Ecosmart Healthy Properties LLC has opened its first

Ecosmart Building Center at 40 Wall Street in New York City. The center showcases a wide range of green building products and systems, which are both used in the space itself and on display. The Center will also host a range of educational forums and seminars. A satellite office is scheduled to open in San Francisco this Spring. For details, contact the Center at 212/430-4000.

More than 51,000 U.S.-made geothermal heat pumps were shipped during 1996, according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. Of these, 49% were shipments to the South, 23% to the Midwest, 12% to the Northeast, 7% to the West, and 8% were exported. Somewhat surprisingly, shipments have been fairly flat during the 1994 through 1996 period, the only years for which there is data, and shipments actually dropped 5% from 1995 to 1996, from 54,425 units to 51,520. The agency reported that there are approximately 50 domestic manufacturers of geothermal heat pumps.

Jim Leach, has joined the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), one of four Building America initiatives supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Building America program is seeking to improve home building in the U.S., with a primary focus on energy (see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 6).

is continuing to grow, according to APA The Engineered Wood Association. Total 1997 production of engineered panel products, including plywood, oriented-strand board, and structural composite boards, grew to 36.93 billion square feet (3.43 billion m²), ³⁄₈” basis, a 2.7% increase over 1996. Even faster growth occurred with other engineered wood products. Production of wood I-joists grew 26% to 627 million linear feet (194 million m), and production of laminated veneer lumber grew 20% to 37.7 million cubic feet (1.07 million m³). Continued growth is expected at roughly these levels, according to APA. In fact, the market share of I-joists is expected to increase from roughly 33% today to more than 50% in five to seven years.

The March/April 1998 issue of

Tomorrow magazine reports that the

Norwegian government is aiming for an 80% recycling rate for plastic packaging waste by the year 2000.

The February 1998 issue of

Energy Design Update reports that the

Canadian Government is being pressured by the unvented gas appliance industry to legalize these devices in Canada. Government officials aren’t giving in easily though. Don Fugler of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. was quoted in the article as saying, “We’ve spent the past 10 years working to reduce combustion spillage in Canadian houses, dealing with depressurization, cracked exhaust vents, and other venting issues. To say, ‘Oh by the way, it’s okay now to install this appliance that exhausts 100% of its combustion gases into your home,’ would be very counterproductive and confusing.” For more on this issue, see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 3.

In December 1997, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin man and the company he owns were fined $1.7 million—the largest award ever in Eau Claire County—for

illegal disposal of CCA-treated wood ash. An equivalent of a 55-gallon drum of the toxic incinerator ash was generated weekly from burning treated-wood pallets at the headquarters of Menards, a Wisconsin-based chain of 128 home improvement stores. Company owner John Menard —reportedly worth more than $1 billion—was disposing of the ash in plastic bags at his home until state environmental authorities were tipped off. Waste hauler BFI participated in the investigation, spanning several months in early 1997, when bags of ash picked up at Menard’s home were turned over to authorities. Fifteen felony charges were issued against the company and six misdemeanor charges against Menard. The cost of proper disposal would have been $100 to $125 per 55-gallon drum.

The

Forest Stewardship Council has been named as this year’s recipient of the J. Paul Getty Conservation Award. The award, which is administered by the World Wildlife Fund, carries a prize of US$100,000. For information, contact the U.S. office of FSC at 802/244-6257.

is expected to rise 54% over 1995 levels by the year 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Developing nations in Asia, including China and India, will lead this growth. These developing Asian nations (which do not include Japan, Australia, and New Zealand) will surpass the U.S. in energy consumption as soon as 2005. This changing energy use picture has an even more drastic impact on global carbon emissions because much of the projected growth in energy consumption is for coal. Total global carbon emissions are expected to reach 9.7 billion metric tons by 2015, 61% higher than 1990 emissions!

As some had feared, the beginning of utility deregulation appears to be taking a toll on one of the most progressive utility programs promoting green building. Not long after Portland, Oregon’s municipal utility, Portland General Electric, was purchased by energy services giant Enron, their residential

Earth Smart program was discontinued. At the time of its demise, the program had signed up over 1,000 houses and nearly 400 multifamily units, and it was gaining acceptance in the marketplace, according to architect Mike O’Brien, an environmental building consultant with the program. Portland General Electric had a strong track record of using broader environmental awareness programs to promote energy conservation, but it appears unlikely that this success will be continued under Enron. A companion program, Earth Smart Commercial, is continuing for the time being. For more on electric industry deregulation, see

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 4.