Category: Green Building

It’s Time to Tackle Building Efficiency 

We’ve seen emissions rebound after dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Transport has the highest reliance on fossil fuels, accounting for 37% of CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021, while building operations accounted for 27% of total energy sector emissions (8% direct emissions and 19% indirect emissions from electricity production and heat use). […]

‘A Perfect Opportunity’: U.S. Warehouses Have Huge Rooftop Solar Potential

Covering the roofs of America’s warehouses and distribution centers with solar panels could generate enough clean energy to power nearly 20 million homes, according to a new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. “If we want to create a clean energy future, we should look first to the already-built […]

energy efficiency

EPA Reveals 2023 Top Cities for ENERGY STAR-Certified Buildings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its 2023 “Top Cities” list. The latest annual ranking spotlights the cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR-certified commercial and multifamily buildings by the end of 2022. Did your city make the list? Coming in at first place for the fourth year in a row, Los […]

Under Construction: LEGO Group’s $1B Carbon-Neutral-Run Factory

The LEGO Group has broken ground on its new carbon-neutral-run factory in Chesterfield County near Richmond, Va. The 340-acre site is the size of 260 American football fields, and the project represents a $1 billion investment. Sustainability When completed in 2025, the factory will include tens of thousands of rooftop and ground solar panels to […]

New Streamlined Process for LEED and WELL Building Certifications

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), and the International WELL Building Institute pbc (IWBI) have released a streamlined process for projects pursuing certifications for the LEED green building rating system and the WELL Building Standard. The process streamlines documentation for projects that are pursuing both certifications at the same time […]

K-12 School Leaders Converge on D.C. for Clean Energy Symposium

More than 50 school leaders from 16 states recently traveled to Washington, D.C., for the first-ever Clean Energy Schools Symposium—a national meeting of school decision-makers who have flipped the switch to clean energy and are actively inspiring and supporting other schools across the country to do the same. National clean energy nonprofit Generation180 hosted the […]

Most U.S. Employees Consider Workplace Sustainability a Top Priority

With recession concerns and rising costs squeezing margins for many employers, 84% of CEOs in a recent KPMG survey said that they had cut or were considering cutting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs. Now, a new survey from Esker suggests that such measures may be short-sighted, as an employer’s demonstrated commitment to sustainability has become essential to many […]

How the Real Estate Industry Could Revamp Green Leases for Commercial Buildings

As real estate occupiers face increased pressure to lower their carbon footprint, and investors are greening their portfolios, green leases can benefit both landlords and tenants while also serving to decarbonize real estate. JLL’s new Green Leasing 2.0: Bridging the owner-occupier divide to deliver shared ESG value report outlines the considerations building occupiers and owners should include […]

EPA Names Top 15 ENERGY STAR Building Certifiers of 2022

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the names of 15 organizations that each earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification for more than 150 commercial, multifamily, and industrial buildings in 2022. In total, the top certifiers collectively certified more than 3,700 buildings representing over 800 million square feet of floor space. EPA is highlighting the […]