The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new draft specifications for certifying high-efficiency urinals under its WaterSense label. Launched in 2006, the WaterSense certification and labeling program designates water-efficient products that have been third-party tested to meet EPA standards (see

EBN July 2006).

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

In October 2008, its work was suspended and its members were dismissed (see

EBN Nov. 2008). Now, the committee charged with developing Standard 189, the first minimum, code-enforceable standard for green buildings, is back to work after being significantly reformed.

Whitestone Research recently released the results of a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) evaluating the cost-effectiveness of retrofitting an older building to meet the requirements of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandates that federal buildings reduce their energy consumption 30% by 2015 (... Read more

The first hospital to achieve Platinum certification in LEED for New Construction, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, succeeds both in meeting high environmental standards and in creating an environment conducive to healing. The hospital also seems to have realized measurable benefits in attracting and retaining personnel.

Imagine: on a Monday, you wake to breakfast in your energy- and water-efficient condominium. The kids head off to their neighborhood school on their bicycles, along the pathway that weaves through the park and adjoining housing clusters. Your spouse leaves for work, walking to the transit station several blocks away, and you walk to your office... Read more

In February 2009, amid a wave of executive actions establishing his administration’s priorities, President Barack Obama ordered the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to raise the federal standards for energy efficiency in a variety of appliance categories.

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

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