Climate change is real and accelerating. It requires an urgent response that focuses all the strategies and tactics necessary to stabilize the Earth's temperature regime. According to Thomas Jorling, the objective to guide research, development and implementation is straightforward: Achieve an all-electric economy. Simply put, all sectors of…

When museums commission green buildings, those buildings are often covered in the press. To understand the educational potential of green building press coverage, we qualitatively analyzed 96 articles about eight U.S. green science museums. We found that journalists who cover green buildings highlight green roofs, material choices,…

Purpose: Aiming to find out how to incorporate green building into the architectural curriculum, this study aims to explore the psychological path for cultivating architectural students' awareness and motivation to learn the green design concepts and related technologies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a global review of relevant…

This quote by ecologist, "Silent Spring" author and Chatham University alum Rachel Carson reminds us of the everyday tenacity needed in working to advance a sustainable and just world. This publication celebrates that tenacity in the higher education sector, specifically among institutions in the Pittsburgh area. Historically known for…

The built environment accounts for a substantial portion of energy consumption in the United States and in many parts of the world. Due to concerns over rising energy costs and climate change, researchers and practitioners have started exploring the area of eco-informatics to link information from the human, natural and built environments.…

The UK Government's Building Schools for the Future programme has provided schools with a unique opportunity to improve education for sustainable development substantially by giving pupils the chance to study within a real-life context. This article documents an engagement project in which experts in low-energy building design are facilitating…

Every building, from the smallest school to the tallest skyscraper, uses energy. This energy is most often generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Existing commercial buildings offer a significant opportunity for low-cost, immediate emissions and energy cost…

In the United States, 21% of all energy is used in residential buildings (40% of which is for heating and cooling homes). Promising improvements in residential building energy efficiency are underway such as the Building America Program and the Passive House Concept. The ability of improving energy efficiency in buildings is enhanced by building…

An insatiable appetite for energy, a burgeoning world population, and a heightened awareness of climate change are focusing global attention on sustainability, an issue that may very well determine the future course of civilization. The pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount importance for future generations. Achieving…

Buildings can be designed in harmony with the natural environment, and new techniques of "active" solar design exist to collect and use solar energy for space heating and cooling. Preservation and reuse of existing buildings and neighborhoods are other ways to conserve energy. (Author/MLF)

This monograph explores how architecture is influenced by and is responding to the global energy dilemma. Emphasis is placed on conservation techniques (using heavy insulation) and on passive solar construction (supplying most of a building's heating, cooling, and lighting requirements by sunlight). The basic problem is that architecture, like…

Some quantitative methods are illustrated that might be used to select design elements that are appropriate year-round and matched to the annual climate profile, and, in addition, to apportion architectural and mechanical strategies so that they complement one another. (Author/MLF)

This publication is a collection of solar heating ideas for the do-it-yourselfer. The ideas are presented in a clear, simple and sometimes amusing way. Although written for homeowners, these ideas may be used in businesses and schools as well. Some ideas may make good student projects. The suggestions are illustrated and their costs and probable…

This publication provides a discussion of various energy conserving building systems and design alternatives. The information presented here covers alternative space and water heating systems, and energy conserving building designs incorporating these systems and other energy conserving techniques. Besides water, wind, solar, and bio conversion…

Describes student projects on applications of solar energy optics to home design. Project criterion (requiring sketches and detailed calculations of time rate of energy flow/production) is that half the heat for the heating season be taken from the solar resource; calculations must be based on meteorological data for a specific location. (JM)