Welcome all to the second edition of this month’s Green Building Journal. The holidays are fast approaching, and all of us here are eagerly awaiting time spent with family and friends. With that said, things are as busy as ever here with the office preparing for next year’s activities.

This edition of the journal is focused on green building materials. When planning your next project, it’s important to always take note of what you will use in construction. Green building projects are growing around the country, and it is important to build in a sustainable and efficient manner using the right supplies. With the help of our contributing authors, we hope to shed some light on how to find these materials and use them effectively.

Byron Bargas begins with a look at green and sustainable products. Starting with a structural composite technology made out of corn stover, he then addresses efficient windows, selecting the best stucco product, and more when building new or remodeling/renovating. To those thinking about installing permeable concrete pavers, the next article by Gale Schroeder will prove very useful. In it she covers the proper way to install the product and the necessary job-site conditions whether you’re planning a paver street, cul-de-sac, or driveway.

Kevin O’Donnell joins us in another edition to describe localizing architecture. How do you source materials from local manufacturers? How can one make sure these materials are sustainable? This piece was written as a lead-in to his live discussion on December 9th. Join us for a one-hour presentation followed by live Q&A, where Kevin will present tools and strategies to help the professional community.

While this is a snapshot of what you can find in the journal, dive in and enjoy the articles, blogs, videos and news. Explore the Green Building Pro social media community, engage with other members, and contribute your expertise to collaborate and communicate with other green building professionals.

Green Building Pro is gearing up for 2011, and we want your input on the Green Building Expo Online Event Series. What topics would you like to see featured next year? Every month we are offering a new live multi-hour event to educate the community and highlight the latest green products. We are welcoming submissions for speakers interested in participating in our online event series. By participating, you will reach a community dedicated to the green building and design industries. From panel discussions and individual presentations, to the networking lounge and sponsorship hall, the Green Building Expo environment provides a space to learn and connect with like-minded professionals.

In December we are posting our Year in Review, looking back at 2010. Submit your Top 10 green building products, ideas, and topics for an article next month, and you will be included in a drawing for an iPod Touch!

We welcome you to join us in our community and attend our monthly online series, either as an attendee, sponsor, speaker or all of the above. Feel free to contact me with your input on our community and Journal editions. I look forward to joining you online in the Green Building Pro community.

Jenica Egan
Editor in Chief
Green Building Journal
Jenica.Egan@SparkInteractive.com
Follow us on Twitter @buildgreenpro

♪Green Living is the way for me♪
♪Smart thriving is the way to be♪
♪Energy Efficiency so far and wide♪
♪Quality & performance won’t take my money for a ride…♪
(Sung to the tune of Green Acres)

This month I would like to provide a very brief overview of a few of the various products that I have reviewed and that are either available or are on the foreseeable horizon. I’m sure I will miss many as there are so many products that are being introduces weekly, thus I offer but a few with the limited time and space I am afforded but I am always available to assist in whatever way I can.
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Broadcast Date: Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
Duration: 50-55 Minutes

Speaker:
Kevin Foster O’Donnell, Founder and Fundamentalist

The green product race is on. Every day, new products hit the market claiming to be green. Exhibit floors across the country are being invaded by companies showcasing their latest green innovation. Unfortunately, many of those products are, relatively speaking, old news. Many of the biggest sustainable design conferences and expositions in 2009, and so far in 2010, have lacked anything truly new and astounding. Where, then, are the products just barely rolling off the production line? Those just waiting to be launched? Those still in research and development?

The most effective way to be in the know is to build a green network. This is also the most important part of building a green library. When you have access to artists, manufacturers, researchers, and information providers who have within their reach the latest material intelligence, specifiers themselves can become part of the creation process and be in a position to design new and proprietary products. This session will showcase some of the newest green materials released, suggest strategies for ferreting the most innovative R&D and finding leading-edge sustainable material manufacturers, and provide tips for how to work with these companies to develop materials as of yet unimagined.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify cutting edge environmentally friendly materials that are not yet mainstream green.
   
2. Review research strategies for finding the companies researching and developing these materials.
   
3. Explore tips for working with small, progressive, environmentally responsible product manufacturers to create innovative materials.

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Most Professional Home Builders in Portland have heard of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavers. Only a small percentage of builders have actually installed permeable pavers in streets or residential driveways. Their reason for hesitancy in using permeable pavers likely revolves around fear of the unknown—things like engineering, installation, cost and maintenance. The aim of this article is to give a general overview of each of these topics. Let’s first take a look at installation steps used in permeable paver street, cul-de-sac and driveway construction.
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Do a Google search for the expression "going local" and it will take a fraction of a second to find more than a half billion results. Most relate to food, but issues of economic stability, business development, community identity, cultural conservation, and environmental sustainability are intricately woven into the public’s thirst for local choices.
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From the trees in your backyard to “Eco Options”TM at the Home Depot:

Green building material alternatives are being offered for all parts of the built environment.

While many materials are more readily available for large commercial projects, other, more common items such as zero VOC paints, are becoming a commonplace item on the retail level.
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Acousticians will often say that people never talk about sound quality until its bad. Good acoustics are an often-overlooked aspect of building design and until recently, green buildings were no exception. Luckily, the new LEED rating systems represent large steps in recognizing the importance of acoustics as part the overall comfort of buildings and the role that acoustics plays in the productivity and well-being of the people who inhabit them.
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Green Building Materials: A Guide to Product Selection and Specifications is one of the newest resources to come from Wiley. Authors Ross Spiegel and Dru Meadows have released their third edition of the book, to the delight of professionals everywhere. The incredible part of maintaining this kind of book is the amount of information introduced since its debut back in 2000. Green manufacturers and building certifications have ballooned since then, creating almost a whole new marketplace. This text is split between eight chapters that answer many questions one might have with regards to materials and environmental issues. What constitutes a green building material? How are these materials used? How does the process of construction work?
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Choosing Sustainable and Green Building Insulation

When we think of green and sustainable buildings, we often think of the things we can see and notice such as windows, paint, and countertops. It’s not often we think about the things we don’t see. Insulation is one of those things.

Insulation was first used for its thermal properties and later for acoustical purposes. It’s found inside our walls and attic, so does it really matter if it’s green? The answer is ‘yes’!
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