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

The protocol for testing the amount of lead that leaches into water from fixtures, valves, and other plumbing components is inadequate, according to a research team from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act, amended in 1996, bans new devices containing pure lead pipe, leaded solders, and... Read more

green buildings, significantly more money may be spent... Read more

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

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

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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

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

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

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

Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase, Inc., has committed to halting its use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in time for its 100th anniversary in 2012. The company credits its collaboration with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) for the decision. Eliminating PVC from edge banding is the first step along that path, according to a... 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

Busby Perkins+Will Architects Co. was awarded an

Architectural Firm Award. Every principal and... Read more

The nonprofit Healthy Building Network (HBN) has released a Guide to Plastic Lumber, rating the environmental and health performance of 38 types of plastic and composite lumber from 30 companies. Fourteen products were considered “most environmentally preferable” for containing only high-density or low-density polyethylene and 50% or more post-... Read more