Henri Fennell, of Foam-Tech, in North Thetford, Vermont (which

EBN first covered in 1993 as the first company to offer non-ozone-depleting rigid polyurethane foam insulation), continues to push for greener products. Using a $10,000 grant from the State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the company recently

switched to refillable bulk containers for its polyol and isocyanate component chemicals instead of the industry-standard 55-gallon (210 l) drums, which could not be cleaned up enough for reuse or recycling. As a user of about 300 55-gallon drums of chemicals per year for its SuperGreen foam, the new approach represents an annual savings of about 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg) of solid waste. Fennell’s current challenge is to convince other buyers of polyurethane component chemicals to also adopt the use of refillable containers so that the chemical suppliers will continue to make this option available. (One supplier does not want to bother with the refillable containers.) For information, contact Foam-Tech at 802/333-4333 or visit

www.foam-tech.com.

last summer. Predictions were dire going into the summer months—of widespread blackouts as electricity supply was unable to keep up with demand. But cooler than normal weather, the lack of any major power plant shutdowns, and widespread energy conservation were able to stave off problems. Almost a third of Southern California utility customers reduced their electricity consumption by 20% over 2000 levels, thus qualifying for the state’s 20:20 program in which customers would get 20% off on electric bills that reflected 20% lower usage compared with the previous year.

Ross Spiegel, president of Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has established a new

Environmental Task Team within CSI. The team aims to incorporate environmental considerations into CSI’s operations and format documents. Among its tasks are:

•developing a standard format to identify environmentally friendly building materials using accepted standards.

The group is chaired by Dru Meadows of TheGreenTeam, Inc. and includes CSI staff member G. Storm Cunningham. CSI can be reached at 800/689-2900.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released two

Program Opportunity Notices announcing nearly $2 million in funding for high efficiency lighting products and demonstrations (PON 629-01, $1.2 million) and heating and cooling (PON 649-01, $750,000). Proposals for both are due in late November. Details are available online at

www.nyserda.org.

Centex Homes, one of the nation’s largest home builders, announced in October

one of the biggest corporate gifts ever to The Nature Conservancy, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 22. Centex will provide $2.25 million over three years to support preserves in the states of Texas, Florida, and California. This pledge amounts to $35 per home sold during the three-year period. During the past two years, Centex donated $1.3 million to the Conservancy. Timothy Eller, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based Centex Homes, said that “as a builder of neighborhoods nationwide, we recognize that sustainable development requires balancing growth with environmental protection.” Centex operates in 23 states and expects to sell 21,000 homes this fiscal year. The Arlington, Virginia-based Nature Conservancy has protected more than 12 million acres (4.9 million ha) nationwide. For more information see

www.centexhomes.com or

www.nature.org.

Following 10 years of often-rancorous debate, California Governor Gray Davis on October 9 signed into law a bill that requires builders of large subdivisions to demonstrate that there will be

adequate water supplies for the development. The new law prohibits cities and counties from issuing permits to projects with 500 or more homes unless the applicable water agency verifies that water supplies are adequate to satisfy the needs for at least the next 20 years. The bill (SB 221), sponsored by Senator Sheila Kuehl, had long been opposed by realtors and developers, but these groups backed down this year due to the Governor’s active support, according to an October 10 article in the

Los Angeles Times. The electricity crisis apparently helped by clarifying the need for long-range resource planning. The Association of California Water Agencies opposed the bill, fearing that it would leave water agencies vulnerable to lawsuits, though the organization was supportive of the linking of land-use decisions to water availability.

On June 1

commercial clothes washers with volumes of 3.5 ft

³ (100 l) or less were added to the list of Energy Star®-qualified products. Until then, the program was limited to residential washers. To qualify, a washer must have a Modified Energy Factor (MEF) of 1.26 or higher—the same as the standard for residential washers. This measure includes both the water (and energy) required for washing and the energy required to remove residual water from the clothes after spin-drying. Currently, the Energy Star Web site shows 44 models of commercial washers from Speed Queen, Maytag, Huebsch, Staber, Unimac, and General Electric. Most are approximately 2.85 ft

³ (80 l) in volume, and MEFs range from 1.43 to 2.04. For further details, visit

www.energystar.gov (click on

Products, then

Appliances).

The Devens Enterprise Commission, the permitting authority for redevelopment of the former Fort Devens army base in north central Massachusetts, has created

a green building incentive program tied to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ rating system. The program offers a 15% reduction in development permit fees, up to $10,000 per project, to buildings that become LEED-certified. The Devens Enterprise Commission is the independent, multipurpose regulatory and permitting agency within the Devens Enterprise Zone, a 4,400-acre (1,780 ha) modern industrial and technology-intensive business park. Details at

www.devens.com, or call Peter Lowitt, 978/772-8831.

Kompan, Inc., the nation’s largest manufacturer of commercial wooden playground equipment, is

the latest manufacturer to abandon CCA-treated wood. Citing concern on behalf of customers, the company completed the switch to nonarsenic, nonchromium pressure-treated wood on September 15. Kompan is using Natural Select™ wood treated with Wolman^® E (see product review at right). Kompan manufactures a wide range of playground equipment for schools and public parks. For information, contact the company at 800/584-8905 or visit

www.kompan.com.

A $150,000 grant from the U.S. EPA is funding research by the New Buildings Institute (NBI) of White Salmon, Washington, to

assess actual energy use of newly constructed buildings. NBI will work with subcontractors Eley Associates of San Francisco and Architectural Energy Corporation of Boulder, Colorado on the project. Using the Energy Star^® system as a benchmark, the team will use actual energy bills to compare energy performance of the buildings to their design intent. Project details are available at

www.newbuildings.org or from Karen Butler at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 202/564-9717, or by e-mail at butler.karen@epa.gov.