Re-framing Steel: How to Optimize Your Steel Structure to Reduce Embodied Impacts with Michael Gryniuk (LeMessurier, SE 2050). Recording

Construction: The Contractor’s Role in Quantifying and Reducing Embodied Carbon: Why, What, and How with Stacy Smedley (Skanska), Jenelle Shapiro (Webcor Builders), Mark Chen (Skanska). Recording and Slides

Beyond Fly Ash: How to Optimize Your Concrete Structure to Reduce Embodied Impacts with Dirk Kestner (Walter P Moore). Recording

Reducing Embodied Carbon with EC3 and Tally with Roderick Bates (KieranTimberlake). Recording

Using WBLCA to Reduce Embodied Carbon Within LEED and Beyond with Raphael Sperry (Arup), Anthony Pak (Priopta), Baha Sadreddin (ZGF), and Victoria Herrero-Garcia (Ambient Energy). Recording and Slides

Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) news and media.

CLF now has local hubs in Atlanta, Austin, Australia, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Yellowstone. Join or start a local chapter now to help expand our network.

SE 2050: Commit to creating a firm-wide plan to reduce the embodied carbon of your structural systems, evaluate and reduce the embodied carbon impacts of your design decisions, and track your progress. Check out the ECOM tool to quickly find an estimate of the embodied carbon in your project or framing scheme.

The City of Portland posted a concrete EPD purchasing policy. As of January 1, 2020, all concrete purchases are required to have an environmental product declaration (EPD). By April 1, 2021, a global warming potential (GWP) threshold will be established, and by January 1, 2022, all concrete EPDs will be required to meet this GWP threshold.

Growth in floor area: the blind spot in cutting carbon. “It is time for the [building] sector to grasp fully the opportunities for tackling embodied or “capital carbon,” not only at the level of low carbon materials, but also (more importantly) at the strategic planning level.” That means frequent discussions focused on embodied carbon, aligning project goals with global science-based targets, shifting to a circular economy, achieving absolute material reductions, and advocating for rigorous carbon accounting requirements.

LCA courses for buildings

Check out these resources for learning how to perform LCA for buildings and building materials:

• Industrial Ecology Freiburg,
• Carnegie Mellon University,
• CLF LCA Practice Guide ,
• CLF YouTube Channel.