BuildingGreen Report

News Analysis

May 1, 2003
One of the ironies in the area of low-emitting materials is that nearly all the regulatory forces driving paint manufacturers towards low-VOC (volatile organic compound) formulations have been driven by concerns about smog in

outdoor air, while most consumer interest in these products has come from those looking to improve

indoor air... Read more

Feature

May 1, 2003
Before Suzanne Barnes paid them a visit, Florida Hospital in Orlando accepted conventional wisdom when it came to flooring. The hospital sought out the cheapest products to satisfy its needs because the bottom line, after all, is the bottom line. Vinyl composition tile (VCT) was the cheapest hard flooring choice, ranging between $1.20 and $1.50/... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2003
AIA also recently announced members of this year’s College of Fellows. One of the highest honors AIA bestows upon its members, fellowship is reserved for “architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society.” Selected by a jury of their peers, several new Fellows are champions of sustainable design:

... Read more

Op-Ed

May 1, 2003
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News Brief

May 1, 2003

Canadian forest-products giant Tembec has completed FSC certification of its 5-million-acre (2 million ha) Gordon Cosens Boreal Forest in northeastern Ontario. This forest, certified by SmartWood, is now the largest North American forest operation to carry FSC certification. By 2005, Tembec intends to certify all 32 million acres (13 million ha... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2003

The International Hotels Environment Initiative and Oceans Blue recently honored Meeting Strategies Worldwide with the first

Environmentally Responsible Meetings Award for its work on the 2002 Forest Leadership Forum. This event, showcasing ecological forest management certification programs, was held in April 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia.... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2003

A chemical used in food packaging and other plastics causes miscarriages and birth defects in laboratory mice, geneticists at Case Western Reserve University have found. Bisphenol A, used to manufacture the hard, clear plastic polycarbonate and a sealant to prevent cavities in teeth, mimics the hormone estrogen, according to the researchers,... Read more

News Analysis

May 1, 2003
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to launch an Indoor Air Quality label for homes, according to Sam Rashkin, director of the Energy Star™ Homes Program at EPA. The draft guidelines of the voluntary program are undergoing review this spring, and Rashkin hopes to roll out a pilot by late fall or winter—though he told

EBN that... Read more

Feature

April 1, 2003
Among green building issues, forest certification is one of the most complex, the most controversial, and the most exciting. It is

complex because multiple forest certification programs exist, with similarities and differences; almost as quickly as architects and specifiers can get a handle on the features of these programs, they change. It is... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003

The federal Energy Star

® program is promoting the use of

energy-efficient, low-voltage transformers in new construction and renovations. Low-voltage transformers, which convert the electricity supplied by a utility or larger transformer to the voltage needed by lights, appliances, and equipment, continuously drain energy, even... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2003
It might not seem that managing subscriptions for a monthly newsletter would be all that complicated, but, as with so many things, the devil is in the details. That’s why we’ve been so lucky to have Charlotte Snyder as our circulation manager for the past half-decade. As some of you no-doubt have learned firsthand, she is a master at figuring out... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003

Following five years of litigation, Arizona courts have upheld residents’

right to install solar water heaters and photovoltaic panels. When residents of an Avondale, Arizona master-planned community installed solar panels to heat their swimming pools, Garden Lakes Community Association retaliated by filing a lawsuit requiring removal... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2003

BP Solar is directing a new marketing campaign toward California homeowners. To encourage demand for residential photovoltaic systems, BP Solar offers financing options; access to California Energy Commission rebates; a full planning, installation, and commissioning service; and an indoor display screen allowing customers to monitor energy... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003
Architecture for Humanity

is seeking volunteers and donations as they prepare for a

Middle East refugee crisis stemming from the war in Iraq. Iran, bordering both Iraq and Afghanistan—and already estimated to house more refugees than any other country—is bracing for the possible influx of over one million additional Iraqis in coming... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003

The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will offer a course in

International Sustainable Building and Urban Design this September. The course, intended for mid-career professionals, will include expert workshops, excursions in Germany and Belgium, and participation in the... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2003
BuildingGreen has updated our

Environmental Building News

Archives. This seventh-edition CD-ROM includes more than ten years of EBN—from the first issue in mid-1992 through the end of 2002. Packed with more than 1,500 pages of green building information, the

Archives are fully searchable and provide instant access to every... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2003

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has announced its annual accolades for green power programs. Over 300 energy utilities in 32 states now sponsor green power programs, through which consumers opt to pay a premium price for electricity to support renewable energy. Relying on statistics provided by the utilities, NREL has developed... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003

Robert Fox has left his position as senior principal with Fox & Fowle Architects to open a new firm:

Robert Fox Architect. At his new firm, Fox intends to focus on “environmentally responsible, high-performance buildings for a select group of clients in New York City.” “So far, the response has been terrific,” Fox reports, “and it... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2003

I was just looking at the February issue of

Environmental Building News (

Vol. 12, No. 2) and couldn’t help but notice the article about paints made from vegetable oil (“American Pride – Paint Made from Vegetable Oil”). I have to say that someone appears to have pulled the wool over someone’s eyes. Making paints from vegetable... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2003

The Bush Administration has rolled out the Integrated Sequestration and Hydrogen Research Initiative, a $1 billion partnership between government and industry to design, build, and operate a coal-fired electricity and hydrogen production plant. The 275-megawatt prototype plant, known as FutureGen, will rely on coal gasification to produce... Read more