The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of its 11th annual EnergyValue Housing Awards at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida, in January 2005. Funded through DOE’s Building America Program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with support from several private sponsors, including BuildingGreen, Inc.,... Read more

Electric-ignition, gas-fired demand, or tankless, water heaters were well represented at the 2005 International Builders’ Show in Orlando. The leading Japanese manufacturers, Rinnai Corporation, Takagi Industrial Company, Ltd., and Noritz Corporation, had active booths at the huge trade show, and Rheem

® USA rolled out its new Pronto™... Read more

When Ed Ehlen paid $19,000 to purchase and install artificial turf at his new home in Florida’s upscale Marco Island community, he thought he was doing an environmental service. “We have such a water problem in Southwest Florida,” Ehlen told the

News-Press. And with artificial turf, he said, “you don’t have to water. You don’t have to... Read more

® USA acquired the Australian company Solahart Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of solar water-heating systems. Solahart began manufacturing solar water heaters in 1953 and operates in more than 70 countries worldwide; the product has been available in the U.S. since 1978. The best-known Solarhart systems are... Read more

BuildingGreen, Inc. is excited to announce that we’re partnering with the

Boston Architectural Center (BAC) in the online delivery of its Sustainable Design Certificate Program. BAC has a long history as a leading provider of architectural-degree and continuing-education programs. Like BAC’s onsite program, all of its online courses are... Read more

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, the sole manufacturer of the two forms of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants that are considered most toxic—penta-BDE and octa-BDE—ceased production of those chemicals at the end of 2004. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Great Lakes Chemical announced the voluntary phaseout of... Read more

2004 Nathaniel A. Owings Award by The American Institute of Architects’ California Council. Named for the late Nathaniel A. Owings, FAIA, of Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the award recognizes “individuals or groups who have demonstrated... Read more

Following a “tough underwriting reception,” the environmental home-improvement television series

Build It Green! (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 12) is once again on track after the nonprofit GreenBlue (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 6) agreed to sign on as fiscal sponsor. The series, to be broadcast nationally on PBS, will... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council has announced the results of the election for its 2005 board of directors. The new members are

Charles Angyal, FAIA, chief architect of Sempra Energy Utilities;

Dan Burgoyne, sustainability manager at the California Department of General Services;

Tim Cole, director of support services at... Read more

® in 1969 and since then has developed a wide range of wall, corner, and door guards. In 2002, one of Acrovyn’s biggest customers—Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest health maintenance organization—announced that it would begin requiring... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) has released a public comment draft of its long-awaited report on polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Commissioned to determine “the availability and quality of the evidence as a basis for a reasoned decision about the inclusion of a PVC-related credit in the LEED Rating... Read more

Pennsylvania became the 16th state to pass a renewable portfolio standard in November 2004, requiring that 18% of the state’s energy come from alternative sources by 2020. More notably, this is the first statewide renewable-energy standard to include a fossil fuel component. The bill defines Tier 1 energy sources as solar, wind, low-impact... Read more

When deciding where to live, Americans’ top priority is being within a 45-minute commute to work, according to the 2004 American Community Survey, sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart Growth America. A short commute is “very” or “somewhat” important to 79% of respondents. The second most important factor, at 75%, was “... Read more

Revere Copper Products, Inc. ceased production of lead-coated copper roofing at the end of September 2004, according to Anne Schade of Revere.

EBN believes that Revere was the last producer of lead-coated, or terne-coated, copper roofing. Terne is an alloy of 70% lead and 30% tin that produces an attractive, gray roofing surface. Revere... Read more

In the wake of the U.S. Green Building Council’s April 2004 decision not to allow trade associations to become full members (see EBN

Vol. 13, No. 6), the snubbed organizations have banded together to create “The North American Coalition on Green Building.” This group, which at last count had 34 members but no single point of contact,... Read more

Global chiller manufacturer York International stopped offering new chillers using the ozone-depleting refrigerant HCFC-123 beginning November 15, 2004. While touting the quality of its HCFC-123 chiller line, York cited the mandated global phaseout of HCFC refrigerants by the year 2020—well within the operating life of new chillers—as the... Read more

During the international climate change conference in Buenos Aires in December 2004, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), representing the 155,000 Inuit, or Eskimo, peoples, announced plans to demand a ruling from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that by contributing to global climate change, the U.S. is threatening Inuit... Read more

Aluminum and packaging manufacturer Alcan, Inc. and the International Business Leaders Forum have awarded their first-ever

Alcan Prize for Sustainability to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Alcan created the $1 million prize “to recognize outstanding contributions to the goal of economic, environmental, and social sustainability by... Read more

A new website is focusing on the market for buying and selling homes that were built or remodeled to be green or healthy. “Although some real estate professionals may be familiar with the concept of green and healthy homes, many are not knowledgeable about the inherent extra value of a specialty home,” according to Roy Prince of Green and... Read more