It isn’t easy being green, but thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), there is a framework for practical, green building design, construction, operations and maintenance. The tools are in place, but it takes dedication, persistence and hard work to make sustainable building a reality. Achieving [...]

Build-to-suit or Settling for Low Cost Alternatives
Real estate professionals, architects, engineers, builders and owners can find themselves faced with a dilemma in an environment of economic uncertainly. It has always been true that buying exclusively based on lowest price is a dangerous way to do business. Catering to such clients can be hazardous as well. [...]

Beyond Waste: A Sustainable Material Management Strategy

A decade after the last biennial update of the 1987 Solid Waste Management Plan, DEC has just completed a newly revised Plan that maintains the essence of the 1988 priorities while acknowledging the need for greater progress in reducing the amount of waste New Yorkers dispose of every year. [...]

But what do you do with the old house? Just because the home is at the end of its life cycle, does not mean the building materials that make up the house are at the end of their usage. But since the advent of “mass production” the acceptable way to get rid of the old homes on Long Island (and the rest of the country) was to knock it down or “demo” with a bulldozer and dump all the construction and demolition(C&D) waste in the landfills. But there are other “greener” more cost-effective practices that can benefit the homeowner, the environment, and the Long Island community.

Industry Questions

The “Green Revolution“ has brought about many changes to not only the building industry but also to others including the insurance sector.  The insurance industry is certainly not without questions when it comes to insuring green risks.  Which companies are going to underwrite these risks? What coverage will be available? What are the unknowns [...]

Are you just about saturated with information about environmentally friendly design? Getting the feeling that Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth is, well, just a little too inconvenient? Are you in the Kermit camp and starting to wonder if ’it’s not easy being green!’? Fret not!  Despite being inundated with information in our industry about green building design, [...]

1 pound per hour - the amount of carbon dioxide that is saved from entering the atmosphere for every kilowatt-hour of renewable energy produced
60 percent - the reduction in developmental problems in children in China who were born after a coal-burning power plant closed in 2006
35 percent - the amount of coal’s energy that is actually converted to [...]

Love That New House Smell?
Today’s new-home construction materials contain an excessive amount of chemicals that evaporate and off-gas into VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds.  Kitchen and bathroom cabinets, moulding and paneling, drywall, flooring and roofing materials are manufactured using toxic chemicals such as Urea-Formaldehyde and phenolic resins.  Paints, stains and sealants are used extensively in just [...]

Wednesday, April 22nd is…
Earth Day!

UPworld would like to celebrate by providing you with green tips for both your home and business.
25 Green Tips for Home and Work:

Lower the thermostat.
Reuse your water bottle. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially [...]

I wanted to reach out this holiday season and personally thank you and all of our active and dedicated members who have helped us expand the UPworld network this year to over 68 countries, 12,000 members, and 60,000 connections.
It was a significant year of growth for us, and we couldn’t have done it without our [...]