Feature

Cohousing: How Green Is My Village?
As conventional land-use patterns remain predominantly automobile-based, one alternative style of development is gaining popularity. The community-based "cohousing" model not only revitalizes the idea of neighborhood, but brings with it a unique set of opportunities for designing and living sustainably. In this article, we examine environmental opportunities as well as some challenges of cohousing, with lots of examples and a table listing the green features of 80+ communities in North America.

Letters

Lighting Design and Sustainability
The International Association of Lighting Designers has lots to offer on electric lighting issues.

The Construction Contractor’s Perspective
A General Contractor appreciates our recent specifications article, and argues that her profession deserves as much time on the green building learning curve as designers have had.

What's Happening

ASHRAE Energy Standards in the News
States are scrambling to meet a federal requirement that they update their energy codes to a more recent standard; ASHRAE has expressed its own commitment to sustainability; the Society is developing a GreenGuide for HVAC engineers; and it has proposed an Addendum to Standard 90.1-2001that makes it applicable to energy-efficient buildings.

Problems With Dishwasher Energy Ratings
A glitch in the DOE's dishwasher energy performance test brings dishwasher ratings into question. Solutions are apparently on the way.

Then & Now

LEED’s Distant Origins