Materials & Resources

Sustainable building materials explained: what makes a material sustainable, a list organized by building role, and how LEED v5 rewards better choices.

What is embodied carbon? The emissions built into materials and construction explained: vs operational carbon, how it's calculated, reduced, and LEED's rules.

Life cycle assessment explained for buildings: the stages and scopes, the four ISO phases, whole-building LCA, LCA vs EPD, and the role LEED v5 gives it.

The environmental product declaration (EPD) explained: the LCA-based impact report, how one is made and verified, EPD vs LCA vs HPD, and the LEED connection.

The health product declaration (HPD) explained: what the ingredient-disclosure report shows, the Open Standard behind it, HPD vs Declare vs EPD, and LEED.

The Declare label explained: the nutrition label for building products, the Red List of worst-in-class chemicals, the three statuses, and the LEED connection.

Cradle to cradle explained: the design concept, how it differs from cradle to grave, how Cradle to Cradle Certified works, and how it counts in LEED v5.

Recycled content explained: pre-consumer vs post-consumer material, how claims are verified, common recycled-content building materials, and its LEED v5 role.

Recycled concrete aggregate explained: how concrete is recycled, what RCA is used for, how it differs from natural aggregate, and how LEED v5 counts it.

Construction waste management explained: what a waste management plan includes, how to minimize and recycle C&D waste, and how LEED rewards diversion.