A new

Gallup poll on the environment shows continued broad support for the goals of the environmental movement—but not as a top priority. Of the 1,004 adults polled during April 3-9, 83% agree with the goals of the environmental movement, including 43% who “strongly agree.” Among those surveyed, 55% describe current environmental... Read more

The executive committee of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has selected its ten recognized projects for Earth Day 2000. More details and contact information are available from Mike Janes of The AIA press office at 202/626-7467 or mjanes@aia.org.

Washington state is following the lead of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and others in moving toward

certification of state-owned forestland. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced in late March that it would like to have up to 1.1 million acres (445,000 ha) of state land certified under the Forest Stewardship Council... Read more

1999 energy consumption in the United States increased 1.6% over 1998, according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA). Total consumption was 92.72 quads (97.9 x 1018 J). At the same time, domestic energy production dropped 0.86% and net imports increased 2.59%. Dependence on petroleum... Read more

At its March 30 Federal Government Summit, the U.S. Green Building Council presented the first twelve buildings to receive LEED™ certification (see descriptions, starting at right). These buildings are certified under the standards of the pilot program—also known as LEED 1.0—so no actual scores or levels (such... Read more

On April 4, 2000 the San Jose, California City Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at

promoting green building practices in the city. With an estimated $1.4 billion in total value of building permits issued during fiscal year 1997/98, this new program could affect a lot of construction. The recommendations approved by the... Read more

I always read

EBN all the way through, but I look for the best parts and go to them first. After leafing through the whole magazine, I started on the “Structure as Finish” article (

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 3), thinking at first—“not so interesting.” By the time I was into the third... Read more

In an ironic example of a great idea that is struggling commercially, Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Company has created a new carpet backing but is having trouble selling it. Amoco’s AdBac® Composite Backing System has a host of advantages: it is lighter weight, easier to install, and free of the odor (... Read more

In December 1998, Hurd MillWORK agreed to a $5.3 million class-action settlement relating to claims about R-value in gas-fill windows that were shipped with breather tubes installed. Andersen Windows devotes a full page in this year’s residential product catalog to “High Altitude Glass Considerations.” The window industry is struggling with the... Read more

Liverpool High School, near Syracuse, New York, has become the first high school to install a fuel cell. The school’s ONSI PC25 fuel cell will be used both as a power source and a teaching tool. Funding was provided, in part, from the state of New York and the U.S. Department of Defense.

by J. David Odom and George DuBose of CH2M-HILL, in cooperation with Disney Development Company. Available from CH2M-HILL, 225 E. Robinson St., Ste. 505, Orlando, FL 32801; 407/423-0030, 407/839-5901 (fax), jodom@ch2m.com (e-mail). Spiral-bound, 100 pages, $70.

Vermiculite has been widely used as an insulation material, a lightweight aggregate in concrete and plaster, a soil conditioner, and a carrier for fertilizers and other chemicals. It is used in an expanded or

exfoliated form—the raw micaceous vermiculite flakes are rapidly heated, thus vaporizing water between the mica layers and... Read more

Collins Products LLC, a division of The Collins Companies, has developed a new line of concrete forming panels that will be available with FSC-certified wood. (A seasonal scarcity of certified logs has limited current production to non-certified product.) The line includes four products: ValuForm, Apex, Apex II, and Apex III. All of the forming... Read more

Despite the

cooling expected from the weather phenomenon La Niña, 1999 was still the fifth hottest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In related news, NOAA scientists suggest in an article in the March 1 issue of

Geophysical Research Letters that the string of record... Read more

A “Sun Wall” national design competition has been announced for an aesthetic and practical solar energy system for the huge South wall of the Department of Energy’s Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. DOE estimates that the roughly 28,000 ft2 (2,600 m2) can generate as much as 200 peak kilowatts of electricity. The competition is cosponsored... Read more

Heliotrope General, Inc., a 25-year-old manufacturer of solar water heating components (see

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 7/8), suffered a devastating fire at its Spring Valley, California facility on January 11. As a result of the fire, company founder and president, Sam Dawson, has decided to retire from the solar industry, and he has sold... Read more

On March 8, 2000 Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell (BNIM) Architects of Kansas City created a new division focusing exclusively on green design and consulting. The new “Elements” division will be directed by Jason F. McLennan, who is currently project manager on several green demonstration projects. Elements offers services in programming... Read more

Roger Babb and his company, Babb International, have been awarded the Spirit of Georgia Award from the State Chamber of Commerce. The honor is given to a Georgia business person who has demonstrated superior ability and courage in the development of an idea into a successful business. Babb International is the only domestic producer of... Read more

The San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network (RAN), whose activist tactics are scorned by some in the environmental community but who played a pivotal role in convincing Home Depot to embrace forest certification, has launched a campaign against the home building industry’s use of lumber. RAN argues that home builders use 72% of the nation... Read more