The Role of the Building Envelope in Controlling Disease Building Health Southface Curator | January 18, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic is driving innovation in ventilation practices to reduce the spread of aerosols in homes and workplaces. As building owners seek solutions, building science experts are emphasizing the role of air barriers and other components of the building envelope. The following article explores how current building envelope methods perform in mitigating disease transmission. Read more at constructionspecifier.com Read More Tags: Building Science, COVID-19
The Regenerative Economy: Sustaining Society’s Future by Design Green BuildingRegenerative Design Shane Totten, AIA, BIT Pro | January 14, 2021 The Regenerative Economy: Sustaining Society’s Future by Design Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the health of Western societies/economies has been measured by their year-over-year growth. Much of that growth has relied on harvesting readily available, cheap materials to produce products for a growing consumer base. Once those products are no longer needed or wanted, consumers simply dispose of them as waste. Not much has changed: This “take-make-use-dispose” behavior defines the essence of today’s global linear economy.[i] Historically, raw … Continue reading “The Regenerative Economy: Sustaining Society’s Future by Design” Read More Tags: Living Building Challenge, Regenerative economy
How Can We Measure a Company’s Carbon Footprint? Climate Change Southface Curator | January 14, 2021 Roughly 23% of Fortune Global 500 companies have made some form of commitment to reach carbon neutrality between now and 2050. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the excitement, but we must take data and measurement into consideration. As more companies make net-zero pledges, how will stakeholders — investors, employees, customers and regulators — hold these companies accountable? Read more about how climate accounting technologies are emerging as solutions to track and verify companies’ energy and carbon emissions. … Continue reading “How Can We Measure a Company’s Carbon Footprint?” Read More Tags: Carbon Footprint, Corporate Social Responsibility
Fox Theatre Institute Joins Forces With Southface Institute to Fund Historic Theatres’ Energy Sustainability Blog Southface Staff | January 11, 2021 ATLANTA, GA—JANUARY 11, 2021—At a time when a global pandemic has forced theaters across the country to go dark, the Fox Theatre Institute (FTI), a department of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Inc., is partnering with leading national environmental nonprofit Southface Institute to make historic theaters across the Southeast become more resilient, resource-efficient and save operational dollars through Southface’s GoodUse program. The Fox Theatre’s iconic marquee has 5000 lightbulbs that were replaced with lower-energy LEDs in 2014, creating significant energy and utilities … Continue reading “Fox Theatre Institute Joins Forces With Southface Institute to Fund Historic Theatres’ Energy Sustainability” Read More Tags: Gooduse, Historic Preservation
Happy ReNEWable Year Renewable Energy Southface Curator | January 8, 2021 2021 is the year of hope, change and, most importantly, renewable energy. With clean energy companies outperforming fossil fuel heavyweights last year and eight out of ten of the world’s largest economies committing to net zero by 2050, the pathway to renewables is clear. Learn more about the ways the world’s top markets are investing in wind and solar. Read more at forbes.com Read More Tags: Net Zero, Solar, Wind Energy
Energy-Efficient Homes Across the U.S. Green Building Southface Curator | December 18, 2020 When people hear Energy Star, they typically think of household appliances, but did you know that commercial buildings and homes can be Energy Star certified? This certification was created by the EPA to provide a standard measure of energy efficiency, and buildings are tested and inspected to ensure requirements are met. Check out the 2019 report to see where new single-family homes built with Energy Star certification are located and the impact these homes have on the environment and energy-cost … Continue reading “Energy-Efficient Homes Across the U.S.” Read More Tags: Energy Efficiency, Energy Star
Southface Institute’s Virtual Winter Solstice Celebrates Members, Volunteers and Partners Blog Southface Staff | December 16, 2020 (ATLANTA, GA.) December 16, 2020 – Southface Institute, the Atlanta-based nonprofit leader in the design and implementation of high-impact sustainability solutions, is presenting its annual Winter Solstice celebration online tomorrow, Thursday, December 17, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. The evening reflects on Southface’s 2020 work and its plans for 2021, while honoring its Volunteers of the Year, former Board members Linda Bolan and Denis Blackburne, and its Partner of the Year, Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), with Executive … Continue reading “Southface Institute’s Virtual Winter Solstice Celebrates Members, Volunteers and Partners” Read More Tags: Solstice
The Link Between Greening and Resiliency Climate ChangeGreen Building Southface Curator | December 9, 2020 As facility managers look for ways to make their buildings more sustainable, they typically look at resource and energy efficiency upgrades. While this is a great starting point, it is equally as important to consider how resilient the actual building is. When is the best time to invest in protective measures for a building? Learn how facility managers can implement resilience management plans into regular maintenance and why it plays such a critical role in disaster preparedness. Read more on … Continue reading “The Link Between Greening and Resiliency” Read More Tags: Natural Disaster, Resilience, Sustainable Facility Management
Becoming Climate Positive Green Technology Southface Curator | December 4, 2020 As companies look for innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint, the public is hearing about more sustainability goals related to being carbon negative, climate positive and carbon neutral. But what do all these terms really mean? Many of these companies focus on balancing their emissions with carbon offsets through carbon capture or removal technologies. Learn more about three carbon removal techniques that will play an important role in creating a more sustainable future. Read more on forbes.com Read More Tags: Carbon Footprint, Corporate Social Responsibility
Balancing Natural and Artificial Daylight Green Building Southface Curator | November 25, 2020 Creating buildings with the perfect balance of natural and artificial light can make a big difference in occupants’ health and well-being. One approach called daylight modeling finds the optimal use of natural daylight by identifying how the light interacts with the building. This not only creates a healthier environment but also connects interior spaces to nature and impacts design decisions. Learn more about implementing daylight modeling into any project to improve building performance and maximize occupant comfort. Read more at … Continue reading “Balancing Natural and Artificial Daylight” Read More Tags: Biophilia, Interior Design
