Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS) has expanded its product evaluation services to include commercial cleaning products and processes. “The very products and processes that are used to keep indoor environments clean may also contribute to indoor pollution,” says AQS, pointing out that the synergistic effects of mixing various cleaners can be... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its year-long pilot LEED® for Homes (LEED-H) rating system in early August 2005. During the pilot phase, regional program providers will select pilot projects and verify that they meet the rating system’s requirements. Homebuilders interested in participating in the pilot can submit an... Read more

Jessica Boehland, who has been with BuildingGreen since the fall of 2001—she joined us as an intern fresh out of Oberlin College and then moved through the ranks of associate editor and senior editor—has just been promoted to managing editor. In this role, along with continuing her research and writing for

EBN, she will manage the... Read more

Eileen Collins, commander of the August 2005 space shuttle mission, drew attention to Earth’s environment during a conversation from space with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other Japanese officials. “Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation. It’s very widespread in some parts of the... Read more

Sharper Image Corp. has paid Consumers Union (CU), publisher of Consumer Reports, $525,000 to cover attorneys fees and other costs, ending a lawsuit against the nonprofit organization. Sharper Image sued CU for product disparagement after Consumer Reports described Sharper Image’s Ionic Breeze® Quadra air cleaner as ineffective in its October... Read more

As of September 1, 2005, Green Building Services will no longer be a division of Portland General Electric (which, in turn, is owned by the bankrupt Enron 
Corporation), but will be an independent, employee-owned company. The new company will continue with its current work, including consulting on LEED projects, reviewing LEED submissions for... Read more

In an online editorial, EBN Executive Editor Alex Wilson calls the new Energy Policy Act a "colossal failure."

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King County, Washington, home to Seattle, is encouraging builders and developers to incorporate green strategies into their projects. Administered by the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services and the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the new incentives include assistance during the permit review process,... Read more

The U.S. electric power grid reached a new record for power demand during the week ending July 23, 2005, according to a press release from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, international affiliates, and industry associates worldwide. Overtaking the previous record, set in August... Read more

New labels demarcating “FSC Pure,” “FSC Mixed Sources,” and “FSC Recycled” products (see

EBN Vol. 14, No. 2) took effect for all FSC certificate holders on July 1, 2005. The labels are available in several languages to serve different markets. For more information, visit www.fsc.org or e-mail trademark@fsc.org.

“The study indicates there is no threshold for the adverse consequences of children’s exposure to lead,” says Bruce Lanphear, M.D., director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and lead author of a study on the effects of lead on children. Published in the July 2005 issue of... Read more

The U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Environmental Protection Agency have teamed up to create the Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency, an initiative aimed at cutting household energy costs by 10% over the next decade. “It seems to me that one of the greatest untapped sources of energy we have in... Read more

Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn signed a bill in June 2005 requiring all state-funded projects to achieve LEED® Certification, or equivalent, and requiring that every two years at least two public buildings whose construction will be sponsored by the State of Nevada achieve LEED Silver certification, or equivalent. The law also provides some tax... Read more

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire has signed a bill that calls for paying individuals, businesses, and local governments 15 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced by off-grid solar panels, wind turbines, and anaerobic digesters. The incentive rises to up to 54 cents per kWh if certain components are manufactured in Washington. The... Read more