I disagree with the reported remark concerning the mechanical engineering community and education in building design (“What the U.S. design profession really lacks is creative mechanical engineers!” in

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 7/8, p. 8). Yes, a mechanical engineer from one of the many... Read more

The

City of Portland, Oregon has hired two well-known experts, architect Greg Acker and green building consultant Michael O’Brien, to provide services to the design and construction community as part of its Green Building Initiative. The City’s programs are expected to become available in late fall of 2000. For details,... Read more

A well-intentioned lead-based paint disposal rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has inadvertently caused confusion and concern in the building materials recycling and salvage industries, but the situation is improving. EPA intended to facilitate lead abatement by... Read more

Builder John Abrams of Martha’s Vineyard is a storyteller. One of his favorite stories is about Gandhi:

The

Permaculture Credit Union, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, opened this summer. The Credit Union will operate on the ethics of permaculture: care of the earth, care of people, and reinvestment of surplus. Membership in this credit union will be limited to those persons who have completed a Permaculture Institute-recognized... Read more

84 Lumber has just joined the ranks of Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menard’s as the largest home improvement retailers to commit to some type of certified lumber policy (stores rank in total U.S. sales: Home Depot–#1, Lowe’s–#2, Menard’s–#3, and 84 Lumber–#6). The details and level of specificity of each store’s policy and plan vary—84... Read more

William Bobenhausen, Director of Sustainability at Steven Winter Associates (SWA) of Norwalk, Connecticut, was conferred the honor of “Fellow” by the American Institute of Architects at the May 2000 AIA Convention in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, SWA has received an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly for “exemplary efforts to... Read more

On August 1, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation merged its GreenStone cellulose insulation division with the U.S. Fiber division of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. to form U.S. GreenFiber, LLC. With the creation of this 50:50 joint venture, both U.S. Fiber and GreenStone have ceased to exist. The new company will... Read more

Just as common window screening keeps airborne pests out of buildings, Termi-Mesh keeps out subterranean termites. But that is where the analogy ends. If you are going to bury a screen underground, build walls on top of it, wrap it tightly around pipes, make it “chew-proof”... Read more

Meanwhile,

polar ice is melting. The July 21 issue of

Science reports that the massive Greenland Ice Sheet, which contains roughly 10% of all fresh water on earth, is melting at a rate of 12 cubic miles (51 km3) per year. This melting results in 0.13 mm of sea level rise worldwide annually, according to NASA researchers.

Although the number of

local green building programs is still relatively small—there are fewer than 20 nationwide—forces are growing. In June of this year, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (Greater Seattle) released their Built Green™ program. Partners for the home builder-based program include King and... Read more

Recent doctoral work in geography by Ryan Jensen at the University of Florida-Gainesville revealed that the city of Gainesville has twice the leaf coverage of the nearby city of Ocala. When Jensen then checked average utility bills from the two cities, he found that Ocala residents were paying $126 more per year than Gainesville residents.... Read more

Few efficiency standards have generated as many jokes and complaints as the 1.6 gallons per flush (6 liter) toilet requirement. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required manufacturers to reduce the quantity of water per flush to 1.6 by 1994. Some say the industry was caught off guard and was given insufficient time to... Read more

Software from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). No charge. Download from the Web at

www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/bees.html or order from the U.S. EPA’s Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse, 202/260-1023, ppic@epamail.epa.gov. Information: Barbara C. Lippiatt, 301/975-... Read more

Interface flooring has obtained sole licensing rights to make flooring products with NatureWorks™, the new corn-based polylactide (PLA) polymer. Jointly developed by The Dow Chemical Company and Cargill Inc., NatureWorks is made using 30% to 40% less fossil fuel than the amount required for conventional... Read more

Ocean

surface waters near the equator are warming at an “alarming” rate, according to analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released on July 28. Between 1984 and 1996, water temperatures have risen approximately 0.1°F (0.056°C) per year, which the researchers say is far more than can be explained by... Read more