Environmental Building News
Volume 18, Number 6 — June 2009

Feature

The Living Building Challenge: Can It Really Change the World?

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The Living Building Challenge, with its stringent, all-or-nothing requirements, is out to change the way we build. But is it actually achievable?

From the Editors

Defining the Goal
A series of deceptively simple challenges have attempted to clarify what "green" building is, but have failed to set truly measurable goals.

What's Happening

Dirty-Dozen List of POPs Expanded
Nine chemicals have been added to the "dirty dozen" list of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including the pent and octa forms of PBDE flame retardant and the fluoropolymer PFOS.

Cities Move to Improve Energy Efficiency
Three cities have released plans that would require energy-efficient retrofits of existing buildings.

Green Standard Registers First Environmental Product Declaration
Nonprofit organization The Green Standard is registering ISO-compliant environmental product declarations, starting with InterflacFLOR's Convert carpet products.

Newsbriefs

 

Projects

Chicago's FBI Building Earns First Platinum LEED-EBOM Certification

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A strong partnership between owner and tenant helped the FBI’s Chicago Regional Office earn the first Platinum LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification.

Product Review

Navien Condensing Tankless Water Heaters
Navien’s demand water heaters use conventional and condensing stainless steel heat exchangers to produce hot water with an industry-best 0.98 energy factor.

Retrofitting Exterior Foam on Existing Walls
The R-etro System from Quad-Lock makes installing exterior foam for deep-energy retrofits easier and less expensive.

From the Library

2030 E2
This online tool will help firms measure projects against the 2030 Challenge baselines.

BackPage Primer

Brominated Flame Retardants
Keeping furnishings, appliances, and building materials from catching fire and burning up is important, but many flame retardants aren't good for us or the environment.

Calendar

Calendar of Events