Green Building Alliance
Promoting Healthy and High-Performing Places to Live, Work, Play, and Learn.
The past week has not been a kind one for the environment, nor for those who care to read about it. Three monumental reports from the US Government, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and a team of independent researchers ripped through news feeds, with dire headlines like ‘UN Says Climate Genocide is Coming. […]
A Review of Richard Rhodes’ Energy: A Human History How do we make energy for all? Well, Science Historian Richard Rhodes’ Energy: A Human History attempts to answer that question by looking at the past 500 years of European and North American history. More of a read for policy wonks than technocrats, Energy won’t bring […]
The premise was simple. Design an ultra-efficient net-zero energy and net-zero water building to withstand -50 F degree temperatures and 150 mile per hour winds. Straightforward, no? As an added note, not much is known to have survived in this subarctic climate, and water must be shipped from a far-off land. This is not in […]
This is part one of a two-part series. Rooftop solar is growing across Western Pennsylvania, with Allegheny County now boasting the second-highest number of solar installations in the state at almost 1,800, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission. Once considered a specialty product, solar is becoming a decidedly mainstream investment—even in a cloudy state like […]
Exciting news for Pennsylvania: 2015 ICC Codes will be effective (in almost their entirety) on October 1, 2018! There were certainly some compromises made, but compared to the stalemate that has plagued PA building codes, this is amazing! Well, what do we mean in almost their entirety? This is a document of the Review and […]
A brief update on Pennsylvania Building Code and Solar Borders policies this week as a couple good things have been happening. Building Codes: On Tuesday the Review and Advisory Council voted on the last section of the 2015 codes for adoption – the International Energy Conservation Code, the most contentious section. Fortunately, I was able […]
First: A huge thank you! The participation in the commenting process on building codes was outstanding: there were over 50 comments submitted commenting on the 2015 ICC Codes in General and over 160 comments submitted concerning the International Energy Conservation Codes. What did all of these comments say? Well, since you took the time to […]
In case you missed it, Carnegie Mellon University’s 2018 Energy Week featured a wide variety of national and regional experts on all topics energy! Some highlights we experienced that you may also enjoy (via already posted video!) included: KEYNOTE – Sustainability: Myth, Madness, and Magic by The Blackstone Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Don Anderson’s approach […]
More than a century after Pittsburgh dominated electrical innovation, the city is once again lighting the way towards energy reinvention. The Energy Grid Research and Infrastructure Development (GRID) Institute, launched by the University of Pittsburgh, boasts one of the most technically sophisticated testing laboratories in the country, and leads the nation’s efforts to develop micro-grid […]
A question we get fairly often from you, the lovely people of Western Pennsylvania is: Can I switch my electricity provider to something greener? Why yes, yes you can. And as this is one the easiest ways (it takes less than 10 minutes) to reduce your environmental impact, we want to make sure everyone knows […]