Sustainability E-News
Education is Important
|
|
From The Editor
As you read this, The Masonry Society (TMS) is gearing up for our Spring Meeting and the 14th North American Masonry Conference (NAMC) which are to be held June 9 - 14 in Omaha, NE. The NAMC Conference is an educational conference where you can learn about the latest research and developments in masonry. The TMS Spring Meeting will be the first meeting of the 2028 TMS 402/602 Committee since its initial meeting last fall. That means there is a lot of business on the agenda, as the Committee gets to work on crafting improvements for the next edition of the Code and Specification. If you are a user of the masonry code or specification (TMS 402/602), I encourage you to get involved with TMS and have your voice heard. Changes are made based on user feedback, research, and other new developments, all with the goal of improving the design and construction of masonry. In addition to the Code meetings, TMS will also hold meetings of its Design Practices Committee, Existing Masonry Committee, and many others. I hope you will join us!
Christine "Tina" Subasic, PE, LEED AP
CSubasicPE@gmail.com
NOTE: Inclusion in this newsletter is not an endorsement of the products and materials featured, nor have these products been evaluated by TMS or the editor. Furthermore, the views expressed in the articles featured are those of the article authors.
|
|
GREEN BUILDING NEWS
This link is to a rather long report, but it highlights important facts about hydropower dams that are often overlooked. Much of the promise of decarbonizing buildings is built on the premise of greener electric power, which includes hydropower. This article notes that hydropower isn’t always a ‘green’ source. Another reminder that it is important to always consider the full picture. ~Tina
Hydropower might be more black mark than green option
CLIMATE NEWS
Hydropower might be less environmentally friendly than what people have thought, given that dams can destroy the habitat of aquatic animals and can generate greenhouse-gas emissions. Dam removal has drawn interest from activists and even the federal government, especially as heavy rainfall from climate change overloads decades-old dams, threatening human life. Read the full story.
GSA puts "Buy Clean" initiative to the test
ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD (tiered subscription model)
Lower-embodied-carbon construction materials are the focus of a pilot program by the General Services Administration to explore "Buy Clean" procurement requirements for federal projects. The program, supported by $2.15 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act, involves 11 projects over six months in eight states and the District of Columbia. Read more here.
|
CODES and STANDARDS NEWS
Despite a recent court decision that calls into question the legality of prohibiting installation of gas equipment in new buildings, several jurisdictions are moving forward with such bans. You can read about both in the articles below. ~Tina
|
4 big questions as building codes consider embodied carbon
BUILDING GREEN
The urgency of curbing embodied carbon, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials, continues to escalate. Voluntary rating systems have been working away at the issue for more than a decade. More recently, states like California, several cities, and some U.S. agencies have started adopting “buy clean” policies that apply to public projects only. A handful of jurisdictions, like Marin County, California, have limited embodied carbon in all new construction. And now there’s an ambitious push to use model codes—even the International Building Code itself—to set and enforce embodied carbon limits. Moving into the code world, which regulates both public and private construction in an entire jurisdiction, brings new questions to the conversation, including whether codes are the right way to limit embodied carbon and when the industry will be ready to comply if the codes do change. Read more here.
Maryland releases draft GHG regulations to implement SB 528
GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE
In a proactive move toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings in the state, the Maryland Department of the Environment has released draft regulations to implement key aspects of Senate Bill 528 of 2022 – The Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022. This blog post explores the implementation of SB 528, highlights some major elements of the draft regulations, and discusses the potential impact of these measures on the environment and businesses in Maryland. A related article on Maryland’s buy clean policy can be found here.
New York State goes all-electric
URBAN GREEN COUNCIL
Recently New York became the first state in the nation to require all-electric new construction. Included in the long-awaited $229 billion state budget, the legislation builds on New York City’s groundbreaking Local Law 154 of 2021, with some key variations. Read more.
