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California’s goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045 is changing the way we think about building energy performance. Reducing annual energy consumption alone is no longer enough. Growing electrification is placing greater demands on the grid, particularly during periods of peak demand. For years, building performance has been evaluated primarily through annual energy consumption […]

In May 2026, Turner partnered with Shark Solutions, a Los Angeles-based glass recycling company, to recycle 100% of the demolished glass from a JPMorgan Chase project in Newport Beach. The project pursued LEED certification and maximizing waste diversion rates was a priority. When Sophie Pennetier of Digne Consulting recommended that the two firms connect, the […]

For California to meet its ambitious climate goals, we have to transition the state’s building stock from fossil fuels to cleaner, high-efficiency electric appliances. In the single-family residential sector, this relies on millions of households making the decision to upgrade their homes. However, accessing reliable and unbiased information about how their home energy features could […]

Valuable, available, and versatile: Bio-based materials are often framed as “interesting, but not quite ready” for large-scale projects. In practice, the opposite is increasingly true. Many of these materials are viable, commercially available, and already utilized in buildings today. The next gap to bridge is industry adoption. Our recent research assessed bio-based materials’ Technology Readiness […]

The built environment is facing its most significant change in construction standards in over a decade as LEED v5 takes over and decarbonization mandates rapidly shift. At Green Badger, we work with 80% of the world’s largest green construction firms and are witnessing firsthand how forward-leaning companies are successfully adapting. Today’s general contractors (GCs) and […]

California’s Title 24, Part 6 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) are widely understood for what they are: a compliance framework, not a design methodology. They were never intended to shape architectural intent or engineering strategy in the same way that, say, real-world passive design principles or operational load optimization do. That reality hasn’t changed. […]

Have you ever looked out your window in the morning and seen a thick, gray haze over the mountains? In the Inland Empire, we call that smog. While our home is a beautiful place with big hills and lots of sunshine, there’s a bit of a problem with our air. But don’t worry! There is […]

Let’s start with a brief history lesson. Over a decade ago, local and state governments recognized that energy use in buildings contributes the majority of emissions in most jurisdictions. So it made sense that as these jurisdictions sought to reduce their emissions footprint, they would need to engage with building owners. And so, the building […]

USGBC-CA Editor’s Note:  Welcome to 2026 and to our blog! We are eager to hear your insights and thought leadership that will inspire our collective audience, our community. And please read and engage with our authors! So let’s kick it off with this contribution from BREEAM, and email julie@usgbc-ca.org if you have a proposed post! The real […]

Across the globe, data centers are rising at an unprecedented rate, and with them, a powerful opportunity to rethink how we build, operate, and renew the digital infrastructure that drives our world. The scale of this build-out is staggering: the global data-center construction market is expected to nearly double from $240.97 billion in 2024 to […]

Smart, clean construction technology is transforming the industry—and CORE incentives can help you lead the way. The construction industry is entering a new era, one defined by innovation, sustainability, and smarter technology. As infrastructure demands grow and environmental regulations tighten, the need for cleaner, more efficient equipment is no longer a distant goal; it’s a […]

*If you are attending the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo next week, see below for Monday tour. Our Buildings Are Using Too Much Water In 2015, a 60-year-old cast iron water main burst in Lafayette, CA causing significant flooding and left residents without water. In 2018, a water main ruptured in Hayward, CA creating a […]