it is fraught with supply challenges, so when Joe Mitchoff, co-founder of Viridian Wood Products...
The Results Are In: Green Builders and Designers Might Need Toxicology Summer School
Posted by Paula Melton on 07/19/2012
We’ve run the numbers from our quiz on toxic chemicals in building products, and we all have some explaining to do. Put down your #2 pencils and listen up!
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t yet taken the GreenSpec toxic chemical quiz, head over and do it now—yes, before you read the answers.
Find out...
The Ongoing Revolution in LED Lighting
Posted by Alex Wilson on 07/19/2012
LED lighting keeps on improving as yet another record efficacy is announced.
A few days ago I got yet another press release about a new efficiency record with LED lighting. These are almost commonplace as we ride the...
Stickiness Explained! Making Building Tapes and Membranes Stay Put
Posted by Peter Yost on 07/10/2012
When you use tape to seal a seam or flash a sill, you need peel-and-stick performance—not “stick-and-peel.”
NOTE: Read this whole series here.
While liquid sealants most often are used on the exposed surfaces of building enclosures, pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes (member link...
Are Chemicals Poisoning Your Perfect Designs? Test Your Knowledge of Building Product Hazards
Posted by Paula Melton on 07/07/2012
Take our quiz to find out how much you really know about...
Specifications for LEED “Certifiable” Projects: 4 Approaches
Posted by Mark Kalin, FAIA FCSI LEED BD+C on 06/26/2012
Many owners and municipalities are requesting LEED “certifiable” buildings from their design teams. How is a specifier to respond?
In our experience with over 200 (real) LEED projects, we have seen four approaches.
Approach 1: Declare an early victory
The team completes the LEED scorecard and declares victory. There is no mention of LEED in the project manual and the contractor is asked to “make the right green choices.” There is no review of the scorecard after...
Five Steps to Choosing Healthier, Greener Furniture
Posted by Jennifer Atlee on 06/20/2012
Furniture constantly touches our skin and can emit...
How to Choose a Sealant That Works
Posted by Peter Yost on 06/12/2012
Any sealant can perform well in the right application, but knowing which to pick for your job is another thing. Our guide to sealants and how to use them.
NOTE: Read this whole series here.
When selecting a sealant, these...
Six Things LEED Consultants Do Wrong in Specs
Posted by Mark Kalin, FAIA FCSI LEED BD+C on 06/01/2012
LEED consultants are paid to lend their expertise to achieve a project’s LEED certification goals. Their decisions focus on achieving credits and their participation is absolutely vital to the project, but some can actually work against the project's sustainability goals. Here are the top six problems I see.
#1 Discouraging bidding by specifying unrealistic LEED requirements
When a specification requires a regional source, a recycled...
New Concern About Pesticides in Exterior Paints
Posted by Brent Ehrlich on 05/30/2012
Although exterior paints have moved beyond lead and the most toxic solvents, new coatings contain biocides that may pose a different set of concerns.
Most of us are familiar with the volatile solvents found in alkyd, or “oil-based” paints. These are typically hazardous airborne pollutants with large volumes of smog-causing...
About the Authors
Alex Wilson is founder and executive editor of BuildingGreen, Inc., and coeditor of GreenSpec. For more than 30 years, Alex has been the most trusted voice on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible design and construction. Since launching Environmental Building News (EBN) in 1992, he’s built a reputation, resources, and staff to serve the companies for whom sustainable design is a core value.
Brent Ehrlich is BuildingGreen’s products editor, conducts research and writes product and category insights for the company’s GreenSpec product directory. He also contributes product reviews and feature articles for Environmental Building News, and is a contributing editor to McGraw-Hill’s GreenSource magazine.
Jennifer Atlee is research director at BuildingGreen, responsible for guiding the in-depth independent research that is the hallmark of all BuildingGreen resources. With her broad knowledge in sustainability, analytical acumen, and passion for improving the standards used to assess the sustainability of products, processes, and organizations, Jennifer brings strong direction to the research process behind GreenSpec’s product-screening decisions, and technical rigor to BuildingGreen’s custom research projects.
Tristan Roberts is Editorial Director at BuildingGreen, Inc., a position that requires broad knowledge about sustainable design, deep understanding of products, and mastery of all things LEED. Tristan Roberts brings that to Environmental Building News, GreenSpec, and LEEDuser, a plug-in tool supported by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide credit-by-credit advice for LEED projects.
Peter Yost brings more than 25 years' experience in building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high-performance homes to his role as director of residential services for BuildingGreen. He has been called upon to provide his building-science expertise to the nation’s leading homebuilding programs, including NAHB’s Green Building Standard, USGBC's LEED for Homes, EPA’s WaterSense, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America.
Paula Melton, BuildingGreen’s managing editor, brings a dynamic style, critical mind, and sharp wit to the many feature articles, blog posts, and product reviews she writes for GreenSpec, BuildingGreen.com, Environmental Building News, and other BuildingGreen-supported websites.
Nadav Malin is president of BuildingGreen, where he oversees the company’s industry-leading information and community-building resources and consulting services. He also convenes and facilitates gatherings of industry leaders, and lends his technical expertise and vision to GreenSource magazine. Nadav was the founding chair of the Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group for LEED.
Recent Discussions
The article suggests that from the air barrier location, the wall dries to interior within, and to exterior without. That's only the case when...
Tanya,
In regards to open-cell spray foam insulation it is a great choice epsecially in your application. With the right type of spray...
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Charles,
In our case I think the air barrier (Huber's Zip sheathing) is vapor-impermeable to a significant extent. It is a coated...