A recent lawsuit appears to be the first—but probably not the last—involving failed LEED certification. Shaw Development sued contractor Southern Builders for $1.3 million after the $7.5 million Captain’s Galley condominium building in Crisfield, Maryland, failed to achieve LEED Silver certification as required by the contract.

Under the Montreal Protocol, as the 1987 international treaty to protect the stratospheric ozone layer is known, signatory countries agreed to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and certain other ozone-depleting substances. In the original treaty and subsequent amendments, the cap in HCFC consumption for... Read more

A recent study published in

Chronobiology International supports the hypothesis of a link between nighttime exposure to light and breast cancer. (This hypothesis originated from studies of shift-workers, which led to the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify night-shift work as a probable human carcinogen.) Researchers... Read more

Graywater is wastewater that has been used in clothes washers, showers, bathtubs, and lavatory sinks. In some parts of the country graywater may be collected using separate drainage pipes, then filtered and temporarily stored (without treatment) before being distributed in subsurface outdoor irrigation. There are also systems that direct... Read more

I just returned from the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change conference (www.beccconference.org), so it was coincidental to see your article “Energy Dashboards, Using Real-Time Feedback to Influence Behavior” (see EBN Dec. 2008). I’m amused by yet another technological solution to conserve energy. I’m sure dashboards are an effective way to... Read more

Cross-linked polyethylene tubing, known as PEX, has become a common choice for water-supply piping in buildings, holding 40% of the nationwide market, according to one manufacturer. It has not been allowed statewide in California, however, due in part to various environmental concerns. Following the completion of an environmental impact report... Read more

LEED 2009 codifies a broadening of what had been a credit for “carpet systems” to a credit for “flooring systems.” The credit, which originally recognized the indoor air quality benefits of using Green Label-certified carpet, was broadened in October 2006 to include resilient and hard-surface flooring materials certified through the FloorScore... Read more

GreenSpec... Read more

The green building industry has lost one of its pillars. Gail Lindsey, FAIA, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, passed away quickly on February 2, 2009, after the cancer she had been fighting since March 2007 invaded her liver.

Gail was a key part of the modern green building movement from its earliest days. She was perhaps best known as... Read more

Twice each month, BuildingGreen publishes an email news bulletin with current news and product information briefs. Sign up here — it's free. We will never share or sell your email address, and you may unsubscribe at any time.

In the 27 years that I've owned my house in West Dummerston, Vermont, I've always used wood heat to some extent. But my commitment to it has ebbed and flowed. For about the first 15 years, I heated the house almost exclusively with wood. Built in 1785, the house had electric heat when I bought it... Read more

Ok, I’m biased. I have the pleasure of knowing Dan Slone personally, and I can attest that those nasty lawyer jokes don’t apply to him. I’ve also had the opportunity to appreciate his clarity of thought and sharp wit, and it’s a pleasure to report that both are evident in his new book, which he coauthored with Doris Goldstein and a team of... Read more

Of the $787 billion included in the economic stimulus package signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, just under $79 billion will go to renewable energy, energy-efficiency and green transportation projects. “The president’s recovery plan is a down payment on a clean energy transformation of our economy that will help solve... Read more