BuildingGreen Bulletin: Building for People — October EBN

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Free BuildingGreen Email News Bulletin — An overview of some of the fresh information in BuildingGreen Suite, including Environmental Building News, GreenSpec, the High Performance Buildings Database, our bibliography, calendar, blog, and more....

The mission of BuildingGreen, LLC is to facilitate transformation of the North American building industry. Join us in that mission by becoming a member of BuildingGreen Suite to access information critical to your green design and construction work.

The October 2009 issue of Environmental Building News (EBN) is now available online!

Quote of the Month
"Incorporating social equity means that architects are living up to the responsibility they already have." — John Knott, The Noisette Company
(membership required... Get EBN in print!... Get EBN online in BuildingGreen Suite!)

This Month's Feature Story
Building for People: Integrating Social Justice into Green Design. Social justice is already a part of green building. Making it a conscious part of the decision-making process, however, requires a new focus. (membership required)

This Month's Primer
Upgrade to LEED 2009? Projects currently registered under LEED-NC 2.2 can transfer to LEED 2009 before certifying. Should your project switch?

News in This Issue
AstroTurf Ordered to Curtail Lead Use

Product Reviews
Mineral Wool Residential and Commercial Insulation. Following up on EBN's August story (membership required), mineral wool insulation offers a good alternative to foam-based insulation, with fewer hazardous chemicals. (membership required)

Heat-Pump Water Heaters Ready for Prime Time (membership required)

Letters
August's feature story — "Polystyrene Insulation: Does it Belong in a Green Building?" (membership required) — brought in a lot of mail from readers:
Polystyrene's Track Record
Watch for Other Toxics
HBCD Isn't the Only Problem
Polystyrene Chemicals Widespread
Changing Practices

Case Study Highlight
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, IL. JRC's commitment to the principle of tikkun olam — Hebrew for "repairing the world" — is manifest in the building's architecture. On a modest budget, the synagogue achieved a LEED Platinum certification.
Check out more case studies in the High Performance Buildings Database...

BuildingGreen.com Blog
Stimulus-Funded Green Jobs = Left-Wing Conspiracy
Buildings For the People
BuildingGreen on Campus
See all Blog Posts...

Featured Events
National Sustainable Building Advisor Program; October 2; Southern Oregon University
WaterSmart '09 Convention; October 5-9; Las Vegas, NV
Greenbuild; November 11-13; Phoenix, AZ. Visit BuildingGreen at booth #1652 to see LEEDuser Live!
BuildingGreen.com Calendar...

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