Event Description

This course looks at the carbon and environmental impacts of concrete, steel, and wood building materials, how they have improved over the years, and where they still fall short. The course will focus on concrete’s carbon emissions problem and solutions, cement and concrete alternatives, the differing impacts of virgin and recycled steel, and the climate impacts of wood building materials (including mass timber and other engineered products). Forestry’s carbon accounting and environmental impacts are complicated and in flux; the training will dig into some of those challenges and discuss how to move forward despite these complexities.

This is the fifth session of the Materials Matter: Embodied Carbon & The Path to Healthier Buildings training series. Join the series to explore the connections between climate, human health, and the circular economy - transforming the way we design and build for a better future.

Learning Objective - 

1. Participants will understand the carbon impacts of concrete and cement and how code changes and innovative specification practices can permit the use of low-carbon alternatives.
2. Participants will be able to explain the life cycle of steel and discuss the embodied carbon of virgin and recycled materials.
3. Participants will comprehend the benefits and limitations of engineered wood from a carbon perspective.
4. Participants will know why forest certifications are crucial and why ecological stewardship is still the biggest driver of wood’s overall sustainability - including the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its life cycle.