Panasonic has introduced what may be the first vacuum-panel-insulated refrigerator in the world. The 17.7 ft3 (501 l) NR-F503TE refrigerator-freezer, introduced in late 2008 in Japan, is insulated with Panasonic’s U-VacuaIV vacuum panels that consist of multiple layers of glass fibers and aluminum films sealed into a vacuum panel. The... Read more

In signing a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), real estate development firm Cushman & Wakefield has pledged to cut energy use in its U.S. buildings by 30% by 2012. The commercial real estate services firm holds more than 3,200 properties in the U.S. that amount to over 265 million square feet.

Since

EBN reviewed micronized copper as an environmentally preferable alternative to soluble copper formulas in treated wood (see

EBN Vol. 17, No. 2), those products have won over most of the U.S. market. According to Richard Kleiner, director for treated wood markets at the Southern Forest Products Association, most major wood... Read more

Responding to growing international requirements for suppliers to document that their wood comes from legal sources, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) released a report claiming to validate the legality of North American hardwood sources as a whole. While a trade association promoting hardwood exports might not be the most objective... Read more

The “Eco-Labeling Act of 2008” is far from becoming the law of the land, but U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is crafting federal legislation under that name to rein in the confusing proliferation of environmental product labels.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has proposed six addenda to Standard 90.1-2007 that would expand its scope and change how lighting efficiencies are calculated.

GE Consumer and Industrial is seeking approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the hydrocarbon isobutane in household refrigerators, according to a recent report in

Appliance magazine. Isobutane is neither an ozone-depleting compound nor a greenhouse gas, which sets it apart from the HCFCs and HFCs used in... Read more

Eli Zabar’s bakery and market on East 91st Street in Manhattan seems like a classic New York market. On my half-dozen visits over as many years, I’ve reveled in the gorgeously displayed vegetables and fruits, the vast array of cheeses, and the wide assortment of breads and pastries baked next door. But Zabar’s market, the Vinegar Factory (... Read more

To achieve the rating, Gottfried renovated a... Read more

When NTI founder Kevin Dennison visited western Canada in 1999, he found slab-on-grade houses with air conditioning and heat-recovery ventilation for the summer as well as radiant floor heating for the winter. Looking at all of the separate equipment and the space it required, Dennison wondered, “Why couldn’t we develop a unit that did... Read more

Long before the invention of portland cement, the Romans created impressive concrete structures using lime and a volcanic ash (with properties that were first discovered in Pozzuoli, Italy) that reacted with the lime and hardened the concrete. Coal fly ash, which is the particulate matter collected by pollution-control equipment from... Read more

A recent review in Environmental Health Perspectives of 41 scientific papers found sparse but suggestive evidence for a connection between phthalate exposure and asthma and allergies. The reviewers examined evidence that phthalates, commonly used as plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, increase the risk of asthma and allergies and... Read more

Cyclists were already in line before... Read more

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Let... Read more

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Let... Read more

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