Mid-Course Correction

by Ray C. Anderson. The Peregrin-zilla Press, Atlanta, 1998 (distributed by Chelsea Green Publishing Co.). Paperback, 200 pages, $17.95

Mid-Course Correction is a very important book. Author Ray Anderson, CEO of the carpet company Interface, Inc., has for several years been inspiring audiences with his personal... Read more

Time to Act on Global Warming

The evidence on global warming has become increasingly hard to dispute: 20 consecutive years with above-average global temperatures, 18 consecutive months that set new all-time monthly temperature records, 1998 temperatures almost three-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit higher than the previous record (page 3). Most... Read more

Only One Wood-Fiber Ceiling Panel Remains

Heraklith-Fiber Rock Canada, manufacturer of wood-fiber-based acoustical ceiling panels, has pulled out of North America, according to the importer, Fiber Rock Canada. This move leaves Tectum as the only wood-fiber-based ceiling panel distributed on the continent. See

EBN

Vol. 7, No. 4... Read more

The Not So Big House

by Sarah Susanka. Taunton Press, Newtown, Connecticut, 1998. Hardcover, 200 pages, $30

The Not So Big House is a gorgeous book, full of inspiring photographs and imaginative floor plans, that conveys both the how’s and the why’s of designing smaller, more compact houses. Author Sarah Susanka is principal of a 35-... Read more

Small House, Big View

When most highly successful corporate executives set out to build a new home, it is pretty much a given that the house will be over 10,000 square feet (929 m2). The operative questions might be whether a four-car garage is big enough, how many guest suites to include, and whether the master bedroom suite should be its... Read more

1998 Warmest Year on Record

Preliminary results are in, and 1998 looks like the warmest ever. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on December 17 that global temperatures in 1998 would be the warmest since recordkeeping began in 1860. The global mean surface temperature for 1998 is estimated to be 1.4°F (0.58°C) above the... Read more

Awards & Competitions

Fred Keller of the Carrier Corporation was a recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s

1998 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for his leadership in the use of ozone-friendly refrigerants in residential products. Keller, vice president of engineering for Carrier’s Residential and Light... Read more

River Salvage Legalized in Florida

The practice of salvaging sinker logs from river bottoms in Florida is legal again—for the first time since 1974. Governor Childs of Florida and his cabinet approved an interim policy that allows and regulates this form of salvage on December 7, 1998. After one year, the program will be carefully... Read more

Professional Builder magazine awarded a

1998 Professional Achievement Award to developer

John Kurowski, owner of Kurowski Development Co. of Littleton, Colorado, for his leadership in the creation of the Green Builder Program of Colorado. As president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, Kurowski helped launch a $1 million... Read more

Since 1950, the average house size in the United States has more than doubled, even while the average family size has steadily shrunk. We’re providing more square footage per family member than ever before, and projections are that the trend will continue.

As house size increases, resource use in buildings goes up, more land is occupied, there... Read more

More on PVC Roofing

We read your article entitled “Low Slope Roofing: Prospects Looking Up” (EBN

Vol. 7, No. 10 – November 1998) with interest. We would like to bring some items to your attention.

•Fire resistant EPDM (needed to obtain Factory Mutual and U.L. fire ratings for adhered and mechanically fastened systems) contains... Read more

Wood-Plastic Composite Lumber Expands

Trex Co. LLC is building a manufacturing facility in Fernley, Nevada to serve customers in the West with its recycled wood-plastic composite decking. The company plans to begin operations in the Fall of 1999, according to

Plastics News (December 14, 1998), with two around-the-clock production lines... Read more

EMF May Be Carcinogenic After All

While a number of studies in recent years have downplayed concerns about electromagnetic fields (EMF)—including a report from the American Physical Society (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 4)—a working group of experts assembled by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) concluded in... Read more

The

Rocky Mountain Institute is seeking a consultant to join its influential Green Development Services research group. The position requires extensive client interaction, management of multiple projects, and travel. Contact Jen Uncapher at 970/927-3807 or jenu@rmi.org for details.

In recognition of the large energy penalty associated with leaky ducts, the

California Energy Commission (CEC) has voted to provide a credit for high-quality ducts in the State’s residential energy code. To qualify for the credit, the home’s duct system must be certified by the installer, and the builder must have an independent party... Read more

New Staff at EBN

We are very excited to announce the recent addition of two outstanding people to our staff.

Dan Woodbury has joined us as our first full-time marketing director, and

Dwight Holmes is our new research associate. With their help we hope to continue serving you as the leading source of reliable green building... Read more

Armstrong Launches Ceiling Tile Recycling Program

Armstrong World Industries, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania has launched an innovative and much-needed program to recycle acoustic ceiling tiles.

The program will defray some of the costs of ceiling tile disposal, while helping to reduce pressure on landfills. On a large commercial building... Read more

From an environmental standpoint, the low-slope roofing on commercial and industrial buildings is a big problem. (“Low-slope” roofing is often incorrectly called

flat roofing—it nearly always has a slight pitch). For starters, there is a lot of it. No one in the industry seems to know how much low-slope roofing exists in the United... Read more

The

American Institute of Architects New York Chapter’s Committee on the Environment has organized a panel discussion at which the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will address their role in administering up to $6 million per year in grants for design professionals and building owners. Set for 8:00 a.m. on... Read more

More on Linoleum & IAQ

Dear Editor:

I read your recent article about linoleum (October 1998) and was particularly interested in the section dealing with indoor air quality, which I felt you covered well. However, I was very disappointed with your conclusion to “recommend it widely.”

You seem to be fostering an attitude that,... Read more