In a case that has baffled his family, friends, colleagues, and the police, Gregory Franta, FAIA, has mysteriously disappeared. He was last seen having dinner with his daughter on Sunday, February 8, in Denver; and was captured on a surveillance camera leaving a club several hours later. He was driving a 2006 white Honda Civic Hybrid, four-door... Read more

Despite the economic downturn and the trend toward smaller crowds at building trade shows, Efficiency Vermont's 2009 Better Buildings by Design Conference was a great success and actually increased attendance this year. The enthusiastic response is a tribute to the sustainable building community at large and to Efficiency Vermont, which put on... Read more

Last week we reviewed the history of wind energy, including its use for pumping water and generating power. This week we'll take at look at the state of the art with wind power and what's ahead.

The growth of wind power over the past decade has been nothing short of spectacular. In ten years, from... Read more

Over the past few... Read more

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Last week I described why some environmentalists have shifted their position and now support nuclear power, and I described how we might be able to store nuclear waste more safely and cheaply than in the Yucca Mountain facility. So what's wrong with nuclear power? Why not move full-steam-ahead with this much more climate-friendly power... Read more

There are a lot of problems with our existing food production system. Consider: the average mouthful of food has traveled 1,500 miles before reaching our plate, losing nutrition and flavor while consuming an incredible amount of energy. Agribusiness has created vast monocultures of grains, corn, and soybeans that, directly or indirectly deliver... Read more

Recent research published in the journal

Psychological Science gives a boost to the

biophilia hypothesis, which suggests that humans have an innate affinity for nature and that we benefit from exposure to nature—even through images (see

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 7).

Subjects in a University of Michigan study were... Read more

GE Consumer and Industrial is seeking approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the hydrocarbon isobutane in household refrigerators, according to a recent report in

Appliance magazine. Isobutane is neither an ozone-depleting compound nor a greenhouse gas, which sets it apart from the HCFCs and HFCs used in... Read more

Can the presence of porches and stoops affect people’s health? Numerous designers, researchers, and authors have explored the connection; Jane Jacobs famously wrote about the benefits of “eyes on the street” and the architectural features that support them. A team led by Scott Brown of the Miami Miller School of Medicine recently published... Read more

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 12) was recently chosen to provide heating and cooling at 2,000 housing units at Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. About 600 units are in operation now, with new homes being completed at a rate of 40 each month.

Jack Gafford,... Read more

The potential environmental benefits of nanomaterials may be significantly offset by the intensive demands of their manufacturing processes, according to research recently published in the

Journal of Industrial Ecology.

EBN

Vol. 17, No. 3) for... Read more

In a recent ruling, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) updated the energy code used by states in crafting their own codes for commercial buildings. All states now must have codes equal to or more stringent than ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 or apply for an exemption; the previous requirement referenced the 1999 version of the standard. The... Read more

Icynene, maker of the widely used and first open-cell polyurethane spray foam insulation of the same name, has launched a new product with some rapidly renewable content. Icynene LD-R-50 is formulated with a polyol derived from the castor plant—a shrub with two annual growing cycles that thrives on marginal land.

Officials in Portland, Oregon, have proposed a far-reaching green building program that would be the first of its kind in the country.

In signing a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), real estate development firm Cushman & Wakefield has pledged to cut energy use in its U.S. buildings by 30% by 2012. The commercial real estate services firm holds more than 3,200 properties in the U.S. that amount to over 265 million square feet.