Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press, 2002) Author: Michael Braungart and William McDonough “According to some accounts more than 90% of materials extracted to make durable goods in the US become waste almost immediately”* We have been designing our products for cradle to a premature grave. What if we designed more like nature, where […]
» Read moreFossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal are non-renewable energy sources that are formed from the decomposition of plants and animals over millions of years. They can be extracted from the earth and burned to create energy, and are now the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Learn More U.S. Department of Energy – Fossil Fuels Environmental Energy and Study […]
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Green building and sustainable design have gained traction across all building sectors over the past decade, but many in the industry still wonder about the value of high performance design and building. The Lehigh Valley Branch of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and Lehigh University’s Goodman Center for Real Estate Studies are proud to present a program on this […]
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Ben Franklin TechVentures2 is a 47,000 sf addition to an existing Bethlehem Steel Building on the Lehigh University Mountaintop Campus. The building was designed to The Energy Star program and received LEED Gold certification under the 2.2 version of New Construction guidelines (NCv2.2) in spring of 2013. Special features to the building addition include PV panels on the white roof […]
» Read moreThrough sustainable home design, passive solar energy systems can take advantage of natural energy characteristics and can efficiently heat and cool living spaces with minimal or no reliance on traditional heating and cooling systems. Some elements of passive solar design include optimally placed operable windows, thermal mass, (building material that stores heat to reduce temperature fluctuations) and thermal chimneys (which […]
» Read moreLEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program run by the U.S. Green Building Council. The program sets the standards for sustainable building strategies and practices. To become LEED certified, a building, community or home must satisfy certain prerequisites and work towards points to achieve different levels of certification. Learn More LEED Overview – US Green […]
» Read moreSustainable design aims to increase the performance of buildings by diminishing negative impacts of the structure on the environment and improving the health and comfort of building occupants. Learn More Sustainable Design – US General Services Adminstration Sustainable Overview – Whole Building Design Guide Principles of Sustainable Design – National Building Museum Lehigh Valley Resources Delaware Valley Green Building Council […]
» Read moreUrban gardening is defined as the growing of fruits, herbs, vegetables and other plants in urban environments. Due to the limited free space in cities, gardeners must strategically manage space as well as other resources, including water, soil, nutrients and light. This process can be accompanied by other sustainable activities, such as the collection and reuse of rain water, composting, […]
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