On June 25, the GMAC Mortgage Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors, announced an initiative with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to provide

long-term, low-cost financing for solar energy systems. This represents an expansion of the mortgage offerings for energy-efficient housing by GMAC Mortgage. The announcement... Read more

To the best of our knowledge, this product is no longer available.

Global Green USA is producing a report which, the group claims, identifies

$1 billion in savings from energy- and resource-efficiency benefits in public and assisted housing. The recommendations resulted from an April 28 Policy Roundtable that Global Green USA hosted on Capitol Hill, and were presented to Secretary of Housing and Urban... Read more

by Alan Weisman, 1998. Chelsea Green Publishing, Inc., White River Junction, Vermont. Hardcover, 230 pages, $22.95.

As a general rule, all materials have environmental burdens, so using less of a material is always better and choosing the best material is really about choosing the lesser of evils. There are a few exceptions to this principle, however—at least in theory. For example, products made from problematic waste... Read more

Horton Lees Lighting Design, Inc. is the recipient of this year’s Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Award for Energy Efficient Lighting for Commercial Buildings, in honor of its work on the new terminal at Washington National Airport. This award is one of those included in the International Illumination... Read more

by Hanno Beck and others, June 1998. Published by Friends of the Earth, 1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20005; 202/783-7400 x 239. Booklet, 60 pages, $15 postpaid.

New York State is now among the most photovoltaic-friendly in the nation (weather notwithstanding) with passage of a bill that corrects an error in the August 1997

Solar Choice Act. That Act required utility companies to provide “net metering” to homeowners, allowing them to run their meters backwards whenever their PV systems generate... Read more

While we’re talking solar . . . the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in New York City is featuring

a special exhibit of solar designs and technologies entitled “Under the Sun: An Outdoor Exhibition of Light.” Architectural highlights include a glass pavilion made of clear and PV glass panels designed... Read more

Radon has received a great deal of attention over the past fifteen years. Most architects and builders today have at least a general understanding of the radon issue, even if they are not familiar with the details of radon control. Though radon is the most serious threat overall, there are many other soil gases that builders of environmentally... Read more

Having participated in the original “Access Flooring” article [

EBNVol. 7, No. 1, January 1998] and followed the subsequent commentaries, I found it interesting that the discussion focused on floor-to-floor heights and somewhat overlooked the impact of displacement ventilation.

From our experience, Mr.... Read more

U.S. Department of Energy, 1997. 146 pages, softcover. Single copies available free, while supplies last, by calling 800/DOE-EREC. Copies may also be purchased by calling 800/553-NTIS.

What is perhaps most surprising about

Greening Federal Facilities is the book’s readability. We had expected this... Read more

The

Kich’n Komposter, reviewed back in 1993 (EBNVol. 2, No. 3), is now available directly from the manufacturer. This device makes garbage disposals more environmentally friendly by allowing the user to divert organic solids from the drain line into a basket, which spins the water out and stores the waste for composting. Cost is about $... Read more

Arizona residents will vote on governor Jane Hull’s proposal to spend $190 million over 10 years to

preserve open space according to the May/June 1998 issue of

Common Ground. The measure would be paid for with corporate income taxes. Another ballot initiative in Arizona, this one requiring cities to adopt urban growth boundaries... Read more

sensible heat) and they remove moisture from air, reducing its

latent heat. In some cases the relative balance between these two functions is acceptable, but there are also many applications for which... Read more

The developers of STAPLES Center sports arena in Los Angeles achieved a remarkable

98% recycling rate for demolition waste when razing the existing North Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. More than 16,000 tons of waste were kept out of area landfills through the effort, which was done in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles... Read more

August 3 is the entry deadline for

Q=E: The Patagonia International Design Competition, which seeks designs (not limited to buildings) proving that quality and environmental performance are the same. Over $35,000 in cash and merchandise will be awarded. Architect William McDonough and physicist Amory Lovins are... Read more

Congratulations on an overall very good article on the current state of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) [EBN

Vol. 7, No. 5, May 1998]. Well-researched articles on building systems are few and far between. I want to add some hopefully helpful thoughts on the subject.

The basic engineering premise of SIPs... Read more

CertainTeed Corporation, one of the big-three fiberglass insulation manufacturers, has found a supplier of consistently high-quality glass cullet for its Mountaintop, Pennsylvania plant. With the EFTEK Corporation’s recycled glass, primarily from beverage containers, CertainTeed now achieves 40% post-consumer recycled content... Read more