Cusano Environmental Education Center at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, billed as Philadelphia’s first green building, opened on January 20, 2001. Designed by Susan Maxman & Partners, the project incorporates many green strategies and technologies, including geothermal heating and cooling, daylighting, certified and salvaged wood, on-site wastewater treatment and reuse, and porous paving. Many of the green features are displayed with interpretive signage, making the building a useful educational center for sustainable design. Nestled between the Philadelphia airport and a petroleum storage yard along I-95, the Tinicum Refuge is an important stopover point for migrating waterfowl.

Landscape Architects:

Andropogon AssociatesExhibit Design:

Chermayeff & GeismarHVAC Engineers:

Bruce Brooks & AssociatesStructural Engineer:

The Kachele GroupEnergy Consultant:

Donald Prowler & AssociatesLighting Design:

Clanton Engineering, Inc.Civil Engineer:

Cahill & AssociatesMarsh Machine:

Applied Wastewater TechnologyClient: National

Fish and Wildlife Foundation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceProject Manager:

Becker Frondorf & Associates

Newsbriefs

Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects (BNIM), a leader in the sustainable design movement, has moved its downtown Kansas City headquarters to the landmark Power & Light Building. BNIM will occupy the first three stories of the building. With its renovation of the space and signing of a ten-year lease, the firm hopes to spur reinvestment and revitalization of this important area in the downtown loop. BNIM’s new address is: 106 W. 14th Street, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64105. The new telephone number is 816/783-1500, and the fax is 816/783-1501.

a joint initiative of the National Park Service and DOE announced on November 1, will reduce fossil fuel use in dozens of National Parks. The agencies will spend $1.6 million on 70 projects to install energy-efficient lighting, ground-source heat pumps, solar water heating, photovoltaics, and other measures. DOE is providing technical assistance.

increased 0.8% in 1999, according to a new report by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of DOE. Total emissions in 1999 were 1,833 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCe), up from 1,818 MMTCe in 1998. Emissions of greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide (CO

₂) decreased or remained the same, while CO

₂ emissions from fossil fuel use (about 80% of total greenhouse gas emissions) increased by 1.3%.

New planning guidelines, released by the National Forest Service on November 9 emphasize forest health over logging. Under the new guidelines, which became effective immediately,

“sustainability” becomes the overall goal of forest planning. This means that forests are to be managed for the long-term and that forest uses, such as logging or recreation, must not exhaust resources—whether timber or solitude. “We will manage the national forests in a way that protects the environment while continuing to ensure a sustainable flow of goods and services such as timber, recreation, and clean water from the national forests,” said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman in announcing the rules. This fundamental change is sure to spark controversy. In October, according to a November 10 article in

The Oregonian, the General Accounting Office (an investigative arm of Congress) issued a report saying that the Forest Service lacks a clear mandate to make forest health part of its permanent mission; this lack of a clear mandate may leave these planning guidelines open to citizen appeals or court challenges.

, signed into law by President Clinton in late October, includes a $65 million (20%) increase in DOE funding for research in renewable energy technologies. Funding for these activities in Fiscal Year 2001 will be $375 million. EPA also received a $123 million (19%) increase in funding for its Climate Change Technology Initiative, which helps business and consumers save energy and money.

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An agreement between the U.S. and the European Union is being finalized under which the familiar Energy Star program covering energy-efficient appliances, office equipment, and lighting products will be extended to Europe. Under the agreement, reference to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be eliminated.

Newsbriefs

The Energy Efficient Building Association (EEBA) is now the

Energy and Environmental Building Association. Serving the residential building and building science community since 1982, EEBA has extended its focus beyond energy efficiency to resource efficiency for a number of years. EEBA’s new and forward-thinking Executive Director, Kathleen Guidera, states, “It’s time our name reflect all that we are.” The transition to EEBA’s new name was made official at its October 2000 conference in Denver.

founder and director of the SmartWood Program at the Rainforest Alliance, has been promoted to Chief of Forestry. He will serve as the Alliance’s official representative to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and will continue to be involved in SmartWood certification activities as a “troubleshooter,” forest assessor, policy specialist, and senior advisor for key clients and challenging certifications. While the Alliance is headquartered in New York City, Donovan will remain in Burlington, Vermont, where the SmartWood Program is based. As part of this change, the Rainforest Alliance is seeking a new director for the SmartWood Program. For more details, see www.smartwood.org.

has been appointed the new Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Nadel follows Howard Geller, who led ACEEE for 20 highly productive years. Since 1993, Nadel has been deputy director of the organization; before that he had worked as an energy analyst for New England Electric and director of energy efficiency programs for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. As part of this transition, ACEEE is seeking a Building Programs Director. For details, see www.aceee.org.