Wood Is Good!?* Using Low Carbon, Ethical Wood Materials in Site Construction - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/HSW) / 1.0 GBCI SITES-Specific CE

Recorded On: 09/17/2026

Wood products for sites offer positive benefits including lower embodied carbon, renewability, carbon storage, and biophilic attributes. But there are environmental and even human rights impacts from some wood products. This session will discuss carbon neutrality of wood products, procurement and design with reclaimed wood, and sustainable forestry considerations, in support of SITES v2 principles.

Learning objectives:

Design with and specify wood products to reduce their environmental and human rights impacts, as outlined in SITES v2 materials credits.
Become familiar with carbon storage and biogenic neutrality considerations of wood products.
Identify alternative sources of lumber beyond FSC certification such as reclaimed sources, small forests, and urban forestry.
Apply techniques for locating and designing with reclaimed wood.

The GBCI course ID for this course is 0920034922, providing SITES-specific CE hours required to maintain SITES AP credentials. Participants will need to pass the exam at the end of the presentation in order to receive a certificate of completion. Participants will need to self-report CE hours through their credentials account on https://sitesonline.usgbc.org.

Meg Calkins, FASLA, FCELA, SITES AP

Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

North Carolina State University

Meg Calkins, FASLA, is a Professor of Landscape Architecture at NC State University. She has taught and written about resilient site design and sustainable construction for over twenty-five years. Meg's current book is Details and Materials for Resilient Sites: A Climate Positive Approach. It was published by Routledge in July 2025. Meg is also the author of Materials for Sustainable Sites (2008) and editor of the Sustainable Sites Handbook (2012). Meg served as Chair of the American Society of Landscape Architects 2025 Climate and Biodiversity Action Plan Task Force. She currently serves on the Landscape Architecture Foundation Board of Directors.

Alexander Bender

Co-Founder + Managing Partner

Tri-Lox

Alexander Bender is co-founder and managing partner at Tri-Lox – a Brooklyn-based design, custom fabrication, and millwork practice that specializes in sustainable wood. Tri-Lox builds circular and regenerative wood supply chains through research, design, and craft with a commitment to innovative design, environmental integrity, and community stewardship. Alexander also holds a leadership role at Forest For All NYC, advocating for a vibrant urban forest in New York City that includes wood re-use as part of tree lifecycle management.