The Prairie Crossing project, described below, was well underway as a leading-edge development before the Building Science Consortium was formed to redirect some of its strategies. The other two projects profiled below are unrelated to... Read more

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has come under fire for its Sustainable Forestry Initiative because it does not include independent certification of forestry practices (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 3). The association’s just-issued first annual progress report on the Initiative, however, illustrates the delicate... Read more

by The Results Center, IRT Environment, Inc. Paperback, 28 pages, $75.

One recent report in IRT... Read more

Whirlpool Corporation has suspended nationwide sales of its super-efficient “Energy-Wise” refrigerators, according to the 23 August issue of Global Environmental Change Report. This refrigerator was introduced in 1995 and is virtually identical to the “golden carrot” refrigerator developed through the utility-funded Super Efficient Refrigerator... Read more

The search is on for an American home. The goal is a home with the look and feel of a traditional suburban house, which the buying public demands, yet one that is at least twice as efficient in its use of energy and other resources. And, it must cost no more than the competition—less, if possible.

by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers. Dutton, 1996. Hardcover, 306 pages, $24.95.

EBN mailbox. The basic thesis of

Our Stolen... Read more

Owens Corning announced on August 11 that its Fiberglas® insulation has been certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as having at least 30% recycled glass content. Tim Grether, Manager of Building Materials Technical Services at the company, gave

EBN a more detailed breakdown of the recycled content: 26% is post-industrial... Read more

A new report by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy quantifies the potential for energy savings in residential lighting. By replacing those incandescent lights that are used four hours per day or more with compact fluorescent lights, total annual savings in the U.S. would be 31.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh),... Read more

by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Produced by the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) and View By View, Inc., San Francisco. Available from the AIA for $24.95 ($17.45 to members) plus $5 S&... Read more

The environmental labeling organization Green Seal is calling for comments on its proposed standards for environmentally preferable chillers. Among the criteria in the standard are choice of refrigerant, measures to limit refrigerant releases, and energy efficiency. Copies are available by calling Green Seal at 202/331-7337; the deadline for... Read more

We’ve generally argued that for a good green design, it is necessary to get the environmental agenda on the table as early as possible in the design process. Every decision that is made along the way represents a commitment to a particular path and the closing out of other options. If too many decisions are made before bringing an environmental... Read more

Redwood lumber that has been independently certified as coming from “well-managed” forests is now available. The family-owned Big Creek Lumber Company in Davenport, California, which completed certification of its forestry operations this past April (see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 4), has now completed “chain-of-custody” certification of... Read more

Interior Concerns Environmental Resources, Inc., 131 W. Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley, California 94941; 415/389-8049, vschomer@interiorconcerns.org (e-mail). 40 pages, paperback, $10 postpaid.

by Alex Wilson and John Morrill. ACEEE, Washington, DC, 1996. Paperback, 267 pages. $7.95 in stores ($11.95 postpaid from ACEEE, 2140 Shattuck Avenue, #202, Berkeley, CA 94704; 510/549-9914).

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings,... Read more

The article on the Sustainable Technology Center (Vol. 5, No. 5) missed the true performance of this market-rate commercial complex in its first year. The two buildings at the Center saved 82% on utility costs for water, sewage, electricity, and heating compared to the performance of the Center if built conventionally in Friday Harbor. Using... Read more

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) doesn’t write building codes, but some of the group’s standards carry as much weight as codes. That is the case with ASHRAE Standard 62 on ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. This standard is recognized in legal circles as the “standard-of-care”... Read more

Willamette Industries has discontinued the use of “urban wood waste” at its Eugene, Oregon medium-density fiberboard (MDF) plant. The company had pioneered the use of recycled wood from municipal solid waste collection sites starting in 1993 (see EBN Vol. 5, No. 2), when wood fiber prices were extremely high. Urban wood use at the plant peaked... Read more

An adobe house under construction in a Lakota Sioux community in South Dakota, with assistance from the Yestermorrow Design-Build School. Material for these adobe... Read more

The Austin, Texas, 5th Annual Green Builder Conference will host the award ceremony of the Green Built Birdhouse Competition. The grand prize is two round-trip airline tickets to Europe. The contest is sponsored by the Conference, Austin’s AIA chapter, and Dynamic Reprographics. Conference attendance is required for entry into the contest (see... Read more