This course aims to give design and construction professionals an approach to building performance and carbon accounting (ways of measuring the carbon emissions associated with a material, product, or building) that is nested in local economy, human health, and in response to climate change. We will start with an overview of building science (how heat, air, and moisture move through and interact with buildings), then introduce carbon accounting through the lens of embodied carbon (the carbon emissions associated with making, transporting, installing, maintaining, and disposing of building materials), and end with a critical look at the current state of bio-based materials and learn how to discern among products currently offered.