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athenasmi.org

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Athena Sustainable Materials Institute provides credible life-cycle data and tools to support sustainable design in the built environment. The site offers environmental product declarations, the online Impact Estimator, and resources such as guides, case studies, and material sustainability data for designers and builders.

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usgbc.org

USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) is a nonprofit advancing sustainable buildings and communities, best known for LEED certification. The site provides LEED info and resources, green-building standards, professional education and certification, case studies, news, and events.

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Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

The nonprofit that administers the Cradle to Cradle Certified product standard. It publishes the standard text and its five assessment categories — material health, circularity, clean air, water stewardship, social fairness — plus certified-product case studies and webinars.

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Whole Building Design Guide

Web portal from the National Institute of Building Sciences collecting federal design criteria, standards and case studies across building disciplines. Covers high-performance and resilient building practice, so a reader can locate the governing guidance for a given system or project type.

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Sustainable Neighborhoods

Johns Hopkins course in the Sustainable Cities specialization examining a neighborhood's natural context, components and structure through case studies in Houston, San Antonio and Chattanooga, so learners can evaluate neighborhood plans and sketch general plans for urban parks.

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usgbc.org/leed

USGBC’s LEED page explains the LEED green building rating system, its certification process, and how to pursue sustainable design across projects. It also provides detailed credits and categories, case studies, training and professional development resources, news, and guidance for designers, builders, and policymakers.

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Cradle to Cradle

Argues that recycling only slows waste, and proposes designing products and buildings so materials cycle endlessly through biological or technical loops. Readers come away with a materials-first framework for evaluating design decisions rather than minimizing harm.

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