consolidate Energy Star brand awareness among consumers. In a recent letter to all partners, the manager of the Energy Star new homes program stated: “We are developing an aggressive campaign to ensure that only homes that are 30% more energy-efficient than the national energy code are labeled Energy Star.” Manufacturers, builders, architects and consumers should visit the newly designed Energy Star Web site for the latest changes to the program:

www.energystar.gov.

On March 13, Governor Parris Glen-denning’s Executive Order made Maryland the first state to mandate sustainability measures for all government operations in clean energy, green buildings, pollution prevention, and alternative fuel vehicles (www.gov.state.md.us/gov/execords/2001/html/0002eo.html). The order features a new High Efficiency Green Buildings Program for all new state facilities “modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System.” According to Mark Bundy of the Department of Natural Resources, one of the most significant parts of the Executive Order is the creation of the Maryland Green Buildings Council, an interagency group with six private-sector members (each with staggered four-year terms) that will “represent environmental, business, and citizen interests” and ensure follow-up. Bundy also noted that recommendations have been made by staff to the Governor that state projects already under development be permitted to reprioritize and reallocate dedicated funds to make the projects greener.

The Maine Hospital Association, in partnership with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Natural Resources Council of Maine, just signed an agreement to voluntarily eliminate the use of most mercury-containing supplies and medical equipment, as well as continuously reduce the use of

plastics containing PVC. The agreement also encourages the reduction of PVC use in building materials: “Consider longer term replacement of PVC in durable medical products, construction materials, and furniture when opportunities present themselves.” While most mercury- and PVC-containing medical materials do not present health risks to patients, their disposal—typically through incineration—can result in the release of mercury and dioxins into the environment. Maine becomes the first state in the nation to have such an agreement.

Oregon’s controversial

Measure 7, which requires payments to landowners when state or local government regulations reduce property value, has been declared unconstitutional. An Oregon Circuit Court judge ruled in February that Ballot Measure 7 violates Oregon’s Constitution. This ruling is expected to be appealed, and the Oregon legislature is likely to take up the issue.

The worldwide

costs of climate change will reach $300 billion annually by 2050, predicts Munich RE, one of the world’s largest reinsurance companies. These costs will result from more frequent tropical cyclones, land loss due to rising sea levels, and damage to fishing stocks, agriculture, and water supplies. In the U.S., an estimated cost of $30 billion per year would result from health-related measures and more intensive water management. Munich RE has been monitoring the costs of natural disasters since the 1960s; the company’s predictions were published in the United Nations Environment Programme publication

Our Planet.

, according to a story on MSNBC (January 20). More than a quarter of China is already desert, and sand dunes are now within 60 miles (96 km) of Beijing —and moving closer as quickly as 15 miles (24 km) per year! Last year many Beijing residents were hospitalized with respiratory problems attributed to sand storms. Intensive farming practices and deforestation are considered big factors in this desertification. China is trying to feed one-quarter of the world’s population with just 7% of the world’s arable land.

According to the National Climate Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

global temperatures in 2000 were 0.39°C (0.7°F) higher than the long-term (1880-1999) average. This makes 2000 the sixth hottest year on record (after 1998, 1997, 1995, 1990, and 1999). Land temperatures were 0.59°C (1.1°F) above the 1880-1999 mean, while ocean temperatures were 0.30°C (0.5°F) above. For details, visit

www.ncdc.noaa.gov.

FPL Energy of Florida is building a

300-megawatt wind farm—the world’s largest—on the border of Oregon and Washington. The 450-turbine wind farm, which will produce enough power for approximately 70,000 homes, should be completed by the end of this year. Power from the Stateline Wind Generating Project will be sold throughout the West by PacifiCorp Power Marketing, Inc., a subsidiary of PacifiCorp.

Beginning in January of this year, all new

homes sold in England and Wales have to display energy ratings. The ratings are required by the revised Building Regulations and Approved Inspectors Regulations 2000, which was formally approved last October. Home ratings are based on the Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings and are expressed on a scale of 1 to 100—the higher the number, the more energy-efficient the home. Separate regulations apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) are partnering to establish the

best available practices in

life-cycle assessment. The Life Cycle Inititative should go a long way toward harmonizing existing methods, databases, and life-cycle tools. This initiative is an important step in making information on the total environmental footprint of all materials, including those used in building, more accessible. For more information on the Life Cycle Initiative:

www.sylvatica.com.