If a large number of small emissions sources within the construction industry were to adopt energy- and climate-conscious practices, aggregate emissions and financial costs could be reduced substantially. This online course curated by Dr. Rossow presents an overview of current knowledge about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the construction industry as well as opportunities for reducing emissions, including practical and low-cost changes in operations. Because consistency and clarity in calculating emissions are important for comparing emissions within and across sectors, and for companies to plan and assess progress, this course describes approaches to calculate company-specific gas emissions. This course also presents information on GHG inventory protocols that are publicly available and frequently used, and examines the attributes of a protocol that would be useful for companies in the construction sector. This online engineering PDH course is based on the Environmental Protection Agency document, “Potential for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Construction Sector,” as part of the EPA’s Sector Strategies Program, February, 2009.

Learning Objectives

• Breakdown of emissions sources
• Comparing emissions estimates
• Subsector emissions
• Emissions intensity
• Reducing emissions through reducing fuel use
• Reducing emissions through conserving electricity
• Reducing emissions through reducing impacts of construction materials
• Calculating company-specific greenhouse gas emissions