Manufacturers use this rigorous design certification to create products that will be sustainable for generations to come.

Unlike individual products that have well-defined shelf lives, buildings stand for decades and endure climatic extremes, making it difficult to execute life cycle assessments. The arsenal of tools to perform LCAs is expanding to meet the growing interest in a concept that allows architects to take a long-term approach to sustainability.

With the soaring cost of fuel and transportation's dramatic impact on the environment, companies have no choice but to look at logistics as a place to go green. Some successful initiatives rely on small common sense programs that deliver incremental results, such as reduced idling or more direct truck routes.

In this Q & A, Steve Faulstick of the Doubletree Hotel in Portland, Ore., discusses the hotel's efforts to take the sustainable high road without sacrificing guest comfort or the bottom line.

In this Q & A, Intel's Dave Stangis will discuss the evolution of the company's carbon footprint and the challenges of making the business case for carbon reduction and efficiency improvements.