In order to recognize the role design professionals play in determining the energy efficiency of buildings, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have begun

awarding the Energy Star

® label to commercial building designs. “A building design will be eligible for the new designation if the... Read more

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) board of directors has announced the recipients of the

2004 Medal and Firm Awards, to be presented during ASLA’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City this November. Some of the winners are listed below; more information is online at www.asla.org.

•Peter W. Walker, FASLA, received... Read more

Additional research would have revealed that the European Union disagrees with

EBN’s recommended general ban on certain brominated flame retardants (see

EBN

Vol. 13, No. 6)—which, through its generalization, could be dangerous for your readers, other builders, and their customers by reducing fire-safety protections.... Read more

On July 8, 2004 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is taking an “administrative action” against DuPont for withholding information the company had as far back as 1981 about risks from its use and disposal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA—also referred to as C8) at its Washington Works factory in Washington, West... Read more

India’s president, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center on July 14. The Center became the first Platinum-rated building under LEED

® v.2 in late 2003 (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 12). Kalam praised the Center’s achievements and laid out a goal of

reducing the average energy... Read more

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 3), touches on all aspects of green design... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will be accepting

feedback on the LEED® for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) rating system through Tuesday, July 13, 2004. The current draft includes significant modifications from the version that has been in use for the LEED-CI pilot program over the past two years. The official release is... Read more

The nonprofit Architecture for Humanity (AFH) has announced

a competition to design a soccer facility in Somkhele, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The facility, to be run by medical professionals from the Africa Center for Health and Population Studies, will serve as a gathering place for youth aged 9 to 14, including the area’s first... Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized

landmark regulations on off-road diesel fuel and the engines that burn it. Sulfur concentrations, which are currently unregulated in off-road diesel fuel, will be capped at 500 parts per million (ppm) in 2007 and 15 ppm in 2015; meanwhile, soot and smog limits will be capped... Read more

European and North American scientists and medical specialists issued a forceful warning on the threats of chemical pollution during a conference hosted in May 2004 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The

International Declaration on Diseases Due to Chemical Pollution, also called the Paris... Read more

, a green design laboratory based in Joshua Tree and Los Angeles, California, has announced a

competition to design “an environmentally sustainable camping shelter—a ‘green’ tent—for use in the Mojave Desert in and around Joshua Tree National Park.” One to five winning entries will each receive $500 and may be prototyped on... Read more

, a mechanical and electrical engineering firm with offices in Seattle, Washington; Portland and Salem, Oregon; and Sacramento, California, is in the process of

converting its entire vehicle fleet to hybrid cars. Interface is passing its fuel savings, estimated at 20 extra miles per gallon of gasoline (8.5 km/... Read more

Surprising both politicians and environmentalists, Russian President

Vladimir Putin made a strong statement in support of the Kyoto Protocol in May. The European Union (EU), which ratified the protocol in May 2002, has agreed to support Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization only if Russia ratifies the protocol. “The EU has... Read more

The nonprofit product-testing organization Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) plans to open

the nation’s first commercial wind turbine certification and test facility near Cheyenne, in rural Laramie County, Wyoming by the end of 2004. Distributed Generation Systems, Inc. will coordinate the design and construction of the facility,... Read more

Portland, Oregon’s Office of Sustainable Development has recognized ten local businesses with BEST (

Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) Awards for efficient use of resources, waste and pollution reduction, and sustainable business practices. The winners with a building-related focus are listed here; a list of all ten... Read more

A coalition of corporate and nonprofit organizations launched the

Net-Zero Energy Home Coalition in April with the goal of “accelerating the economic development and environmental benefits of available onsite green energy technologies and energy efficiency applications and devices designed for Canada’s residential building sector.” The... Read more

University Student Hydrogen Design Contest, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Hydrogen Association, ChevronTexaco, Natural Resources Canada, and Swagelok Company. The... Read more