Five reports from the Portland Cement Association, 5420 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077; 847-966-6200, 847-966-9781 (fax). Available at no charge for one year by contacting Natalie Holz at PCA.

by Margaret Suozzo and others, 1997. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in cooperation with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Paperback, approximately 200 pages, $25 plus shipping. Order from ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036; 202/429-0063, www.aceee.org... Read more

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

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have jointly released an

update on the status of ozone depletion, confirming the effectiveness of international measures to restrict the use of ozone-depleting substances. The new report, “Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion... Read more

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

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.

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.

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

The Last Straw, a quarterly newsletter about strawbale building, has been transferred from its founders, Matts Myhrman and Judy Knox, to Network Productions, Inc. in Kingston, New Mexico, a nonprofit organization devoted to sustainability education. The publication will be maintained on a quarterly basis through the leadership of NPI co-founder... Read more

This year’s American Solar Energy

Society (ASES) Passive Pioneer

Award is being presented to Susan

Yanda and her late husband, Bill

Yanda, whose efforts to promote

passive solar design spanned three

decades. During the 1970s the Yandas

began their community-based workshops... 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

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 federal government has had mixed success promoting energy conservation and renewables since the early 1970s. Some efforts have been great, such as appliance efficiency standards and EnergyGuide labels. Others have been less effective or even counter-productive. President Carter’s appeal to the American public to conserve energy by turning... 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

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

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

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