Interface, Inc.’s subsidiary

Interface Architectural Resources and Herman Miller are forming a joint venture to produce integrated office interiors. The carpet company and the furniture manufacturer will design products to work together, offering more design and layout options for users. Both companies have been leaders in green building initiatives, so the joint venture may produce some interesting environmental solutions as well.

King County, Washington is among the more aggressive counties in the use of recycled-content products. The

Recycled Product Procurement Program’s 1997 Annual Report provides an overview of recent accomplishments. Among building-related products, the County used 20,500 tons (18,600 tonnes) of aggregate made from recycled concrete with a total value of $138,000. A total of $11,000 worth of plastic lumber was used for dump-truck sideboards, park and playground structures, and as “channel boards” to hold down artificial turf at the Kingdome. Recycled paints and coatings were also used, primarily on an experimental basis. One promising product is an elastomeric coating made with 30% recycled glass—

Ecoglass Paint from Eco Chemical, Inc. of Seattle.

, former editor-in-chief of

Professional Builder magazine, reportedly lost his job after writing an editorial taking issue with the National Association of Homebuilder’s (NAHB) anti-environment stance. Healthy homes builder and author John Bower, writing on the Green-building e-mail discussion group, notes that Carper was reacting to a strong anti-environmentalist position taken by NAHB president

H. Daniel Pincus on the “takings” issue. Pincus’ piece on private property rights, about a bill in Congress (H.R. 1534), appeared in an opinion piece in the same edition. Bower also says that Carper’s reaction may have been unduly personal (the editorial included the statement: “Take a pill and settle down, Danny.”), and that other issues, predating this incident, may have contributed to the firing.

A new 20-page fact sheet on insulation, published by the U.S. Department of Energy, recommends that when steel framing is used for new construction, a layer of rigid foam sheathing be installed

in all U.S. climates. The

Insulation Fact Sheet includes a map of the U.S. showing nine different insulation zones, which factor in both climate and fuel costs. Recommended insulation levels for both new construction and remodeling are keyed to the map. An Internet version of the fact sheet is also available; just type in your zip code and find the recommended insulation levels: www.eren.doe.gov.

The Royal Dutch/Shell Group, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, announced recently that it would invest $500 million over the next five years in renewable energy technology. The company is setting up a fifth core business,

Shell International Renewables, to broaden its involvement in renewable energy technology, including photovoltaics (PV) and biomass. Shell believes that renewables will supply 50% of the world’s power by the middle of the next century. By 2020, the company expects renew-ables to grow to a $245 billion per year business, up from $10 billion today. Shell, which operates PV plants in Japan and the Netherlands, expects to capture 10% of the solar energy market by 2005. Demand for PVs will increase by 15% per year, while costs drop 4% per year, SIR President Jim Dawson predicted in an October 16 news conference.

In 1965, 54% of the world’s

registered cars were in the United States. By 1995 this number had increased by 80% to 135 million, but our share of the world’s total had dropped to 28%. Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Transportation Energy Databook, Edition 17 (August 1997).

Newsbriefs

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued new

energy performance standards for room air conditioners, boosting minimum performance by about 10%. For the most common size model, the minimum Energy Efficiency Rating (EER)—the ratio of cooling output per unit of cooling input—will increase from 9.0 to 9.8. The new standards, which will apply to all units manufactured or imported after October 1, 2000, have broad support from both industry and energy efficiency supporters, according to Steve Nadal of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Few room air conditioners currently on the market have EER ratings exceeding 10.0, though the most energy efficient reach 12.0. Contact ACEEE, 202/429-8873; www.aceee.org.

Awards & Competitions

The

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance has grants available for projects that will advance environmentally sound practices within construction and demolition activities. Maximum grant amount is $75,000. Projects must take place in Minnesota, but applicants need not be based in the State. Application deadline is October 15, 1998. To get a request-for-proposals, call Janet McManamon or Laura Millberg at 800/657-3843 or 612/296-3417.

A new North American organization,

The Cohousing Network, was officially established on September 21 at the third North American Cohousing Conference in Seattle. The Cohousing Network will take over many of the activities of regional associations, such as the Rocky Mountain CoHousing Association. It will produce

CoHousing: The Journal of the CoHousing Network (see Cohousing: The Journal of the CoHousing Network), manage the cohousing.org Web site and e-mail discussion group, and coordinate conferences. Perhaps it will even produce a consensus on whether the “H” in cohousing is upper or lower case! For details, contact Kay Abrahams at 303/554-1799.

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $200,000 to the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) for development and implementation of the LEED Building Rating System. The funding will be used for development of a design assistance manual and companion software, as well as for development of a marketing plan. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a numerical rating system for commercial buildings based on energy and environmental factors.