Steven Winter Associates, Inc., of Norwalk, Connecticut, has been awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Energy’s 1995 Small Business Innovative Research program to design advanced modular townhouses for urban infill sites. The company has been charged with designing townhouses that employ renewable energy and energy conservation strategies and that take a “green,” environmentally sensitive approach to building materials. Modules will be designed that can be delivered by truck through the streets of Brooklyn and assembled by crane into three- to eight-story housing in deteriorating inner-city areas. For information, contact Alexander Grinnell at Steven Winter Associates: 203/857-0200.

Voluntary certification of product environmental claims is a useful option, but it does little to prevent bogus claims by other manufacturers. A 1990 California law attempts to address this problem by establishing legal definitions for the terms “ozone friendly,” “biodegradable,” “photodegradable,” “recyclable,” and “recycled.” Companies are barred from making such claims unless their products conform to the legal definitions. The October 2, 1995

Forest Service News Digest reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the law in the face of a challenge from ten business groups, clearing the way for other states to adopt similar laws.

The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has a new “Wood Reduction Clearinghouse” to disseminate information on ways to reduce waste and find environmentally sound alternatives to wood. Reducing wood use in construction is a primary goal of the service. Contact Dana Harmon at RAN, 450 Sansome Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415/398-4404, 415/398-2732 (fax); rainforest@ran.org (e-mail).

The DuPont Benedictus Awards for Innovation in Architectural Laminated Glass may have a significant environmental flavor in 1996 with the inclusion of two prominent “green” architects on the jury. Bob Berkebile of BNIM Architects in Kansas City, Missouri and Randolph Croxton, Croxton Collaborative Architects, New York City, have both been tapped to serve. Entry forms are available from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in Washington, DC (202/785-2324) or from the International Union of Architects in Paris (331-4524-3688).

The Woodworker’s Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP), a leading promoter of lesser-known species and other lumber from environmentally preferable sources, is changing its name to the “Good Wood Alliance.” Reasons for the change included a recognition that the environmental issues addressed are not limited to rainforests and that not all members are woodworkers, according to Board Member Jason Grant. The group is operating under both names for the time being, and may keep the name “WARP” for its Latin American fieldwork operations, according to executive director Yuri Bihun. The “Good Wood List” will soon be accessible on-line. For details contact Bihun at 802/862-4448 (phone & fax), warp@together.net (e-mail).

Newsbriefs

Building Industry Professionals for Environmental Responsibility (BIPER) is a new lobbying group founded to counter the frequently anti-environmental message governments receive from mainstream industry organizations. Annual membership is $35. Three levels of membership allow members to choose the frequency of contacts from the organization. Contact BIPER at 7975 Hillmont Drive, Oakland, CA 94605; 510/632-1806.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) has announced a design competition for completed buildings north of 40 degrees north latitude. Judging criteria include energy and resource efficiency and bioregional appropriateness. There is no fee for submissions, which must be received by December 31, 1995. Contact NESEA at 413/774-6051, 413/774-6053 (fax), nesea@igc.apc.org (e-mail).

A new “Mini Home Study Course” from the International Institute for Bau-biologie and Ecology™ (IBE) in Clearwater, Florida is designed to help the home-dweller understand, find, and remedy indoor air pollution, water pollution, and other home health hazards. Participants receive resource material, a video, and a Gauss meter. Contact IBE at 813/461-4371 for details.

A four-month-old initiative within the U.S. Postal Service aims to revise design guidelines and material specifications to improve environmental performance. The Washington, D.C. office of HOK, Inc. was recently retained to help develop the proposed changes, which will be presented to senior Postal Service staff for review in late October. To date this effort has not been coordinated with a large project that has been underway since 1985 to improve and expand the standard designs used for Postal Service buildings.

Members of the U.S. Green Building Council have organized a non-profit Green Building Fund in the hopes of providing ongoing support for research and demonstration of environmentally sound construction projects. So far six organizations have contributed to the Fund’s initial project—a feasibility study documenting funding sources for green building programs. The initial contributors are: Collins & Aikman, Inc., Herman Miller, Inc., U.T. Carrier, Inc., Interface, Inc., the W. Alton Jones Foundation, and the Heinz Family Foundation. A task group is now developing a scope of work for the feasibility study.