top of page

What do you think of when you hear "green building"?
Climate change, the overuse of natural resources, and how this will impact our lives are some of the most important issues today. Yet most of us don't know how to think about it or what to do about it. I've made this site as an outlet for my thoughts on and journey through this topic, specifically within the context of the building industry — an industry that fascinates me because it is so tied to who we are as a modern society and because it has enormous potential for environmental impact reduction on a global scale. Although I focus on the US building sector in my writing, I hope this page will provide food for thought for individuals everywhere, in every field.


My Volunteer Reuse Initiatives: Looking Back at 2025
Disclaimer: While I am currently employed by the US EPA, the views and opinions provided herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the EPA. As the calendar year comes to a close, I want to reflect on my volunteer work in the reuse and circularity space. RECLAIM Action Plan I have been a part of a building material reuse network called RECLAIM NYC since its inception in 2021 . Recently, this group has been drafting an Action Plan to outline how New York C

Luna Oiwa
Dec 29, 20253 min read


A Trip to São Paulo, Brazil
Disclaimer: While I am currently employed by the US EPA, the views and opinions provided herein are my own and do not necessarily...

Luna Oiwa
Oct 5, 20253 min read


A Trip to Copenhagen, Denmark
Disclaimer: While I am currently employed by the US EPA, the views and opinions provided herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of EPA. I had always heard that Copenhagen is the place for environmentally sustainable buildings, and I had wanted to go for years. So when I learned about Circular San Antonio’s circularity delegation to Copenhagen , I had to apply. Opportunities to hear from and speak directly with the city’s sustainability experts, take par

Luna Oiwa
May 11, 20254 min read


A Trip to Boulder, Colorado
In early December I traveled to the Denver and Boulder area and while I was there, I met up with the City of Boulder’s Circular Economy...

Luna Oiwa
Jan 7, 20247 min read


Concept to Creation - The Build Reuse Wiki and Q+A Forum
Sometime around early 2022, I became a co-founder and co-chair of the newly formed Build Reuse Data and Policy Committee. This committee...

Luna Oiwa
Apr 4, 20234 min read


My Move - Purchasing Used Furniture
I recently moved to New Jersey (a tough decision for an almost life-long New Yorker…) and my immediate thought was, “how can I NOT at...

Luna Oiwa
Mar 19, 20235 min read


My August 2022 Updates
The months have flown by. I get caught up in my day-to-day and it’s helpful to look back and reflect on the bigger picture. Here are the highlights: Build Reuse I am still very much involved in the non-profit Build Reuse , a national network of individuals who are each championing the reuse of building materials in some way or another. In fact, I am now on the Board of Directors and have committed to staying on the board for the next three years. Within Build Reuse, I am also

Luna Oiwa
Aug 17, 20225 min read


My November 2021 Updates
I want to take a moment to recap everything building material reuse related that I’ve been up to in the past few months. First, since...

Luna Oiwa
Nov 15, 20215 min read


A Bay Area Reuse Tour: Part 2 of 2
[You can catch up on Part 1 here!] The same day I met Kat, I also visited Max Wechsler, Operations Manager at the famed Urban Ore in...

Luna Oiwa
Aug 15, 20218 min read


A Bay Area Reuse Tour: Part 1 of 2
I spent almost three weeks this summer in the Bay Area. And since the Bay Area to me is a place full of deconstruction and building...

Luna Oiwa
Aug 15, 20216 min read


New York City's Potential
I have to say, I have been lucky. While looking for people to talk to about building material reuse in NYC, I may have found the best...

Luna Oiwa
May 24, 20214 min read


Tackling Climate Change through those COVID-19 Outdoor Dining Structures
Within the hugely broad topic of climate change I am most interested in “embodied carbon,” the emissions associated with the sourcing,...

Luna Oiwa
Apr 29, 20214 min read


The Role of Technology and Innovation
In summary of my previous post, some defining characteristics of buildings in the US that are “designed for deconstruction” (DfD) are:...

Luna Oiwa
Apr 1, 20217 min read


Interview with Brad Guy: Part 3 of 3
Luna: Do you think that the LEED green building standard adequately addresses the topic of construction and demolition (C&D) waste? Brad:...

Luna Oiwa
Mar 3, 20216 min read


Interview with Brad Guy: Part 2 of 3
Luna: Looking at the bigger picture, do you think that DfD will ever take off and become mainstream in the US? Brad: Well, one thing I...

Luna Oiwa
Mar 1, 20215 min read


Interview with Brad Guy: Part 1 of 3
In my post titled Demolition, Deconstruction, and Discussion, I mentioned DfD expert Brad Guy. Brad has devoted his career to research on...

Luna Oiwa
Feb 25, 20215 min read


What “Design for Deconstruction” Looks Like
Thus far I’ve been focusing on the deconstruction and reuse of structural members— the part of a building that literally keeps the...

Luna Oiwa
Feb 18, 20216 min read


Demolition, Deconstruction, and Discussion
In my previous post, I proposed that the building sector focus more on reuse. How do we even begin with that? Currently, the vast...

Luna Oiwa
Feb 5, 20214 min read


Concrete, Steel, and Wood
About 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the building sector. Three-quarters of this 40% are associated with...

Luna Oiwa
Jan 31, 20215 min read


An Aversion to "Sustainability"
Climate change, sustainability, environmentalism— these are all buzzwords that conjure a certain abstract, idealistic notion that...

Luna Oiwa
Nov 27, 20204 min read
bottom of page