Life Cycle Assessment & Environmental Product Declarations
About the Training
In this course for building industry professionals, you will learn the promise and pitfalls of LCA and EPDs, understand the categories of impact included in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) process, and examine the boundaries of those processes – what is included and what is not part of the process. The session will compare LCA categories with the Common Materials Framework defined by mindfulMaterials and consider the history of political debate that surrounds LCA of building materials with added focus on impacts that lie outside of the LCA process.
This training is eligible for 2 AIA LU / HSW continuing education credits.
This is a live, online training led by Jim Newman with Linnean Solutions.
Jim Newman, LEED AP O+M, is Founder and Principal at Linnean Solutions, where he focuses on community based resilience, material health, and building performance. Jim’s experience includes Living Building Challenge consulting, LCA and embodied carbon accounting, as well as soil carbon accounting and community-driven processes. He helped found the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC and held the position of Chair of the Board of the Chapter for two years. Previously, Jim worked as the Director of Strategy at BuildingGreen.
Learning Objectives
1. Understand where Life Cycle Assessment fits into the building design process.
2. See what areas of impact are included (and not included) in LCA.
3. Compare the mindfulMaterials Common Materials Framework with LCA categories.
4. Practice discerning the relative importance of different impact categories on the design process.
Funding Grants Available: Submit by October 20th, 2026
The Express Grant is designed to help businesses respond quickly to emerging needs and keep employees engaged. With bite-size grants for just-in-time training and no waiting periods between grants, the Express program is the Workforce Training Fund’s fastest path to funding.
You could take this training for FREE. Complete an Express Grant Application.
Course ID#: C-13609
Course Provider: Built Environment Plus
Course Cost: $175 per course per trainee
Express Grant Eligibility
Employers with 100 or fewer Massachusetts, W-2 employees are eligible to receive Express Program grants. Express Program grant applications must be submitted no fewer than 21 days before the training date. The following documentation is required to apply:
Signed Form W-9
Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, dated within 6 months from the date of application submission
Certificate of Compliance from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) that is not expired on the date of application submission
The contracting period of approved Express Grants begins 21 days after the grant application date and ends one year from this date. All training must be completed within the contract period to be eligible for reimbursement.
Registering on Behalf of Employees
If you are applying for Express funding and registering on behalf of employees at your organization, please check “as Company” on the checkout page to receive a copy of the receipt.
*Review the BE+ Workforce Training Grant webpage for additional eligibility requirements and other updates made by the Commonwealth Corporation.
Please note that the Express Grant does not cover Optional Exam Prep Resource Add-on or the exam fee itself.
Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy
Full refunds are available only if written notice is provided 7 days prior to course start date. There will be no refund if less than one week’s notice is given.
Please note: Full refunds will be issued less the standard processing fee. In general, rescheduling is always preferred over refunds. Registration transfers are only allowed for rescheduling to a future training and cannot be transferred between individuals.
Don’t see a financial assistance option that meets your needs? Reach out to education@builtenvironmentplus.org to learn more about leveraging the opportunities available to you. Bulk discounts are available for 5 or more attendees at once.
BE+ is committed to providing accessible events. If you have a disability and require accommodation in order to fully participate, please indicate in your registration and we will reach out to you. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
