Vol. 1, No. 1), is no longer available. The Providence, Rhode Island-based importers of this European product are not answering calls. Bernard Aubuchon Jr., purchaser for the Aubuchon Hardware chain which carried CoverAge, confirmed that it is no longer available. Aubuchon speculated that the price was a bit high and seemed even higher because it was sold in larger-than-standard rolls. Green building material observers were surprised at the shutdown because interest in CoverAge appeared to be strong, even among homeowners and more mainstream remodelers. If anyone is interested in tracking down the European product and importing it (or licensing the technology and manufacturing it in North America), we know it to be sold under the name “woodchip” in English and “raw fiber” in German. If any readers have more specifics on the manufacturer, please let us know.

is sponsoring its Third Annual Residential Design Competition of innovative, ecologically sensitive, residential landscape designs. Categories include built and unbuilt in urban, suburban, and rural locales. The entry fee is $50 ($25 for students). For information, contact Lee Fleming at Landscape Architecture, 4401 Connecticut Ave., N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20008; 202/686-2752.

The Center for Resourceful Building Technology (CRBT), which built the ReCRAFT 90 house in Missoula, Montana, is planning to build a second demonstration house in 1995: the Timber-Tech House. This will be a small, 925 ft² (86 m²), resource-efficient, urban in-fill house in downtown Missoula that is designed for affordability and easy replicability in other areas. For information, contact Tracy Mumma or Steve Loken at CRBT, P.O. Box 100, Missoula, MT 59806; 406/549-7678.

Another round of carpet testing is planned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to learn about the health effects of some of the less studied VOCs that have been identified as coming from carpet. Unfortunately, the results of the study are unlikely to carry much weight with the industry’s critics because the firm hired to do the testing, Air Quality Services of Atlanta, has close ties to the carpet industry, including performing the quarterly product tests used to qualify products for the Carpet and Rug Institute’s green tag.

The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA), along with the U.S. Department of Energy,

Builder magazine, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is sponsoring a second “Energy Efficient Panelized Building Design Competition” to showcase energy-efficient and affordable buildings using structural insulated panels. Submittals are due on May 22nd with a $45 entry fee ($15 for students). For information or an entry package, contact Shari Bush, SIPA, 1511 K Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005, or call 202/347-7800.

Newsbriefs

Ozone depletion in the Northern Hemisphere reached record levels this winter, according to information from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported in the 24 February issue of

The Global Environmental Change Report. In Siberia during late January and early February, ozone levels averaged 25% below normal and dropped as low as 35% below normal. In Europe, ozone levels dropped 10-12% below normal and levels in North America were 5-10% below normal.

Carrier Corporation is the only building products manufacturer to receive a 1994 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award from the U.S. EPA. Carrier won the award for developing the first residential central air-conditioner to run on a chlorine-free refrigerant, HFC-134a (a hydrofluorocarbon). The company was simultaneously cited for its new turbine technology that should significantly increase the efficiency of its commercial chillers using the same refrigerant.

The Harmony resort on Maho Bay in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park won the 1994 Grand Award for Environmental Technology from

Popular Science magazine. The resort’s cabins are fully solar-powered and energy-independent, and were built with a minimum of disturbance to the site using many recycled materials. An interactive computer in each cabin tracks energy use, making a stay there an educational off-the-grid experience for visitors.

A personal note: The people perhaps most responsible for the recent resurgence of interest in straw-bale construction, Matts Myhrman and Judy Knox, are facing a severe medical situation. Due to this problem and our country’s unresolved health-care needs, they also have a financial crisis to contend with. A group of their friends have organized a campaign to solicit help from those who have benefited from Matts and Judy’s work, and other sympathizers. Contributions can be sent to: Hard Knox Medical Fund, c/o Nancy Ferguson, 2018 W. Los Reales Road, Tucson, AZ 85746.

According to the E Source newsletter

E News, replacing vertical-axis, coin-operated washers with horizontal-axis models reduced energy use by 73 percent in a multifamily property in Seattle, Washington. The metered test, performed by Seattle City Light and Seattle Water, confirms expectations of the energy-saving potential of horizontal-axis washers. The

E News report doesn’t mention that the dollars savings in reduced detergent use often exceeds energy cost savings. For more details on the Seattle study, contact Ted Pope, Seattle City Light, 206/684-3373, 206-625-3709 (fax).