during 2000 reached an all-time high at 57.0% total imports (up from 56.6% in 1998 and 55.6% in 1999), according to the February 2001 edition of

Monthly Energy Review, published by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (

www.eia.doe.gov). Net petroleum imports (accounting for our modest petroleum exports) tied a record set in 1998 of 51.6%.

was named Builder of the Year by the EnergyValue Housing Awards on February 9 at the International Builders Show in Atlanta. Also recognized were ten Gold Winners and ten Silver Winners, in a range of categories and climates. The Awards are managed by the NAHB Research Center in partnership with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Energy Subcommittee,

Professional Builder magazine, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy. For further information, contact Jeannie Leggett Sikora, program coordinator, at 301/430-6289 or evha@nahbrc.org.

, Senior Associate of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Development Services, has been named an honorary member of The American Institute of Architects—an honor bestowed on a few non-architects who have made a significant contribution to the architectural profession and to the AIA.

, FAIA, associate director for professional services at the National Park Service Headquarters, is one of two recipients of this year’s

Thomas Jefferson Awards for Public Architecture. Emmons was honored in the category for public-sector architects who manage or produce quality design within their agencies. Until last year Emmons was chief architect and associate director for engineering for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, where he was influential in the Command’s expressed commitment to integrated design and green building.

The February 2001 issue of the influential publication

I.D.: The International Design Magazine focused on socially conscious design for its annual “

I.D. Forty” selection. Among the many inspiring designers featured were a number of architects and other professionals recognized for their ecological vision. They are (in order of their appearance in

I.D.):

•Erez Steinberg and Gia Giasullo of Studio eg in Oakland, California, for their Ecowork office furniture system (see EBN

Vol. 9, No. 9) made of recycled materials.

•William McDonough of McDonough + Partners in Charlottesville, Virginia, for his pursuit of “100% sustainability” rather than “eco-efficiency.”

•Stephen Selkowitz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, for his work on sophisticated, energy-efficient windows.

•Julie Bargmann, landscape architect with D.I.R.T. Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia and faculty member at the University of Virginia, for her enthusiasm for restoring brownfield sites.

•Paolo Soleri, for his prototype environmental city Arcosanti north of Phoenix, Arizona.

•Ken and Michelle Burke of jonkendall furniture in Santa Monica, California, for use of little-known wood species in highly efficient forms to make attractive furniture.

•Wendy E. Brawer of Modern World Design in New York City, for her Green Map System that began with the 1992 Green Apple Map and now includes cities around the world (

www.greenmap.org).

•David Bainbridge, coordinator of environmental studies at U.S. International University in San Diego and founder of ecocomposite.com, for his work on straw bale buildings.

•Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect, for his work making impressive structures from undervalued materials such as cardboard tubes and (more recently) bamboo.

•Brian Jensen, Al Flack, and Carlos Miralles of AeroVironment in Monrovia, California, for their innovative solar-powered AC pump systems to provide fresh water for drinking and irrigation for populations without ready access to these necessities.

•Stanley Selengut, ecotourism pioneer, for his Maho Bay Campgrounds and Concordia Eco-tents on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

•Chris Simmonds and Linda Chapman, architects, for their remarkably low-impact Mountain Equipment Cooperative retail store in Ottawa, Canada.

Nominations are now being accepted for the first annual

Sustainable Design Leadership Awards from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and C&A Floorcoverings. Winners in two categories will be announced on June 18, 2001 at NeoCon in Chicago. The first will recognize a U.S.-based design professional who has demonstrated a true commitment to environmental issues through his or her designs, educational outreach, or other efforts. The second award will honor a U.S.-based company of any size that is leading by example in its effort to become environmentally sustainable through design. A nomination form is available from Sharon Williams at IIDA Headquarters, 312/467-0779 (fax) or swilliams@iida.org (email).

U.S. Green Building Council board member

Drew George was promoted on January 15, 2001 to Environment Manager – Americas of Bovis Lend Lease. George now oversees environmental programs and green construction projects for the company’s 26 offices in North and South America, with a mandate to make BLL the leading green provider of construction and project management services. George is based at the firm’s Los Angeles office and can be reached by e-mail: Drew.George@bovislendlease.com.

, an architecture firm in the U.K., has become the first firm we know of to adopt the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 environmental management standard. The firm applied the standard to an architectural practice by developing a system to ensure that environmental impacts are considered in its designs.

world’s first commercial wave-power plant began operation in late November on the Scottish island of Islay, feeding approximately 500 kW of power into the United Kingdom power grid.

The technology was jointly developed by Wavegen, which built and owns the power station, and Queens University Belfast. The technology employed is known as LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer). An oscillating water column alternately compresses and decompresses trapped air, forcing the air back and forth through a pair of specialized contra-rotating “Wells” turbines. Because the generator system remains on land, access is easy, and maintenance is expected to be minimal. For information visit

www.wavegen.co.uk.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued new reports on

global climate change, with three very important outcomes. First, global average surface temperatures have increased by 0.6°C over the last 100 years, 0.15 degrees more than previously reported. The difference is largely due to relatively higher temperatures for the years 1994 to 2000 and improved data processing methods. Second, the global average surface temperature is expected to rise between 1.4 and 5.8°C over the period of 1990 to 2100. This increase is greater and wider ranging than previous projections because of lower projected sulfur dioxide emissions. The third outcome is a much stronger statement linking global warming to human activity over the last 50 years. Evidence supporting this conclusion is based on a number of improvements in modeling and data processing. The IPCC was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988.