|
Top eight green best practices + questions to ask
Those reading this article are likely wanting to garner practical advice for day-to-day work. Good lists tend to make work more efficient. This is where the title’s ‘Ps’ and ‘Qs’ come together—a convenient synopsis of practical best practices and questions to answer that align with each section of this article for consideration in office standards or to try on the next project.
BP #1: Perspective
1. Have you learned about ‘life cycle thinking?’
2. Have product manufacturers performed life cycle analysis (LCA) on all products?
Suggested resource: Consider attending accredited seminars or workshops to expand your knowledge on the various topics. Visit www.usgbc.org/education-at-usgbc.
BP #2: Principles
1. Can the manufacturers provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to help you understand the product’s life cycle?
2. How many of the company’s products have EPDs?
Suggested resource: Check out the short YouTube video from Elixir Environmental, “EPD: Intro to Environmental Product Declaration.”
BP #3: Priorities
1. How has your firm set its current green priorities? (Look to neutral third-party resources.)
Suggested resources: Benchmark with good examples from resources such as CallisonRTKL (A Design Consultancy of Arcadis)’s 2015 “Sustainability Report”—available online at cdn.callisonrtkl.com/
wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2016/04/sustainability-report-2015-5.pdf. Read GreenBiz.com’s “State of Green Business 2016” and the Dodge Data + Analytics Smart Market Report, “World Green Building Trends 2016.”
BP #4: Probe
1. Which resources are the best investments to help your team make quick, deep green decisions?
Suggested resource: Check out BuildingGreen articles such as August 2015’s “How to Use EPDs in Your Practice: Advice from Designers.”
BP #5: Practice
1. Have you investigated best-practice strategies and technologies? (For example, in a particular project it might be important to consider passive design prior to introducing a new system.
Suggested resource: Consult the HOK Sustainable Design Guidebook, which provides eco-best practices for each phase of design and construction.
BP #6: PioneeR
1. Have you investigated the suitability of bio-based materials for your next project?
Suggested resources: Become familiar with the LEED v4 credit, Building Product Disclosure & Optimization Sourcing of Raw Materials (Option 2–Leadership Extraction Practices), which references bio-based products. Also, read BuildingGreen’s Environmental Building News’ article on the best alternative bio-based phthalate free plasticizers, “Two Phthalate-free PVC-Free Plasticizers Stand Out in New Report.”
BP #7: Perpetual
1. Have you searched for products with a minimum percentage of recycled content across their entire product line?
2. Is the product 100 percent recyclable?
3. Can the product be reused?
Suggested resource: Check out “Design for Reuse Primer: 15 Successful Reuse Projects within Different Sectors Explored In-depth,” a free electronic publication developed by Public Architecture at www.designforreuse.com/pdf/Primer-Online.pdf.
BP #8: Purpose
1. Ask questions of companies you collaborate with to learn their business values and environmental ethos, specifically:
- Who does the company collaborate with as suppliers, team members, and customers?
- What product does the company make?
- How does the company make the product?
- Where does this company choose to headquarter its business and distribute its services and products, and to what community?
Suggested resource: Learn about Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR) within the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Framework. Examples can be found in a search at globalreporting.org.
|
