Projects / Products / Research / Policy
The GAB Report Library
Projects, products, research, policy, and practical intelligence from across the sustainable built environment.
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How Green Is Your Building’s Wood?
How can architects, developers and builders know for sure that lumber for building their projects comes from sustainably managed forests? Sustainability is defined internationally as: meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising that ability for future generations. Translated to forestry, sustainability strives to balance the interdependent and sometimes competing interests of the environmental,…
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Fresh & Easy’s Lower Energy Bills Translate into Cost Savings for Customers
We’ve all experienced the typical grocery or big-box store that uses excessive energy. The same thoughts get recycled over and over in my head during shopping trips: Why do I have to freeze in the refrigerated aisles? Do all the lights really need to be turned on? Are there opportunities to bring in natural light? …
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How Abode Communities Builds Green and Affordable
The recently completed Casa Dominguez affordable housing and community facility by Abode Communities is touted by the organization as innovative. Upon a recent site walk and visit, I can say that its innovation lies not only in it’s unique program but also lurks unseen, behind it’s walls, beneath it’s ground, and above it’s roof. The…
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City of Ann Arbor Pilots LED Street Lights and Reduces Costs
LED (light emitting diode) is a solid-state semiconductor device that converts electrical energy directly into light. Its development started in the 1960s and has been typically utilized as indicator lights in numerous electronic products, signage and flash light applications. Just in the last few years as its technology advanced, LEDs are now used in real…
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Ecobuild 2010: Learning From Our European Counterparts in Green Building
I’ve been reflecting on my whirlwind tour at Ecobuild 2010, a conference and tradeshow focusing on sustainable design, construction, and the built environment, as I sit at London Heathrow airport awaiting my delayed flight. During my two and a half days traversing London Underground’s network of tubes (a.k.a. subway lines), attending numerous educational sessions, and…
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A Success Story: Healthy Homes, Neighborhood Revitalization, and L.A. County’s First Graywater Irrigation System
Is it possible to build multi-family housing without air conditioning in Southern California where the weather averages high 70s F in the daytime for most of the year? With smart building design, it is definitely possible to do so. During their building walk-throughs in the middle of the October heat wave of 2009, the developer’s…
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Jam-Packed Session at West Coast Green 09: Alex Wilson’s Talk on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: a Look at Green & Not-So-Green Building Products
I have subscribed to the Environmental Building News for the last 15 years and it is my favorite subscription that I read religiously. I appreciate it for presenting good, solid research and am a huge fan of Mr. Alex Wilson, the Executive Editor of Environmental Building News and the GreenSpec® Directory, and the Founder and…
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West Coast Green 09: Innovations, Ideas, and Opportunities Shared
It was a crisp, fall morning with the sun shimmering on the San Francisco Bay—what a way to start off my first of three days at West Coast Green on October 1, 2009. As I walked through the exhibit hall to reach the keynote session, I could feel the buzz of excitement as exhibitors were…
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2nd Annual US-China Green Energy Conference a Catalyst for Change and Innovation
Conserving natural resources and curbing carbon emissions. Investing in clean technology and increasing renewable energy production. Developing sustainable eco-cities and implementing environmental policies. The race to effectively address these crucial challenges has begun. American and Chinese professionals are collaborating at various private and public levels to develop solutions at a global scale. The 2nd Annual…
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Can Robotic Manufacturing Help Us Build in a Greener Way?
Walking through many a jobsite, I have always felt at home with the smell of wood dust, the whirring noise of circular saws, and welding sparks flashing in the distance. These features are results of materials being cut and/or fabricated on site, and often times lead to unnecessary waste, whether it is due to un-intention…
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Ingenious Two-in-One Radiant Panel Structural Subfloor
To work on a project in Antarctica—how awesome would that be? A team of engineers was charged with the task of upgrading the heating system in the U.S. Antarctic Program Building #155. They decided that radiant floor heating was the correct solution, but they required a system that would provide reliable warmth, be efficient with…
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West Coast Green: Innovations, Ideas, and Opportunities
The very cool and very educational West Coast Green will be in San Francisco next week, October 1–3, 2009. It’s the largest conference on green innovation for the built environment on the west coast, and will be packed with educational seminars, trade show exhibitors, and showcases. Plan your schedule precisely for each day and get…