#buildforchange
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sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
"The way we have been building... for the past 150 years is an anomaly in human history..."

We know how to build a 100 or 500 year structure using materials w/ less embodied energy, natural ventilation, geothermal cooling, solar heating. We must get back to that wherever possible #buildforchange
michaelburchert.bsky.social Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · Aug 18
For thousands of years, humans have built almost exclusively using materials provided by nature in their immediate surroundings. This approach, based on earth (clay), wood, straw and stone, was a highly intelligent system perfectly adapted to the local climate and available resources.
People in a biwena.de workshop building straw timber panels with earth plaster
August 18, 2026 at 11:01 AM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
There's always someone defending the business as usual status quo. Instead #buildforchange #decarbonizenow #notimetowait
michaelburchert.bsky.social Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · Mar 27
"We have to bring people along." – Is this said because I’m demanding too much? Or is it the perfect shield: admitting a transition is necessary while blaming the delay on those (supposedly) "slow others"?

I’ve known the CO2 facts since I was 12. At nearly 50 now, more than enough "bringing along."
Super high stack
March 27, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Catch the highlights and explore the sessions here:
http://my.sociabble.com/66z2c6rNCzDi
#PEGAInnovate #Buildforchange
October 9, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Catch the highlights and explore the sessions here:
http://my.sociabble.com/hHBissYxrxGq
#PEGAInnovate #Buildforchange
October 9, 2026 at 6:20 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Your content is awesome & your engagement provides people who want to #buildforchange easier. We've literally modified designs b/c of ideas you offered. Appreciation from this side of the 🌊
March 15, 2026 at 1:38 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Today's #hempcrete update is that the industrial mixer is on site for batching 12 ft³ at a time. The #hemp #hurd, the woody biomass from the stalk, is stunningly lightweight.

#decarbonize #greenbuilding #buildforchange
September 4, 2026 at 12:57 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
#buildforchange requires us to go back in time, sometimes using new methods, to achieve what those came before us knew: bldg built of earth, timber, lime, clay, straw & hemp that were designed to work w/ the sun to passively heat & cool using fountains, plants & courtyards for shade work w/ ⬇️ impact
michaelburchert.bsky.social Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · Jul 13
The pleasant indoor climate is ensured, on the one hand, by keeping the sin out. But the ceiling elements – made from local earth without concrete – also help to maintain the balance.
Fotos: Nabil El Schami
July 15, 2026 at 9:58 AM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
After today the project could have totally derailed -- again. The bs for no public gain, nay sayers, self serving misrepresentations. Tomorrow is a new day & we will get closer to finishing the basement in the maximally sustainable way; made possible because we did not quit. #buildforchange
April 9, 2026 at 11:33 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Reminder to those of us that want to #buildforchange: if you feel a sense of urgency, don't ask for permission, don't wait your turn, lead. We need to change the way we build for #sustainability & #resilience. This was a funny reminder to plow ahead
katmabu.bsky.social Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · Mar 15
Legalize comedy!!!!!
March 15, 2026 at 2:03 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Today is the day.

Hemp.
Lime.
Water.

#hempcrete #embodiedenergy #decarbonize #greenbuilding #hemp #buildforchange
A vertical action photo shot fairly closely up on the interior of a 1932 building. The test batch of hempcrete (a woody pulp mixture of hemp hurd, pozzolanic lime from Colorado, and water) is tamped with a piece of wood against the second floor substrate in a short (~12" from the floor) form. A felled oak stud of 100-200 years of age is visible on the left, with cinderblock and brick behind the form at the top of the image. This is a manual process, but represents a huge reduction in emboded emissions.
September 3, 2026 at 6:12 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Incredible brick building material #reuse. Each of the bricks was screened out of 1.2+ million pounds of dirt from the excavation on our site, cleaned up & given a new life on a historic property nearby. The dirt also got reused as new fill on a local site. #zerowaste #decarbonize #buildforchange
August 17, 2026 at 1:07 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Study on reducing #embodiedemissions from new construction is broadly applicable. In order of importance to emissions: reducing new construction, using #timber & #straw over steel & foam, #renovating existing buildings, building to last longer, & reducing emissions from concrete #buildforchange
A table from the article linked at the end of alt text and in quoted post: How can we make construction more sustainable? Table with 2 columns and 6 rows of data. (column headers with buttons are sortable) Strategy Emissions reduction by 2049 (CO₂e) Using lower carbon concrete 2.6Mt Increasing the amount of timber structures 7.3Mt Using more durable and longer lasting materials 7.6Mt Refurbishing some older offices instead of building all new ones 8.5Mt Increasing the use of highly efficient timber structures with straw insulation 13.6Mt Halving new construction 27.1Mt Table: The ConversationSource: Craft W., et al. Source: https://theconversation.com/were-building-a-new-york-sized-city-every-month-thats-worrying-for-our-climate-289702
August 24, 2026 at 1:52 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Good morning & to a wonderful week. Here is true building artistry from a historic farmhouse renovation using our broken bricks & discarded slate found on site. This will welcome visitors to the renovated barn.

