Best of Earth911 Podcast: Lowering Construction Impacts With Green Badger’s Tommy Linstroth

How can we reduce the environmental impact of constructing and operating buildings? In 2021, construction and building operations accounted for 37% of global CO2 emissions, hitting an all-time high of 10 gigatons of CO2 emissions, about 2% higher than pre-pandemic levels. We talk with Tommy Linstroth, founder and CEO of Green Badger, a software-as-a-service company that provides management tools for sustainable building projects and to support LEED certification efforts, about the steps to reduce the impact of where we live and work. Green Badger connects architects, construction teams, building owners, and sustainability and waste professionals to track and optimize their work. Tommy has led more than 150 LEED construction team projects and is also founder of Sustainativity, a nonprofit that helps nonprofits complete sustainable building projects.

Although new technologies for designing efficient buildings made of concrete, steel, and other building materials are in the pipeline, the benefits certainly are not yet showing up in environmental impact data. Tommy explains how construction companies and building owners can reduce emissions and waste, while improving the efficiency and lowering the cost, of homes, apartments, and offices. We explore how the Inflation Reduction Act created new incentives — particularly for apartment buildings — to use high-efficiency heating and cooling, improved insulation, and low-impact materials. And Tommy shares practical tips about assessing the environmental performance of a home, apartment, or office before you make a decision during your next move. You can learn more about Green Badger at getgreenbadger.com.

This podcast originally aired on February 13, 2023.