The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a call for projects to pilot-test the LEED® for New Construction Application Guide for Retail, developed to tailor LEED credit language to retail projects and to define alternative compliance paths in some areas. The LEED for Retail Committee is seeking 25 to 50 retail projects—preferably... Read more

The U.S. joined Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea in signing the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate in July 2005, with the goal of “taking action on climate change in a broad, pro-growth context,” according to a White House fact sheet. Together, the signatory countries represent about half of the world’s... Read more

Jessica Boehland, who has been with BuildingGreen since the fall of 2001—she joined us as an intern fresh out of Oberlin College and then moved through the ranks of associate editor and senior editor—has just been promoted to managing editor. In this role, along with continuing her research and writing for

EBN, she will manage the... Read more

August 22, 2005, marks the first day of classes for the new American College of the Building Arts. In 1998 the School of Building Arts opened in Charleston, South Carolina, hoping to reverse a steady decline in the availability of craftsmanship training. Since the South Carolina commission on higher education licensed the school as a college in... Read more

The City of Bellingham, Washington, is requiring all publicly funded new and renovated buildings larger than 5,000 ft2 (470 m2) to meet LEED® Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Bellingham joins the state of Washington, which became the first state to have a legislated requirement for LEED certification, also Silver, in... Read more

In an online editorial, EBN Executive Editor Alex Wilson calls the new Energy Policy Act a "colossal failure."

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The average urban household in the U.S. uses 320 million Btus (338,000 MJ) of energy each year, compared to 440 million Btus (464,000 MJ) for the average suburban household, according to John Holtzclaw of the Sierra Club and Jennifer Henry of the U.S. Green Building Council. The pair’s findings, presented during the Congress for the New... Read more

In July 2005 New York became the latest state to develop energy efficiency standards for products not covered by federal regulations. (The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed in August, established several federal standards; see Bush Signs Energy Policy Act of 2005.) New York’s Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards Act of 2005... Read more

The protocol for testing the amount of lead that leaches into water from fixtures, valves, and other plumbing components is inadequate, according to a research team from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act, amended in 1996, bans new devices containing pure lead pipe, leaded solders, and... Read more

Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS) has expanded its product evaluation services to include commercial cleaning products and processes. “The very products and processes that are used to keep indoor environments clean may also contribute to indoor pollution,” says AQS, pointing out that the synergistic effects of mixing various cleaners can be... Read more

Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase, Inc., has committed to halting its use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in time for its 100th anniversary in 2012. The company credits its collaboration with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) for the decision. Eliminating PVC from edge banding is the first step along that path, according to a... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its year-long pilot LEED® for Homes (LEED-H) rating system in early August 2005. During the pilot phase, regional program providers will select pilot projects and verify that they meet the rating system’s requirements. Homebuilders interested in participating in the pilot can submit an... Read more

Eileen Collins, commander of the August 2005 space shuttle mission, drew attention to Earth’s environment during a conversation from space with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other Japanese officials. “Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation. It’s very widespread in some parts of the... Read more

As of September 1, 2005, Green Building Services will no longer be a division of Portland General Electric (which, in turn, is owned by the bankrupt Enron 
Corporation), but will be an independent, employee-owned company. The new company will continue with its current work, including consulting on LEED projects, reviewing LEED submissions for... Read more

The European Parliament voted in July 2005 to make permanent a temporary ban on the use of phthalates in toys. Phthalates have been linked to reproductive abnormalities in the development of boys. Three types of phthalates were banned from all toys and three others were banned from only those toys that children can put in their mouths. The... Read more

Maine Governor John Baldacci signed a bill in June 2005 establishing rebates for homeowners and business owners who install photovoltaic (PV) systems and solar thermal systems used to heat water or air. PV systems installed before 2007 qualify for a rebate of $3 per watt for the first 2,000 watts and $1 per watt for the next 1,000 watts, capped... Read more