In an effort to solve the ongoing problem of sourcing raw material for production of photovoltaic (PV) cells,

AstroPower, Inc. has teamed up with the Norwegian company Elkem to develop a cost-effective process for producing

solar-grade silicon directly from quartz. Traditionally, the PV industry has obtained waste silicon from the semiconductor industry, which requires higher-purity silicon than needed for PV cells. As PV production has grown, this waste-stream silicon has become a limiting factor. “Removing these raw material constraints will enable AstroPower—and eventually the solar power industry as a whole—to better meet the demand for solar power technology,” said Dr. Allen Barnett, president and CEO of AstroPower. The initial focus of this joint venture is production of solar-grade silicon for AstroPower’s proprietary Silicon-Film™ process. Industrial-scale production should be achieved by late 2003 or early 2004. For further details, visit

www.astropower.com.

Energy Star^® performance rating for hotels, enabling hotel owners to benchmark their energy performance against similar hotels nationwide on a 1–100 scale. Hotels with energy performance of 75 or more points can carry the Energy Star label. The first two hotels to qualify were the Courtyard by Marriott–Indianapolis at the Capital, managed by White Lodging Services Corp. (see photo), and the Sheraton Boston Hotel, owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. For details, visit

www.energystar.

gov or call 202/564-2408.

The

Biobased Manufacturers Association (BMA) was launched on June 12 in Phoenix, Arizona to assist in the marketing and promotion of a wide range of biobased products—everything from alternative fuels and solvents to construction composites, paints, and bioplastics. “We see our mission as selling biobased instead of petroleum or synthetics,” according to Peter Nelson, a Board Member of the BMA. A press release announcing the formation of BMA touts the benefits of such products to farming while promoting greater reliance on renewable resources and independence from petroleum. The organization hopes initially to attract 200 to 400 members out of an estimated 2,500 companies involved with biobased manufacturing. For further details, visit

www.biobased.org or contact Mark Drake of Gemtek at 800/331-7022.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Vermont’s first-in-the-nation

mercury labeling law by denying an attempt by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to have the 1998 law declared unconstitutional. Vermont’s Mercury Reduction Act requires manufacturers to label mercury-containing products that are sold in the state and to convey in the label that it is illegal to dispose of such products in the trash. In November 1999, U.S. District Court Judge Garvin Murtha, acting on an appeal by NEMA, issued a preliminary injunction releasing manufacturers from the labeling requirement. A subsequent appeal to the Second Circuit Court in New York by Vermont’s Attorney General (with friend-of-the-court support filed by California, New York, and six other states), denied NEMA’s appeal, setting the stage for NEMA’s final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. For more information, visit

www.mercurypolicy.org.

has stepped down after two and a half years as publisher and editor of

Environmental Design and Construction (ED&C) magazine. She will remain active in the green building field, working as an independent consultant out of her office in San Francisco. She can be reached at 415/863-2614 or by e-mail at ralffdouglas@mindspring.com. The new ED&C editor is

Erin Brown, reachable at 248/244-1280 or by e-mail at browne@bnp.com.

Hunter Lovinsannounced on June 10 her resignation from the institute she cofounded with then-husband Amory Lovins. “I’ve been thinking about going out on my own for some time,” Lovins said. “The day-to-day running of RMI has prohibited me from focusing on what I really want to do: taking Natural Capitalism to a greater audience.” Lovins said that she expects to be associated with RMI and some of its projects, but primarily she will be working with other organizations. Hunter has written or coauthored hundreds of articles and numerous books, including (with

EBN editor Alex Wilson)

Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate.

has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. In 1989, the U.S. EPA proposed a limited ban on asbestos, but a federal appeals court overturned the regulations in 1991. Risks of asbestos exposure were brought back into focus by Libby, Montana, however, where 200 people have died from asbestos-related illness and thousands more are sick. On June 18, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, introduced a bill that would “outlaw the manufacture, processing, importation, and distribution of asbestos-containing products” by 2005. Prospects for the bill are uncertain.

The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) has fulfilled its promise to identify green energy providers who meet CRS Green-e environmental and consumer protection standards. Following their March 2002 establishment of

Green-e tradable renewable certificates (TRCs) for qualifying wind, solar electric, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydropower energy providers (see

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 5), CRS has announced the first certified suppliers: Community Energy, Sterling Planet, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Renewable Choice Energy (available nationwide); Aquila (for commercial and industrial consumers nationwide and internationally); and Sun Power Electric (available throughout New England). For more information on Green-e and TRCs, as well as links to the six certified providers, visit online at

www.green-e.org.

United Solar, a joint venture between Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. and N. V. Bekaert, opened a

30-megawatt solar cell manufacturing facility in its hometown of Auburn Hills, Michigan on July 1. The largest of its kind, the plant will turn out thin-film amorphous photovoltaic cells in a continuous roll-to-roll process similar to that used for newsprint. The facility is expected to increase American solar energy production capacity by 20%. For information, visit

www.uni-solar.com.

a two-week straw-bale “blitz build”to erect two public buildings and demonstrate the potential of straw-bale construction for cheap, durable, energy-efficient housing. Beginning July 14, volunteer architecture and engineering students plan to join the Red Feather Development Group and community members in the construction of a literacy center at Chief Dull Knife Memorial College on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and a community study hall at Crow Agency. The study hall was designed by “The Rez Protectors,” four Crow middle school students (see photo), and funded largely by the National Championship Award money they earned in the 2001 Bayer/National Science Foundation competition. For more information, call the American Indian Housing Initiative field office at 406/477-6215 x127 or visit the Red Feather Development Group online at

www.redfeather.org.