Both LEED and Green Globes are the very type of "voluntary consensus standards" that will be impacted by the revised OMB Circular A-119. OMB is seeking comments on the revision no later than May 12, 2014.… Continue Reading
An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a method of quantifying the environmental impacts of a product. It is analogous to the nutritional label on a box of cereal. All of this is new, in particular in the U.S. where EPDs are soon to be crucial in green building because LEED v4 and Green Globes both recognize EPDs.… Continue Reading
I had a conversation with Jerry Yudelson last week, six weeks after he became the President of the Green Building Initiative, .. the non profit with the rights to distribute Green Globes in the United States.… Continue Reading
ASHRAE standard 189.1 will be republished in 2014 for adoption in the IgCC 2015. In an environment of green building standards, rating systems, and codes, it is the republishing of ASHRAE Standard 189.1 that may be the single most significant act in 2014 toward improving the built environment.… Continue Reading
New research from Arizona State University calls into question many common assumptions about the ability of reflective pavements to mitigate urban heat island effect. .. "Unfortunately, efforts to promote reflective pavements have moved more quickly than the scientific and engineering research."… Continue Reading
In a tectonic shift in government policy, the Department of Defense will now permit the use of both Green Globes and LEED for third party green building certification.… Continue Reading
Last Friday, the GSA recommended both Green Globes 2010 and LEED 2009 as the third party certification systems that the federal government will use. This recommendation, if accepted, portends a green building world (which has always been dominated by LEED) turned upside down.… Continue Reading
You may remember that in previous posts, GBLU warned that September was going to be a big month for green building regulations in Washington D.C. It was anticipated that the D.C. City Council would vote on new green building codes on September 16 but the codes were tabled to allow for more feedback from affected parties. But … Continue Reading
