UL Environment, which purchased Greenguard in 2011, changed the program’s name to Greenguard... Read more

Driven... Read more

Not so, according to reporter Mario Moretto at the Bangor Daily News. Although danger is part of the job, firefighters didn’t sign up for the long-term risks associated... Read more

A new database of commercial cleaning products, Transpare.com, could help cleaning-service contractors and facility managers make more sustainable and healthier choices.

Launched by ISSA, an international trade association of cleaning professionals and... Read more

Huddled together in the wooded “islands” of New York City parks, urban white-footed mice have begun to differentiate genetically from... Read more

The ribbon is cut, the plaque is mounted, and the design awards have already started piling up. Punch it in!

Meanwhile, some occupants are shivering in multiple sweaters, others are blocking glare with umbrellas, and not even the facility manager can figure out how to turn off the lights in the third-floor men’s room. How will... Read more

A building standard emphasizing daylighting and natural ventilation promotes net-zero-energy homes peppered with lots of operable windows and skylights—but is it more than a publicity stunt by skylight manufacturers?

The Active House standard was developed by an alliance of mostly European manufacturers, designers, and nonprofits led by... Read more

As EBN reported in January 2013 (Getting Flame Retardants Out of Foam Insulation), a group of environmentally concerned and health-conscious architects, builders, chemists, and others (including BuildingGreen, Inc.) has been working to... Read more

What should the state of green building be ten years from now?

Whether your vision is for net-zero-energy buildings, communities that are integrated with their natural environments, or healthy living and working environments for everyone, there are some basic skills the industry has to master for that kind of goal to be... Read more

Who wouldn’t want “an endless supply of hot water” that “revolutionizes efficiency and convenience”? Why settle for less than “40% savings on utility costs”? And “a continuous supply of hot water from an energy-efficient and space-saving product” does sound pretty irresistible.

But do these claims, all found on websites advertising... Read more

A couple of years ago, a shower pipe connection came apart on the third floor of our neighbor’s house just after he’d stepped out for a walk. By the time he returned, water had coursed its way down to the first floor, ruining the ceilings, the hardwood floors, and many of his personal belongings.

Problems like this can be avoided using... Read more

I’ve long... Read more

The Living... Read more

Readers of this Energy Solutions blog may be aware that I’ve... Read more

We’ve been keeping an eye on the sweeping Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (PDF), introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D–NH) and Rob Portman (R–Ohio).

The common-sense bill, likely to come... Read more

Turning waste into a unique architectural product, Coldspring and Jason F. McLennan have teamed up on a new dimensional stone product.

As the founder and CEO of the International Living Future Institute and its influential Living Building Challenge, Declare product database, and Living Future unConference, Jason F. McLennan has been busy... Read more

Wait a second. Spring has barely sprung, and you’re saying we need to start thinking about energy audits already? What’s up with that... Read more

It’s been a long and confusing year for people who track federal green building policies.

Between the military’s LEED... Read more

The New Orleans Bioinnovation Center (NOBIC) was a long time coming. From the moment the project began the planning phase in 2002, it was plagued by rising construction costs and fund-raising complexities. The owners had reclaimed a brownfield site in the burgeoning biotechnology district across from Tulane University Medical School on historic... Read more