The University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) will be a candidate to be regarded as one of the greenest buildings in North America once it is completed.  The building, which is presently under construction in Vancouver, is not only a superb example of sustainability in building design, but its purpose is to foster and accelerate sustainability and to bring together researchers, businesses, and nonprofits to work collaboratively on issues of sustainability.

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• Vancouver goes for the green.
• Working in a green building feels good.
• The coming crackdown on greenwashing.
• A smart way to segment various green consumers. 
• Beyond solar panels: small wind, geothermal, and solar hot water.
• 100 Gold developer forgoes LEED Certification.  
• Xeriscaping supports water conservation.  
• The bottom line on building green.
• It's complicated being green.

Also, if you have a chance, vote to help design nonprofit Project H launch a high school program in rural NC. Follow @jetsongreen on Twitter or fan Jetson Green on Facebook for more news, links, and commentary.

Yesterday, a new green home design studio called Fab-Homes launched a collection of pre-designed Passive Houses for the North American market.  The Vancouver-based company designed the homes to consume up to 90% less energy for heating, cooling, and operations.  The actual Passive House standard will be the goal, although these homes won’t necessarily be required to satisfy the standard’s rigorous efficiency requirements.

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When it comes to green building, indoor air quality is something you can’t neglect.  One of ways to build and renovate with a focus on indoor air quality is to use a no- or low-VOC interior paint.  Going with a VOC-free paint color (both the paint and the tint) is the only way to do things these days.

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When heavy snow, strong winds, and cold weather converge, highway driving can become difficult in a state like Wyoming.  There, you’ll see miles of snow fence to mitigate this condition.  Centennial Snowfence, a division of Centennial Woods, manages ~270 miles of snow fence inventory in Wyoming, and since 1999, the company has built or renewed over 85 miles of it.  In the process, Centennial Woods harvests old ponderosa and lodgepole pine boards for reuse, such as in homes or in retail or commercial projects.

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