Click here to download a brief overview of how LEED contributes to Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD). Some good pointers on the value of LEED in moving the market forward along with some areas of potential caution for policy makers.

The BC government has embraced the concept of a carbon tax as a means to address emissions that result in climate change. While BC is the first province in Canada to formally adopt this approach, and indeed it is a good start, we have a long way to go in very little time.

Autodesk, the CAD software giant, and the US Green Building Council have been collaborating in the research and development of a coordinated Building Information Management software system that links the design process with real-time updates of the environmental performance of the proposed building. This video provides a sneak preview of the design process of tomorrow.

In April 2006, Light House commissioned two focus groups to gauge British Columbians perceptions of the home renovation and improvement process along with their interest in (and understanding of) green building. Light House retained the services of Conscientious Innovation – a marketing and communications company that specializes in helping businesses talk about social responsibility with “substance and style”.

Green Buildings: An Appraiser's Perspective:

Ever wondered if those green investments are going to recoup a return? How do the professionals value green buildings anyway?

A modest 1,300sf home north of Seattle has been lovingly disassembled with a new home rebuilt from the components. Due to rising landfill costs, tighter recycling guidelines and the growing trend toward ecologically sound building methods, this sort of home “deconstruction,” as the practice is called, is starting to catch on. About 1,000 homes a year are disassembled this way, according to the US Building Materials Reuse Association, a nonprofit educational group in State College, Pa., which reports growing interest in the practice.