Sustainability E-News
Tools for Improving Performance
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From The Editor
Carbon reduction and carbon sequestration dominate this edition - and with good reason. A lot is going on! The Federal government is supporting these efforts on many levels, from requiring materials with lower carbon emissions to be used in their construction projects to helping fund development of environmental product declarations (EPD). And these efforts are being seen throughout numerous Federal agencies. Are you seeing this effect in your work? Are you being asked to use or provide lower carbon building materials? I'm always interested to know how widespread these efforts really are. You can email me at the address below.
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.
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GREEN BUILDING NEWS
Just last edition we shared how renovations and reuse are expected to be in the news this year. Below you can read about a new tool that has been developed to help estimate the carbon benefits of reuse. I have not yet examined the database or assumptions of this tool, but nevertheless, it is good to see folks trying to better quantify the benefits. ~Tina
Architecture 2030 releases Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator
ARCHITECTURE 2030
Building reuse represents a significant opportunity to avoid carbon emissions in the critical near term, but until recently, quantifying the carbon 'savings' in a retrofit or reuse versus new construction has been arduous, often fraught with inaccuracy, and lacking in standardized methodology. Architecture 2030’s CARE (Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator) Tool has dramatically streamlined the process, enabling owners, communities, and design teams to quickly quantify the carbon benefits — and understand the value of reuse. Based on simple user inputs about energy targets and potential building interventions, the CARE Tool estimates both the operational carbon emissions (from energy use in the building) and embodied carbon emissions (tied to building materials) associated with reusing and upgrading an existing building or replacing it with new construction.
Center for Sustainable Building Research
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
The Center for Sustainable Building Research at University of Minnesota is working to transform the built environment in ways that provide for the ecological, economic, and social needs of the present—without compromising those of the future. On their website you can find information on research in a number of areas that contribute toward more sustainable and resilient building designs. Among them are the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (B3) and a study on Regenerative Design as a Path to Resilience.
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CODES and STANDARDS NEWS
A reminder about the webinars EPA is presenting. The first is this week. The March 22nd event focuses on grants for EPD development. ~Tina
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EPA seeks input on programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to construction materials
EPA
EPA will hold three public engagement webinars to solicit feedback on the Inflation Reduction Act programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with construction materials and products. Input is sought from experts and stakeholders, including institutional buyers, developers, builders, manufacturers, and representatives from states, Tribal Nations, non-profit organizations, trade associations, and others.
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March 2, 2023, 2p.m. EST: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement
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March 22, 2023, 2p.m. EST: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance for Environmental Product Declarations
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April 19, 2023, 2p.m. EST: Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Carbon Labeling
Find more information, including registration here.
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GREEN PRODUCT NEWS
The first article below reports on the expansion to commercial scale of previously reported research. ~Tina
Lafarge rolls out Europe's first calcined clay cement unit
GLOBAL CEMENT
Holcim subsidiary Lafarge France launched Europe's first calcined clay cement unit at its integrated Saint-Pierre-la-Cour plant. Capable of producing up to 550,000 tons of cement per year, the operation comes after a more than $42 million investment and is powered by biomass alternative fuels and makes use of a waste recovery system aimed at further reducing CO2 emissions. Read more.
Carbon Sequestration of Concrete Masonry paper published by ASTM
ASTM INTERNATIONAL
ASTM International published a new peer-reviewed research paper documenting the sequestration of carbon dioxide. The paper documents research conducted through a grant by the NCMA Education and Research Foundation to quantify the amount of carbon dioxide that the concrete masonry absorbs and the rate at which it absorbs it. The result shows that dry-cast concrete products not only absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, they absorb more than previously thought, and at much faster rates than expected. Copies of this paper are now available for purchase here.
You can participate in GHG emission measurement survey
GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE
Kaplow Law is currently undertaking a survey to assess and gauge the market for greenhouse gas emission measurement, public claims, and reduction. While the world has seen a ballooning of Net Zero GHG emission commitments by government and non-state actors alike, this is all still a new idea. With GHG emissions reduction impacting such a broad spectrum of ESG factors, the goal of this survey is to report on the current business acceptance and adoption of calculating GHG emissions. Find a link to the survey in this article.
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EDUCATIONAL NEWS
LAST CALL! Responses needed today!
Do you teach or design with masonry? If so, please take a moment to fill out the corresponding survey at the link below. TMS is trying to assess masonry education needs. ~Tina
Input on Masonry Education sought
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
The Masonry Society (TMS), with support of the NCMA Foundation, is conducting surveys to help determine University/College masonry education needs and recommendations for the education of future architects, engineers, construction managers, and other practitioners. Input is sought from both Faculty (1 per institution dept.) and Practitioners. Please complete the appropriate survey no later than February 28, 2023.
14th North American Masonry Conference to be held in June
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.
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