Ten years ago, we expressed concern over the increase in sales of unvented gas heaters (see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 3). At that time, sales totaled about 520,000 units per year. In the intervening decade, sales have risen to over one million units per year.

As the name suggests, these heaters do not require chimneys or other... Read more

Jonathan Rose Companies, LLC, has announced the formation of the Rose Smart Growth Investment Fund I, LP, the first national real estate investment fund that acquires buildings exclusively in Smart Growth locations and improves them to enhance the quality of life for tenants and the livability of the communities. The company announced its first... Read more

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) has announced plans to install a 5 MW solar photovoltaic system (the largest system in North America). NJMC plans to harness space atop roofs, parking lots, and remediated landfills to accommodate the system, which will require 1.3 million ft2, or approximately 30 acres (121,000 m2; 12 ha) of space.... Read more

Jason McLennon, founder and director of Elements, BNIM Architects’ sustainable design and consulting division, was named among

Building Design & Construction’s first annual “40 Under 40” architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and AEC business developers. The full list is at www.bdcnetwork.com/article/CA6316252.html.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) plans to air “design: e2,” a six-part television series about “the economies of being environmentally conscious,” beginning in June 2006. Narrated by Brad Pitt, the series will delve into eight topics: design, water, energy, food, textiles, transportation, botanicals, and health. More information and a... Read more

The Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) and the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) have announced a partnership designed to promote green affordable housing. The partnership will jointly advocate use of the FGBC Green Home Designation Standard and Green Development Designation Standard, advocate incentives for builders and developers... Read more

In partnership with the International Interior Design Association and The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committees on the Environment and Interior Architecture, CoreNet Global has announced the 2006 winners of the Sustainable Leadership Awards.

HOK won the category for architecture and interior architecture or interior design... Read more

Humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds the planet’s capacity by 39%, according to Redefining Progress, a nonprofit policy organization based in Oakland, California. The ecological footprint is a measure of the amount of “nature” it takes to sustain a given population over the course of a year; comparing this footprint to the same area’s... Read more

In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star® program, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Foundation has launched the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP), designed to educate BOMA members about energy conservation and reduce the industry’s annual $24 billion energy bill. BEEP has initially... Read more

Although the U.S. used slightly (0.5%) less petroleum in 2005 than it did in record-breaking 2004, the percentage of that petroleum that was imported reached a new high in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. Of the 99.84 quadrillion Btus used, a net 59.8% was imported. Of those imports, 17.0%... Read more

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 6... Read more

Thanks to a $380,000 grant from the Home Depot Foundation, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) plans to develop a Controlled Wood Global Risk Registry. This program addresses one of the more challenging aspects of FSC’s recently revised chain-of-custody labeling rules—a requirement that any noncertified wood in a labeled product be “controlled... Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered James Pflueger to pay $7.5 million for construction activities on 380 acres (150 ha) of coastal property on Kaua’i, Hawaii. Pflueger’s transgressions include cutting away a hillside to create a vertical road cut, grading a coastal plateau, creating new access roads to the coast, and... Read more

Kohler’s Steward™ and Steward S urinals are the end-... Read more

Energy and sustainability consultant CTG Energetics, Inc., has announced the opening of its northeast regional office in Providence, Rhode Island. The office is led by Stephen Turner, P.E., a consulting engineer who specializes in mechanical, electrical, and energy systems for buildings and campuses. The northeast office will focus on... Read more

Rodman Industries, manufacturer of ResinCore1™—an FSC-certified, recycled-content particleboard made with phenolic resin—has announced that it will shut its doors by the end of May 2006. Rodman has been producing particleboard since 1965. The shutdown comes on the heels of last November’s unexpected folding of Dow BioProducts, which... Read more

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed an executive order in April 2006 supporting green building. The order calls for new State facilities to be 30% more efficient than required by commercial code, and it calls for a 10% reduction of energy usage in all State buildings by fiscal year 2008 and a 20% reduction by fiscal year 2010. The order also... Read more