Building Materials

solar-powered water pump

Can solar power help eradicate extreme poverty in the developing world? As we’ve shown a number of times, many social entrepreneurs think so, and are investing their time and money in a variety of technologies.[read more]

infrastructure/shutterstock

Building green infrastructure is often a good investment for nature, for the economy and for jobs. We should provide solutions that work with nature instead of against it, where that makes economic and environmental sense.[read more]

building your green home

 

If you’re thinking about building green, keep this infographic nearby, as it covers thirteen elements that you’ll want to consider in the design and construction of your home.[read more]

green home building

Modern pioneers—from owner-builders in British Columbia to designers challenging the harsh conditions of the Aleutian Islands—are showing that green building on a budget is possible with enough creativity and planning.[read more]

solar energy roof

Solar panels on the roof: no big news there, right? How about a roof made from solar panels, though? No, we’re not talking about solar shingles, we’re talking about a roof made only from solar panels.[read more]

infrastructure investment

Area residents agree that public infrastructure is deteriorating in southeast Michigan, but differ sharply on how to address the issue, according to a survey conducted in 2012.[read more]

2011 was the first year that the larger property and casualty industry returned to growth, having just ended four years of general decline, the longest continuous down period since the Great Depression. But no one was exactly ecstatic.[read more]

Bullitt Center in Seattle

The Bullitt Center intends to pass the “Living Building Challenge,” in which it must perform much like an organic system: generating as much energy as it uses, producing no waste, and being water-efficient.[read more]

green building/shutterstock

A team of researchers at Stanford has designed an entirely new form of cooling structure that cools even when the sun is shining. Beyond the commercial implications, the researchers foresee a broad potential social impact.[read more]

developing greener concrete

The idea is to use bioethanol production byproducts to produce a material to use in concrete as a partial replacement of cement to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete materials.[read more]

bamboo/shutterstock

If you’re trying to be eco-friendly while building your dream home, you might think there’s no way you can compensate for the carbon emissions and resources that you use. But choose your building materials carefully, and you can create a truly green home.[read more]

green building

We are in the midst of a really exciting time for LEED and USGBC. LEED v4 will be balloted in June of this year[read more]