The first extruded polystyrene (XPS) product for the U.S. insulation market with zero ozone-depletion potential was introduced late last year: High Performance Underlayment from Dow Chemical. Instead of the industry-standard HCFC-142b blowing agent, this XPS product is blown with HFC-152a, which contains no chlorine or bromine, the elements responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion.

The issue of how to enclose and insulate timber frame buildings has long been a difficult one. In-fill framing (between the timbers) is time-consuming, and there is a risk of trapping moisture inside the wall cavity. Structural insulated panels (SIPs) or non-structural stress-skin panels are rapidly installed, well insulating, and airtight, but they rely on foamed plastic insulation—either expanded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate, both of which are petrochemical-based and carry various environmental burdens (see

EBN

A little plastic device called the “AquaSaver” is saving the Marriott Corporation about $3.4 million per year in water bills, with an estimated three-month payback. Tests have consistently found savings of

1⁄2 to 1 gallon (2 to 4 liters) per flush, with remarkably few problems, and no change in the dynamics of the flush. Marriott tested the device for three years before proceeding with their plan to install it in all their 480,000 rooms (280,000 are now in place). “This is the only thing that we’ve ever found to put in our toilets with confidence that it won’t cause problems,” reports Marriott’s Van Vandevender.

Conventional burial or cremation of the dead in this country bears a lot of resemblance to toxic waste disposal. For burial, most bodies are saturated with toxic embalming chemicals, hermetically sealed inside metal or highly finished wood caskets, and encased in impervious concrete burial vaults, all of which is buried six feet (2 m) underground—well beneath the zone where much biological decay might occur. Alternately our bodies are cremated, which, according to the Sierra Club, can release dioxin, trace metals, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, sulfur dioxide, and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hardly the way an environmentally concerned architect or builder would want to leave this world.

Standard Structures, Inc., of Santa Rosa, California, is the first manufacturer

EBN is aware of to offer third-party-certified engineered wood products.

The evolution of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) has been marked by increasing light output and reductions in size. A new series of CFLs continues that trend. Duro-Test, Sunpark, Link USA, and Lights of America have all introduced new, generally smaller, CFLs in which the fluorescent tube is molded into a spiral.

Advocates of low-maintenance lawns in hot sunny climates have long turned to Buffalo grass (

Buchloe dactyloides), but there have been few off-the-shelf options for more northern, less sunny regions. The Prairie Nursery Corporation of Westfield, Wisconsin introduced the No Mow mix of fescue grasses in 1993 to satisfy this need.

If linoleum represents the “back-to-nature” alternative to vinyl flooring, then Stratica is the

Brave New World option.

In mid-September, the Whirlpool Corporation, which produces more than 50% of the country’s washing machines, introduced its first high-efficiency, Energy Star™-listed product.

The Whirlpool Resource Saver™ is the first Energy Star washer with a conventional

From a style standpoint, they have been somewhat of a trendsetter with their American Craftsman and Transitions lines of cabinets. Now the company, which is a member of The Natural Step, is seeking to establish itself as the trendsetter in the environmental building arena.

The Neil Kelly Naturals Collection is being rolled out at the Portland Home Show on October 15-18. All cabinets in the product line include a number of significant environmental features, with others available as add-on options. The cases of all cabinets in the line will be made with certified wood components, including doors, drawers, and (where used) veneers on the particleboard frames. The company is currently going through a chain-of-custody certification process through the Smart Wood Program for the cabinets in this line. All finishes used in the line will be environmentally friendly. The options include a natural oil/wax finish that the homeowner renews periodically (a container of this finish will be provided with the cabinets).