An excellent workshop entitled “Sustainable Design Solutions” was given by engineer Marc Rosenbaum at the American Solar Energy Society conference and several other locations. Four- or six-hour versions of his workshop can be arranged for interested groups across the country. Contact him at Energysmiths, PO Box 194, Meriden, NH 03770; 603/469-... Read more

Two bills in Congress, one in each chamber, would promote resource efficiency in building construction. The Federal Resource Efficient Building Materials Act of 1993 (S. 817), was introduced by Senator John Glenn of Ohio, and the Federal Environmentally Efficient Building Materials Act of 1993 (H.R. 1819), was introduced in the House by... Read more

Foam-Tech, Inc. of North Thetford, VT, this past April became the first company to offer a urethane spray or injection foam with zero ozone-depletion potential. Super Green™ is produced with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) 134a, which contains no chlorine and thus does not damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer. In 1991,... Read more

Amory Lovins, the visionary “energy guru” and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, is among the recipients of this year’s MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.” Lovins is quoted saying he will use the $280,000 award to further RMI’s work.

The first issue of

EnvironmentalBuilding News was mailed out one year ago to a few hundred subscribers. Six issues later, we have a respectable circulation of well over 1,000. Judging from feedback received, we’re succeeding in what we set out to do: provide useful, unbiased information on how to make buildings... Read more

Assiniboine Community College has a new year-long vocational training program called “Sustainable Shelter Technology,” which will address all aspects of energy, and resource-efficiency, and health in housing. Contact: Mark Burch or the Admissions Office, Assiniboine Community College, 1430 Victoria Ave. East, Brandon, Manitoba R7A 2A9; 204/726-... Read more

Dear Mr. MacArthur,

I thought your article in EBN (Vol. 2, No. 3) on “Water-based Poly­urethanes” was useful and timely. We now routinely recommend a water-based finish for health reasons, especially if it is applied in cold weather when adequate ventilation is difficult. Did you try a product called “... Read more

The First North American Conference on Trade in Sustainable Forest Products took place this past May in Washington, D.C. Organized on very short notice by The Forest Partnership of Burlington, Vermont, the conference drew a highly select group of experts in ecologically sound forest practices,... Read more

David W. Bearg. Lewis Publishers, 1992. C/O CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL 33431; 407/994-0555. 220 pages, hardcover; $59.95.

David Bearg’s new book is a terrific overview of a very complicated subject. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems for commercial buildings have become increasingly... Read more

A couple of fiber-reinforced cementitious siding products have been getting a lot of attention in the sustainable building community recently. These products have some advantages, especially when they are used to replace top-quality wood products that come from old-growth forests. They also provide excellent fire ratings and... Read more

The American Solar Energy Society’s Board of Directors formally created a new Sustainability Division at its January 1993 meeting. While creating the new division, the board recognized that sustainability is an interdisciplinary issue that spans other division areas within ASES. Those interested in learning more about the new division should... Read more

Fact: More than 130 sawmills and plywood mills have... Read more

Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwestby Elliot Norse, The Wilderness Society, 1990, 328 pages. ($19.95 pb.; Island Press, P.O. Box 7, Covelo, CA 95428; 707/983-6432).

This well-written book provides a comprehensive overview of the ecology of Pacific Northwest forests.... Read more

FiberBond, made by Louisiana Pacific Corp., and a similar but now discontinued product, Gypsonite, (which was made by Highland American Corporation), have received a lot of attention among green builders because of their use of recycled cellulose fiber. They have been widely used in environmental demonstration homes,... Read more

The National Materials Exchange Network

Since its launching last fall, the National Materials Exchange Network has made it a lot easier for companies to find the resources they need in someone else’s waste. Here’s how it works: companies with unwanted by-products, overstock, or discards list their material with a... Read more