Exam: Green Design: Introduction to Sustainable Design Materials and Resources

1. What are the four stages in the life-cycle of a material?

A. reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose
B. extraction, manufacture, use, disposal
C. environment, economy, culture, society
D. earth, wind, fire , water

2. The concept that a material should be recycled at the end of its life as opposed to discarded is referred to as:
A. cradle to grave
B. grave to grave
C. cradle to cradle
D. start to finish

3. What does the acronym LCA stand for?

A. Life-Cycle Assessment
B. Long-term Care Agreement
C. Local Construction Assessment
D. Life-Cycle Analysis

4. Of the given choices, which material has the greatest embodied energy?
A. glass
B. wood
C. concrete
D. steel

5. Embodied carbon is a measure of the carbon released during the life-cycle of a material, and is an important indicator of
sustainability because:
A. carbon dioxide is the gas most implicated in global climate change
B. carbon is the building block of life
C. carbon is necessary to accurately date materials
D. plant life needs carbon dioxide to survive

6. Of the given choices, which statement is the worst example of greenwash?

A. tropical hardwoods are sustainable because they are recyclable as wood pulp
B. steel contains greater than 50% recycled content
C. oriented strand board contains pre-consumer content
D. plastic beverage bottles are recyclable

7. Which statement is most correct?

A. The determination of a material's sustainability is an absolute yes or no proposition.
B. The determination of a material's sustainability is one largely of degree.
 8. What is the name of the online LCA tool created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology?
A. BUGS
B. WASP
C. BEES
D. IAQ

9. In the text, synergy is referred to as multiple benefits arising from one decision. What sustainable benefits might arise
from the choice of a high quality, non-toxic, recyclable carpet in an office building?
A. aesthetic only
B. aesthetic, environmental, economic, social
C. cultural and environmental
D. no benefit

10. The acronym IAQ refers to what aspect of Sick Building Syndrome?
A. Interior Absence of Quiet
B. Indoor Analysis Quotient
C. Illegal Air Quality
D. Indoor Air Quality

11. In what way or ways can a sustainable material positively affect life-cycle economic performance?
A. reduced processing cost
B. reduced utility cost
C. retained value of raw materials
D. all of the above

12. What does the US Green Building Council recognize as the sustainable limit for transporting materials?
A. within the boundary of the state
B. unlimited ground transport, but no air travel
C. a 500 mile radius from the construction site
D. 500 miles of highway travel

13. What might be the benefit of using local stone in a project?

A. reduction of transportation cost and pollution
B. support for the local economy
C. both of the above
D. greater range of colors

14. What is one way to reduce the impact of hazardous chemicals used in interior paints and finishes?
A. avoid the use of interior finishes
B. install operable windows
C. specify oil based paint
D. use multiple coats
15. Finish this sentence. Using products with recycled content diverts_______.
A. funds from research and development
B. material from the waste stream
C. attention from global warming
D. material from a useable state

16. How might a building constructed with sustainable materials reduce strain on local infrastructure?
A. reduced purchase price
B. increased peer pressure to build green
C. reduced use of water, energy, and landfill space
D. none of the above

17. In addition to the familiar categories of performance, durability, aesthetics, and economics, what additional category is
introduced when selecting a sustainable material?
A. environmental impact
B. green credentials
C. natural appearance
D. greenwash

18. What does the acronym MSDS stand for?

A. Manufacturers Short Data Sheet
B. Minimum Safety Display Sheet
C. Maximum Safety Display Sheet
D. Material Safety Data Sheet

19. Which resource is most likely to contain information about the appropriate ratio of fly ash in concrete?
A. sustainable rating system
B. federal law
C. trade or material organization
D. MSDS sheet

20. Which rating system creates sustainable standards for products, particularly paint and carpet?
A. LEED
B. FSC
C. Green Seal
D. Energy Star

21. What standard applies only to forestry management?

A. Green Seal
B. FSC
C. LEED
D. Energy Star
22. Which rating system deals only with energy efficiency?
A. Green Seal
B. LEED
C. Energy Star
D. FSC

23. Does GreenSpec rate buildings, materials, assemblies, or all three?

A. materials
B. building
C. assemblies
D. all three

24. True or False, durability should always be maximized in sustainable construction.

A. True
B. False

25. How is reuse different from recycling?

A. reuse attempts to use a salvaged material in its current form
B. reuse considers salvage raw materials in a new process
C. reuse relies entirely upon donation
D. reuse assumes only cosmetic uses

26. Which fastener type is a requirement for reuse?

A. adhesive
B. mechanical

27. Which of the following is not a category of building reuse?

A. adaptability
B. demountability
C. tensegrity
D. modularity

28. How many points are available in LEED NC for instituting a building wide consumables recycling program?
A. one point
B. none. It is a prerequisite
C. one point if all proceeds are donated
D. two points

29. The minimum percentage of existing structure reuse for a LEED NC credit is what?
A. 55 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 10 percent
D. 5 percent
30. What percentage of the wood components of a building must be FSC certified to achieve one point?
A. 75 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 10 percent
D. 5 percent

31. What time span determines the cut-off for inclusion as a rapidly renewable material?
A. 50 years
B. 30 years
C. 4 score
D. 10 years

32. Finish this sentence. In selecting sustainable materials the perfect choice may be impossible, but _____________.
A. the wrong choice is unlikely
B. no one will notice
C. the better choice is easily achievable
D. keep trying