Sustainability News Updates for Q2 2025

01 Energy Shift

American renewable energy smashed records in 2024.

Solar and wind energy overtook coal for the first time in 2024 as sources of electricity in the United States. According to analysis by the think tank Ember, natural gas still reigns supreme as the top American energy source, but renewables are expanding their share, with solar and wind energy combined providing about 17 percent of the country’s electricity needs.

According to another study, released by Cleanview, the U.S. added 47 percent more clean energy capacity in 2024, making last year’s investment the biggest expansion in renewable energy since 2020. 

The surprising bright spot in this already sunny scenario—Florida. The state surpassed California, taking the number two spot behind Texas in installing large-scale solar projects. The combination of abundant sunshine, a long-running bad streak of extreme weather events, and the tax credits available under the Inflation Reduction Act have convinced Floridians to place their bets on solar energy.

2025 will see clean energy slow its roll. Developers predict that the U.S. will add 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity this year, accounting for a 26 percent increase. But it does appear that our energy transition will continue, at least for another year.

02 Data and Guides

Fresh knowledge and expertise on carbon emissions and circularity

Experts in the A&D industry continue to advise on ways to study and reduce the environmental impact of design and construction by leveraging industry benchmarks on carbon emissions, improving documents and processes for concrete construction, and adopting a circular approach to interior design.

The Carbon Leadership Forum 

In February, the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) released a high-resolution dataset of building design characteristics, life cycle inventories, and environmental impact assessment results for 292 building projects in the United States and Canada. This release is part of the CLF’s landmark study of whole building life cycle assessments, which will allow project teams to benchmark the carbon emissions of their projects in comparison to other projects in North America, while also providing critical guidance on where the embodied carbon hot spots are and what variances can be expected while using different assessment tools. 

Access the dataset here

The Perkins&Will Circular Design Primer for Interiors

The Perkins&Will Circular Design Primer for Interiors distills the firm’s current expertise on incorporating circular approaches in interior design to eliminate waste, lower carbon emissions, and deliver considerable cost savings to clients. The primer, which was released in February and draws upon case studies from the firm’s London, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C., offices, also introduces several useful core concepts, like the ten R’s: strategies to reduce our reliance on new materials. These strategies are organized into an “R Ladder” to help teams prioritize their material choices for maximum impact. 

Consult the primer here

The Lower-Carbon Concrete Task Force

The Lower-Carbon Concrete Task Force, an alliance of experts on concrete and low-carbon construction, published its Low-Carbon Concrete Guide in March. With information on definitions, roles and responsibilities, specifications, testing, and bidding, the guide is a handy reminder of all the existing tools, frameworks, and best practices available to design and construction teams today on how to lower the carbon emissions of concrete in buildings.

Read the guide here