Let's stop seeing material as trash when it can still create beauty #buildforchange
A large rectangular area framed with rows of antique reclaimed brick. The red and pink bricks are a mix of types, including ones with holes. The interior pattern is a sun made of brick and pieces of grayish colored slate that was discarded on their site. There are mountains in front of the sun made of slate. The historic property is located in a mountain range in Maryland, so the image of mountains is important to the builder to represent the natural heritage of the site.
June 15, 2026 at 2:58 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Let's share the stories of people who #buildforchange. People are researching, developing & building with materials to address #climatechange. Those efforts deserve to be highlighted. We can see the hope while still aggressively pursuing change from business as usual
katharinehayhoe.com Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · Mar 18
One of the most important things we all need to know when it comes to climate action is this: we are not alone.

Everywhere I go - like at Princeton yesterday & Michigan today - I meet people doing incredible work to build a better future. When we share what’s happening with others, we build hope.
Me sitting in the front row of the auditorium with Gabe Vecchi on stage and the opening slide of my presentation behind him, titled “finding Hope in a warming world.”
March 18, 2026 at 2:51 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
We're grinding upstairs concrete slab. The person operating the grinder understands the envt sustainability reasons we're using alternative cement, sand & stone even though they're never used. Across language we can create new building paradigms that are better for people + planet #buildforchange
July 27, 2026 at 7:40 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
In the light of a new day, the goals we worked for -- lightweight, 96+% ♻️ material concrete slab w/ 85+% ⬇️ emissions via 0 Portland cement & w/o mined aggregate or dredged sand -- were achieved. The screed looks fantastic & we didn't have to compromise the ethos #fridayfruition #buildforchange
A vertical photo of a second floor in a rowhouse with brick walls to the left and rear cinderblock walls. The left wall has three large windows that are creating a light pattern on the new concrete slab. The majority of the slab appears to be a darker grey with a teal hue that will disappear as it cures; the floor appears to have an almost galaxy pattern on the surface in the short term. Towards the front is the last visual of the original slab poured recently, which shows a roughness that isn't common for a well blended concrete; it appears lighter in color because it has largely already cured. A large opening where the stairs will go from the new basement to the second floor is visible about two-thirds of the way back to the alley cinderblock wall.
July 31, 2026 at 2:09 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
17 new to us #reuse steel divided lite windows from the 1920s. They were transformed by removing the glass, sandblasting & modifying the size to fit our space. They'll get used glass if we can resize &/or source it. Start w/ something solid & it will always be in fashion #decarbonize #buildforchange
April 6, 2026 at 9:59 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
An uplifting sentiment. We made Portland cement-free walls with 4,000+ psi (the 28 day strength isn't even back yet & will be higher), reducing emissions from the cement change drastically all while radically increasing ♻️ material beyond what literature indicates is possible #buildforchange
Concrete formwork on either side of a newly poured concrete wall section from the first pour. A grid of removable steel and wood panels is held in place by a mix of wood and yellow and silver steel shoring at steep angles. The shoring prevents the concrete from blowing out as it expands during placement until it is cured. On the dirt floor there are an untidy range of spare buckets, wood off cuts, and tools.
March 15, 2026 at 4:10 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
next client or sponsor who wants greener concrete can use our 2 mix designs (published here & on our website) as a starting point. We extended what others before us proved out & now our work will be extendable by others too #buildingdecarbonization #greenerconcrete #buildforchange
Using the lessons learned from the prior concrete pour, an elevated second floor metal deck is covered in lightwight concrete. There are windows along both sides of the brick and block walls, many of which are open. There is a large front window pane. The ceiling is wood and there is a large rectangular opening for the stairs towards the center of the frame. The floor extends most of the length of the building but stops short to create a two-story loft.
July 19, 2026 at 3:30 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
deploy this in more places w/ a qualified labor pool & contractors who stood by their work. Right now we don't have either in meaningful numbers

#decarbonize #greenbuilding #buildforchange
September 7, 2026 at 2:42 PM
sipgoodcoffee.bsky.social
Totally. Celebrating wins of any size at any scale is necessary to making change stick. Every project sponsor who can use the academy will lead to a shift we support. More people trained inherently makes more projects possible #decarbonize #buildforchange
April 7, 2026 at 1:37 PM