Governments can cut buildings’ embodied carbon with new policies, reports say

Targeted incentives and building code changes can support the transition to more climate-friendly building materials, say research, advocacy and industry groups.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 28, 2023

FEMA climate resilience grants unevenly distributed among communities

Coastal states with more “high-capacity” local governments tend to win more of the competitive BRIC grants, a Headwaters Economics analysis finds.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 27, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards

Cities are using these levers to meet climate goals and address everything from data centers to building decarbonization.

By Smart Cities Dive staff

Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?

Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments. 

By Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023

Local governments share curbside composting program lessons

Local governments that have recently launched curbside organics collection programs in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., say communication with residents and vendors can smooth out early-stage kinks.

By Megan Quinn • Sept. 26, 2023

Bracing for rising seas, a Hawai’i county makes builders prep for year 2100

Kaua’i County is one of the nation’s first to base construction regulations on projected sea-level rise. A planning official explains how others could follow suit.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 26, 2023

NY sets first-in-the-nation concrete emissions limits for state agencies

Set for January 2025, the state’s Buy Clean Concrete rules establishing greenhouse gas emission limits will cover all agency projects.

By Sebastian Obando • Sept. 25, 2023

White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns

The American Climate Corps aims to put more than 20,000 people to work in its first year. The plan “harkens back” to the New Deal, said International District Energy Association CEO Rob Thornton.

By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 22, 2023

Boston launches pilot to help small housing owners go electric

Two- to four-unit buildings are the city’s most common building type. Boston hopes the new grant program will yield lessons on scaling up building decarbonization.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 22, 2023

Retrofits can cut office building emissions by up to 70%: Schneider Electric

New research from the company says its digital building and power-management tools can slash up to 42% of operational carbon emissions, while eliminating fossil fuels can cut an additional 28%.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 21, 2023

$4.6B for climate action plan implementation available from EPA

Measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions the most will get priority in Environmental Protection Agency funding decisions.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 20, 2023

Local leaders to have formal role in COP28 for the first time

"For the world to tackle climate change effectively, mayors and governors need a bigger seat at the table,” said UN special envoy Michael Bloomberg.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 20, 2023

NREL tool models how building upgrades can reduce energy use, carbon emissions

Before the federal research center released its free, publicly available data, options for representing buildings’ energy use were limited and expensive, an NREL researcher said.

By Joe Burns • Sept. 19, 2023

Baltimore faces expensive road ahead for waste infrastructure

Despite pressure from advocacy groups, the city's 10-year waste plan anticipates landfill and incineration will continue to serve a key role as the city works to increase recycling.

By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 19, 2023

Seasons change: Addressing environmental issues takes many forms

With extreme temperatures, increasing natural disasters and seasonal changes that are no longer predictable, environmental concerns are growing across the world.

By Tammy Rimes, MPA • Sept. 19, 2023

10 stories from the Earth’s hottest summer on record

Cities are testing a myriad of strategies, from “smart surfaces” to chief heat officers, to protect residents and infrastructure from extreme heat.  

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 18, 2023

To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits

The first round of the $4.8 billion GRRP covers upgrades for 28 rent-assisted properties.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 18, 2023

Forest Service unveils 385 urban forestry projects to get over $1B in grants

The Inflation Reduction Act bolstered the program's funding to more than 27 times its 2022 appropriation. Explore which states received the largest investments with our map.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 15, 2023

Building codes aren’t climate ready, but changes are coming

Risk is growing from flooding and wildfires, said National Institute of Building Sciences panelists, and builders are relying on outdated guidance.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 15, 2023

NYC proposes leeway for building owners falling behind on net-zero emissions compliance

Building owners who demonstrate a “good-faith effort” to rein in emissions could get a two-year reprieve to comply with a climate law that kicks in next year.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 13, 2023

EPA announces recipients of $105M in grants for recycling infrastructure

The agency awarded the long-awaited grants to 25 communities, including Baltimore and Minneapolis.

By Megan Quinn • Sept. 13, 2023

Extreme heat disproportionately threatens Black renters, experts say

Black renters disproportionately experience energy insecurity, which stems from an inability to pay energy bills, and federal policy falls short in addressing it, a Brookings Metro report says.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 13, 2023

Older homes contributed to Hawai’i fire’s destruction

Buildings constructed under older codes helped last month’s wildfire spread quickly, a new report finds.

By Zachary Phillips • Sept. 11, 2023

California must ban gas in new buildings, local officials tell governor

With a federal appeals court overturning Berkeley, California’s landmark gas ban, the state needs a unified standard to remain a climate policy leader, 26 local leaders told Gov. Gavin Newsom.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 11, 2023

Is 3D-printed concrete the future of infrastructure projects?

A Canadian building giant bets the construction industry will increasingly use the material. But it isn’t covered by many building codes, and technical challenges remain.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 8, 2023

EPA seeks advisers on ‘critical’ local government issues

The Environmental Protection Agency will pick up to five officials who represent local, state, tribal or territorial governments to serve one-year terms.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 8, 2023