Court saves gas stoves from the government
GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE
“By completely prohibiting the installation of natural gas piping within newly constructed buildings, the City of Berkeley has waded into a domain preempted by Congress,” is the opening sentence and ultimate holding in the April 17, 2023, decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California Restaurant Association vs. City of Berkley. This precedent setting decision by a federal appellate court is a significant setback for state and local governments, including Maryland and New York City, Denver, and Brookline, that seek to ban natural gas in buildings in the name of climate change. Read the article.
|
GREEN PRODUCT NEWS
The first article is applicable to all concrete products, including concrete masonry. ~Tina
Research paper: 'Suitability of EPDs for Supporting Life Cycle and Comparative Analysis of Concrete Mixtures'
MIT CONCRETE SUSTAINABILITY HUB
The use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) of concrete and other construction materials is gaining momentum. EPDs should enable an informed selection of products with a lower environmental footprint, hence the issue of EPD comparability is highly relevant. In this paper, the present shortcomings and future opportunities that can promote a meaningful EPD comparison for concrete products are identified and discussed.
GCCA holding innovation challenge to cut emissions
ASSOCIATIONS NOW
The Global Cement and Concrete Association's Innovandi Open Challenge, returning for its second year, will link member companies with startups to work on innovations to reduce the industry's carbon emissions. Proposals from startups are being accepted through May 15, with a focus on new ingredients for low-carbon concrete. The submissions will be shared with member firms to determine which proposals to support. Learn more here.
|
EDUCATIONAL NEWS
Register now for The Masonry Society Spring Meeting
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
TMS will be hosting its 2023 Spring business and committee meetings, at the Marriott Omaha Downtown Capitol District Hotel on June 9-11, immediately prior to the 14NAMC. Preliminary information on the meetings and a tentative schedule are posted here. If you are planning to attend only the Spring Meetings, click here to register. If you plan to attend the 14NAMC, your TMS meeting registration will be included in your NAMC registration.
14th North American Masonry Conference
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
The 14th North American Masonry Conference (14NAMC) will be held June 11-14, 2023, in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The conference will be jointly hosted by the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the Nebraska Masonry Alliance (NMA), and will be sponsored by The Masonry Society (TMS). The conference will feature more than 100 technical presentations, several keynote addresses, innovative learning sessions, and student competitions. For more information, visit the conference website.
Building Innovation conference registration open
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BUILDING SCIENCES
The 11th annual Building Innovation conference will take place September 5–7, 2023, at the historic Washington Hilton in Washington, DC. This year’s conference will focus on four key topics: Resilience, Technology, Building Performance & Sustainability, and Workforce Development. More information can be found at the conference website.
|
To Subscribe, click here.
|
Advancing the Knowledge of Masonry
|
Please note: Your email address is from a list solely owned and maintained by The Masonry Society (TMS) for our exclusive email purposes. If you are a TMS Member, participate in a TMS Committee, or have requested TMS mailings, your email is essential to your membership, committee participation (including virtual meeting announcements and ballots), delivery of various TMS e-publications, and meeting/seminar announcements. Unsubscribing through our email sender, Constant Contact, will block all emails from TMS. If you would like to specify what type of emails you would like to receive from TMS, have questions about our email policy, or would like to subscribe to our newsletters, please contact TMS directly at info@masonrysociety.org. To view the TMS Privacy Policy, click here.
|
|
TMS's Sustainability
E-Newsletter Sponsors
Platinum Level
|
Arizona Masonry Council ***
|
Concrete Masonry Association of California & Nevada ***
|
International Masonry Institute***
|
Southeast Concrete Masonry Association **
|
TMS Sustainability
E-Newsletter Sponsors
Click on the links above to learn more about each of these organizations who have graciously sponsored this E-Newsletter. The Sponsors designated with an asterisk (*) are also TMS Members at the following levels:
*** Sustaining Member
** Affiliate Member
* Individual Member
Interested in becoming a Newsletter Sponsor?
Contact TMS for more information on becoming a Sustainability E-Newsletter Sponsor and having your organization's logo appear before thousands of subscribers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|