The attorneys general of ten states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have filed a lawsuit charging that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development relies too heavily on chemical pesticides in public housing developments. According to the Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, passed in 1996, federal agencies are required to use nonchemical integrated pest management strategies, such as fixing leaky pipes and filling holes in walls, when possible, relying on pesticides only as a last resort. “Integrated pest management will lead to more effective pest control while decreasing residents’ exposure to toxic pesticides,” said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who led the petition. More than one million U.S. families live in public housing.

A multifaceted approach to controlling asthma can significantly reduce its symptoms, according to a study published on September 9, 2004 in the

New England Journal of Medicine. More than 900 inner-city children with allergenic asthma participated in the study, which compared the symptoms of a control group to those of a group in which each child received an individually tailored treatment plan. Strategies included using mattress and pillow covers that are impervious to allergens; air purifiers designed to reduce tobacco smoke, mold, and pet allergens; and pest control to eliminate cockroaches and other insects. After two years, the intervention group had required 14% fewer unscheduled hospital visits and 21% fewer missed school days.

The egg of a Forster’s tern, a fish-eating seabird common in the San Francisco Bay, has been found to have 63 parts per million (ppm) of toxic PBDE flame retardants (see

EBN

Vol. 13, No. 6), the highest concentration ever found in any animal, according to a September 10, 2004

Los Angeles Times article. According to California scientists, some Forster’s tern colonies have reproduction success rates as low as 7%, posing a serious threat to their survival. It is unclear, however, how much of this difficulty is due to PBDEs; these birds also carry high concentrations of mercury and PCBs.

Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) has initiated a boycott of all prison design, construction, and renovation in protest of the prison-industrial complex and its effects on society. ADPSR works for peace, environmental protection, ecological building, social justice, and the development of healthy communities. For more information on the boycott, visit www.adpsr.org/prisons.

Haliburton School of the Arts at Fleming College in Ontario has announced a new program in Sustainable Building Design and Construction. Joining other programs in sustainable design at the Boston Architectural Center (see

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 2) and Carnegie Mellon University (see

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 6), Haliburton’s program is the first of its kind in Canada. The intensive, 20-week program, which begins in April 2005, was designed to result in a completed home designed and built according to the principles and strategies discussed in the course. Details are online at www.flemingc.on.ca/Full-time/ProgramDisplay.cfm?ProgramCode=SBD.

Following endorsement by both houses of parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Kyoto Protocol on November 4, 2004, allowing the 1997 agreement, which aims to limit greenhouse-gas emissions and slow climate change, to take effect for signatories around the world. In order to be set in motion, the agreement required ratification by 55 industrialized nations accounting for at least 55% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. After the U.S., which releases 36% of global carbon dioxide emissions, backed out of the agreement, Russia’s ratification represented the treaty’s only chance for implementation. The Kyoto Treaty will take effect 90 days after Russia files its ratification with the United Nations.

U.S. Green Building Council membership reached 5,000 on September 2, when Ro-Bar Technical Services, LLC of Boise, Idaho joined the organization. Membership had reached 4,000 in February 2004 (see EBN

Vol. 13, No. 3).

Sixteen hundred new San Francisco homes will be built to save energy, lowering expenses for their low-income owners, according to a memorandum of understanding between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and developer Lennar/BVHP, LLC. The homes will be built on a 78-acre (32 ha) plot of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, which the U.S. Navy recently transferred to the City and County of San Francisco. The homes, designed with the help of the Building America program through the Seattle Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, will include well-insulated envelopes and glazing, efficient appliances, and rooftop solar electric power systems. These features are expected to lower energy costs by 48% compared with conventional design. More details are online at www.sfwater.org and www.hunterspointshipyard.com.

Turner Construction Company has released the results of an online survey of more than 700 building owners, developers, architects, engineers, and green building consultants. Conducted by Bayer Consulting, LLC, during July 2004, the survey revealed that 93% of executives already working on green projects expect their green business to increase over the next three years. About one-third of executives not currently working on green projects thought it very or extremely likely that they would become involved in a green project within three years’ time. Turner is online at

www.turnerconstruction.com.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has updated its Construction Waste Management Database, housed on the Whole Building Design Guide Web site, to help reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste going to incinerators and landfills. Waste haulers, processors, and recyclers are also encouraged to advertise on the Web site. The database—at cwm.wbdg.org—is searchable by state, zip code, and material.