Through a new partnership with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), Home Depot stores across the U.S. will now contain

recycling stations for used portable rechargeable batteries. This partnership should provide a significant boost to the efforts of nonprofit RBRC to keep cadmium, lead, and nickel out of the environment (see

EBN

Vol. 2, No. 2).

Green-Think. Fedrizzi will continue to work as a consultant for Carrier’s parent company, United Technologies Corporation, on a variety of product initiatives, including fuel cell and micro-turbine technologies, with a newly formed UTC group, Power Solutions. Fedrizzi has also become a principal in the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization promoting partnerships in sustainable development. Fedrizzi will continue in his role on the board of the U.S. Green Building Council, as a representative of manufacturer members of the Council. He can be reached by e-mail at fedrizzi@twcny.rr.com.

The Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Association of Home Builders have developed a

Built Green Communities rating program. Designed to work with their newly upgraded Built Green checklist for homes, the green communities program was developed by a diverse working group including local planning experts, government officials, and developers. The program is making its debut this summer in two Colorado communities: Spirit Gulch in Parker, Colorado (home of the 2001 Metro Denver Parade of Homes) and Belle Creek, a New Urbanist neighborhood in Commerce City. For more information, visit www.builtgreen.org.

A recent study by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources investigated the feasibility of

deconstructing mobile homes for salvage. The study was prompted by an unexpected waste disposal crisis—a group of condemned, flash-flooded, mobile homes. A surprising underground market for mobile home windows, fixtures, and chassis was discovered as a part of the study. Conducted in cooperation with the Manufactured Housing Institute, the study also revealed work on mobile home deconstruction being done in Wisconsin, Illinois, and North Carolina. For a copy of the full report, visit www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/TRAILER.pdf.

a 113 kW photovoltaic carport that will shade 152 parking spaces at Riverside, California’s Public Utilities Operations Center. A total of 2,016 modules, each generating 75 W, will be mounted in two rows on the structure, which is slated for completion by November.

Everyone has a great way for taxpayers to spend their tax rebate checks, including the Lowe’s and Home Depot home improvement centers. Both now describe

energy-efficient home improvement projects for under $300 and under $600 starting right on the home pages of their Web sites. But Home Depot goes a step further: “There’s no need to go to the bank. We will cash your tax rebate check, free of charge, with any purchase.” Sadly, the first Home Depot home improvement project presented is a standard ceiling fan with no mention of their new truly efficient ceiling fan, the Hampton Bay Gossamer models (see EBN Vol. 10, No. 3).

A new report from the nongovernmental organization

Fern identifies the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as the only independent and credible forest certification program. Three other major programs—the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian Standards Association’s Sustainable Forest Management Standard (CSA), and the Pan-European Forest Certification (PEFC)—all failed to meet most of the nine basic requirements that Fern used to evaluate the programs. A full copy of the report can be downloaded from their Web site. Fern’s mission is to advocate for sustainable management of forests and respect for the rights of forest peoples. The organization chose its name for its symbolic value, as ferns are one of the few plants found in all forest types. For more information, visit online at www.fern.org.

Advisory Board member

Sandra Mendler, AIA, received the

First Annual Sustainable Design Leadership Award for a design professional at a June 18 event in Dalton, Georgia. This award recognizes commitment to environmental issues through design, educational outreach, or other efforts. Mendler is Vice President and Director of Sustainable Design at HOK, Inc. The corporate award went to the

Ford Motor Company. The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Collins & Aikman cosponsor these awards, which are limited to U.S.-based professionals and companies, and exclude companies servicing the interior design and furnishings industry.

The fifth Annual

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Environmental Awards ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 2001. Among the 14 winning projects and initiatives were:

•Greening GSA’s Lease Acquisition Process with recycling, waste prevention, and sustainable design

•Drive-INS for Justice, a low-cost records center for the Immigration and Naturalization Service

•Recycling Construction Waste at the New EPA Campus in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

•Photovoltaic Panels on the Ralph H. Metcalfe Building, home to the EPA Region 5 Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois

•Zero Construction Waste in the renovation of the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office in Indianapolis, Indiana

More details on these projects are available at http://

www.gsa.gov/planetgsa/awards/5thawards.htm.

On July 3, the City of Boulder, Colorado passed an ordinance

expanding the requirements of its mandatory Green Points program (see

EBN

Vol. 7, No. 3) to include remodels and additions over 500 ft² (50 m²), and increasing the number of points required for new homes. The revised program, which places a greater emphasis on renewable energy use and job-site waste recycling, is expected to take effect in late August 2001, according to Mike Weil, Director of Environmental Affairs for the City. At the same Council meeting, the City adopted the 2000 International Energy Code, and expressed its intent to develop a version of Green Points for commercial construction that would be based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ Rating System.