New federal efficiency standards for residential central air conditioners took effect in January 2006. President Clinton set the 30% jump in efficiency, from SEER 10 to SEER 13; President Bush challenged the move but was overruled by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council (see

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Conservation International (CI) and George Washington University (GWU) are collaborating in the development and implementation of the Ecotourism Learning Program, designed to “provide a set of tools, knowledge, and standards to help communities create ecotourism destinations that successfully attract tourists while protecting the natural... Read more

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is now accepting entries for its first annual Smart Environments Awards, intended to “honor the best in design solutions over the past five years, those that are environmentally and socially responsible as well as beautiful and functional.” Cosponsored by

Metropolis magazine, the... Read more

In December 2005, the governors of seven Northeast states agreed to the country’s first cap-and-trade program to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief contributor to global climate change. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, or “Reggie”) commits Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont to... Read more

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has launched a new website designed to “guide building professionals through the green building process, from putting together a business case to design, construction, and marketing.” “Increasingly,” says Rob Watson, director of NRDC’s green building programs, “building professionals are interested... Read more

The argument is really fairly simple. Fossil fuel supplies are limited. World oil production will soon peak—if it has not already—beginning an inexorable decline in output and increase in cost. The same goes for natural gas, though its transition from plenitude to shortage may be even more abrupt.

The best way to extend the availability... Read more

Most scratch-removal systems use a series of increasingly fine-grit abrasives to grind... Read more

Following nearly two years of planning and negotiations, 17 federal agencies and departments signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU) during the White House Summit on Federal Sustainable Buildings in January 2006. Titled “The Federal Leadership Memorandum of Understanding to Adopt Guiding Principles for High Performance and... Read more

A Community Approach to Independent Living—The Handbookby Charles Durrett. Published by Habitat Press, Berkeley, California; distributed by Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, California; 2005. Softcover, 249 pages, $29.95.

Sustainable Community

Learning from the Cohousing Modelby Graham Meltzer, Ph.D. Trafford Publishing,... Read more

Six former administrators of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including five Republicans, called on the Bush administration to impose limits on greenhouse gas emissions, which are contributing to global climate change. “This is a major disaster for the world,” said Russell Train, who served under Presidents Nixon and Ford from... Read more

Continuing the industry-specific discussions held during its November 2006 Greenbuild conference, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has created Member Circle listservs representing ten industry sectors: contractors and builders, product manufacturers, educators, government professionals, architects, engineers, site designers and planners... Read more

Looking back at the stories we covered in our March/April 1996 issue (Vol. 5, No. 2), we were disappointed by the slow progress, and even backsliding, in the intervening decade. Here’s where four of those stories stand today. We’ll hope for a happier update in our next Then & Now column.

Windows—Ten years ago this month,

EBN’... Read more

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design has selected six communities and two regions to receive technical assistance in 2006 under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program. The towns are New Orleans, Louisiana; Syracuse, New York; Longview, Washington; Guemes Island, Washington; Lawrence, Kansas... Read more

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) plans to air a new television series called Building Green, beginning in spring 2006. Billed as a “home improvement program about building gorgeous homes that are healthier, more energy efficient, and better for the environment,” the show’s first season documents the creation of a 4,500 ft2 (420 m2)... Read more

As early as 2007, there may be a new minimum standard for green buildings. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) announced in February 2006 that they will cosponsor the development of ASHRAE... Read more

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed an executive order in January 2006 requiring all executive branch state agencies, including the Higher Education Department, to adopt the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System. New buildings 15,000 ft2 (1,400 m2) or larger and those with over 50 kW of peak electricity demand are required to... Read more

New York City’s Skyscraper Museum will be showing the exhibit “Green Towers for New York: From Visionary to Vernacular,” featuring the city’s existing green high-rises as well as some in design and construction, through May 2006. The Museum is online at www.skyscraper.org.