Update: (September 26, 2006)

To the best of our knowledge, this product is no longer available.

For years, Clivus Multrum has been the de facto standard for composting toilets in North America. Clivus was introduced in North America from Sweden during the 1970s by Abby Rockefeller. Almost single-handedly, the Clivus established composting toilets as a viable alternative to conventional flush toilets. While Clivus remains an active player in the composting toilet field, the product’s dominance in the field could be threatened by the growing popularity of a challenger: the Phoenix Composting Toilet from Advanced Composting Systems of Whitefish, Montana.

Glenn Nelson founded Advanced Composting Systems in the mid-1980s. Prior to that he was a licensed manufacturer of Clivus toilets (one of two in the U.S.) and played a key role in improving the Clivus design.

Air conditioners cool air in two ways: they reduce air temperature directly (removing

sensible heat) and they remove moisture from air, reducing its

Update: (October 24, 2005)

To the best of our knowledge, this product is no longer available.

Atlas Roofing Corporation has become the first North American manufacturer of polyisocyanurate foam insulation (polyiso) to introduce a totally ozone-safe product. In February of this year, the company announced its shift from HCFC-141b to pentane as the blowing agent.

The first hydrocarbon-blown polyiso, called AC Ultra™, is coming from a prototype production line at their Mesa, Arizona plant. Limited production of this foam has been occurring for about a year, according to Marketing Services Manager Rick Gelatka. Conversion of the second plant, in LaGrange, Georgia, should be completed during the third quarter of 1998. Total conversion of the company’s 13 manufacturing facilities should be completed in about three years, well ahead of the mandated January 1, 2003 date for phaseout of HCFC-141b.

Demand (or instantaneous) water heaters have always had the advantage of eliminating standby heat loss—instead of storing hot water in an insulated tank, the water is heated at the point of use. You only heat the water you actually use, so significant savings can be achieved. The problem with demand water heaters has always been that either they are electric (requiring very high amperage and converting only a third of the primary energy into useable thermal energy) or, if gas-fired, they had continuously burning pilot lights that wasted a lot of energy. When

storage-type water heaters have pilot lights, at least the heat from the pilot—typically 300 to 350 Btus/hour (88 to 103 watts)—ends up heating the water, offsetting some of the standby losses. When demand water heaters have pilot lights, the energy is simply wasted, with typical losses of 3 million Btus or 30 therms per year (900 kWh/yr). The result is significantly depressed

The technical staff has been notified, and will try to correct this problem.

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Our readers may be familiar with Faswall, which has been promoted in green building circles since the early ’90s (see

EBN

Now the dimming limitation has also been surmounted. Philips Lighting introduced the Earth Light® Dimmable CFL in 1997. The light output range can be varied from 100% down to 10%, and the lamp can be used with standard wall dimmers, photocells, and switching devices, even those marked “incandescent only.” One of this lamp’s most important applications will be in recessed-can downlighting in homes (especially kitchens and living rooms), retail showrooms, and other locations where the dimming function is considered necessary.

Currently there is only one dimmable model, a 23-watt Earth Light lamp with integral electronic ballast. It has a color temperature of 2700 K, a color rendering index (CRI) of 82, and initial light output of 1500 lumens. Total length from end to end is 6.6 inches (167 mm), and maximum diameter is 2.3 inches (60 mm). Like other CFLs, the rated life is 10,000 hours.

Soy-based adhesives are here. Adhesives made from soybean oil have been approved by the Western Wood Products Association for use in finger-jointing operations at the Willamina Lumber Company in Willamina, Oregon. In the Willamina finger-jointing process, hydrolyzed soy protein is applied to one side of the joint and conventional phenol resorcinol formaldehyde (PRF) resin to the other. According to the United Soybean Board, which funded development of the adhesive, when the fingers are pressed together, a chemical reaction occurs bonding the joint very rapidly. The adhesive works with wet wood (even in excess of 150% moisture content), and the cured joint is generally stronger than the wood. The soy adhesive is made by Hopton Technologies, Inc. (HTI) in Albany, Oregon. For information, contact HTI at 541/926-3118.