by Tom Bender, 2000. Fire River Press, Manzanita, Oregon. Paperback, 123 oversized pages, $27.

The book is a richly illustrated primer into the spirit of place, and the place of spirit, in buildings. (Bender’s... Read more

Although they represent just 1% of U.S. land cover (an area the size of South Carolina), roads and highways directly affect the ecology of nearly 20% of U.S. land. That is the key finding of research by Richard Foreman at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, reported in the February issue of the journal

Conservation Biology. Foreman... Read more

We’re very excited to announce that Peter Yost of the NAHB Research Center will be joining our staff as research director and senior editor of

Environmental Building News. In addition to contributing to

EBN’s content, Peter will share responsibility for many of our research, writing, and consulting services. A former high-school... Read more

Seattle-based Sellen Construction Co. has been honored as 1999 Contractor of the Year by the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). Sellen was lauded for its use of best management practices and state-of-the-art technologies to control erosion and prevent sediment runoff in challenging and sensitive situations. Specific practices... Read more

The Loudoun County, Virginia Board of Supervisors is serious about stemming sprawl. They have set up a $1 million legal defense fund to protect the county against court challenges by home builders, according to an article in the January 5

Washington Post. Loudoun County is the third fastest growing county in the nation, and it gained... Read more

Thank you for your article on building commissioning in

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 2 [February 2000]. This important aspect of the building process is indeed gaining focus throughout the design and construction communities as buildings and their supporting systems become ever more complex and interrelated. As you point out, building codes... Read more

A call-for-entries has gone out for the 2000 Aurora Awards competition for residential design and construction (both single- and multifamily) from the Southeast Building Conference. Projects located within the 11 southeastern states are eligible for the Awards, which cover a whopping 75 categories, including water conservation, energy... Read more

Steelcase, the office furniture manufacturer, is set to break ground on a new wood furniture plant in Gaines Township, Michigan. The new facility, designed by William McDonough + Partners, will be the first manufacturing building of its size rated by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. Projected emissions reductions of 70% as... Read more

by Theodore Osmundson, FASLA, 1999. W. W. Norton & Co., New York. Hardcover, 318 pages, $75.

Roof Gardens is a valuable resource for anyone involved with the creation of green spaces on top of buildings or above underground parking garages.

Author Theodore Osmundson, a leader in the landscape architecture field for the last... Read more

by Malcolm Wells, 1999. Available from the author, 673 Satucket Road, Brewster, Cape Cod, MA 02631; 508/896-6850, 508/896-5116 (fax). Hardback, 144 pages, $5 plus $2 postage & handling.

This little book, by architect and underground building pioneer Malcolm Wells, reads like a children’s book, but is more for adult children.

I read with particular interest the article entitled “Alternative Forestry Certifications Challenge the FSC” in your January issue of

Environmental Building News (EBN

Vol. 9, No. 1), and I would like to clarify some items related to the American Forest & Paper Association’s (AF&PA) Sustainable Forestry InitiativeSM (SFI... Read more

for Environmental Innovation, a

new facility that will house the

company’s carpet reclamation and

pelletizing operations, along with

research and design laboratories for

environmental technologies. The

Center is directed by vice... Read more

I’d like to thank you for reviewing our new book and video series in your January 2000 issue (EBN

Vol. 9, No. 1). However, I don’t want your readers to be misled, so I would like to clarify one point.

Healthy House Building for the New Millennium is not a book version of

The Healthy House Video Series. While they both go... Read more

First, it is designed for exterior mounting, which keeps all combustion outdoors, eliminating... Read more

A design competition has been announced for a household electricity meter that resides prominently

inside the home and provides “accurate, compelling, and artistically fascinating feedback to homeowners about their current energy use.” The

Viridian Electricity Meter should reward users aesthetically for reducing their purchased... Read more

It was heartening to see your publication address the issue of alternatives to vinyl wallcovering in your January issue (EBN

Vol. 9, No. 1). Although the problems with vinyl are well known in the environmental building community, its extensive use for wallcovering is often overlooked. Soft vinyls that are used for walls and upholstery... Read more

Recycled plastic lumber is commonly available for decking applications, but the supporting structures have continued to be constructed with preservative-treated lumber. U.S. Plastic Lumber (USPL) now offers a complete deck system made of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) under the Carefree brand. The brand consists of recently code-... Read more

In connection with its 2000 Eco-Design Arts Conference (see Calendar) the University of Oregon’s HOPES is sponsoring The Ecology of Home Design Challenge. The very broad guidelines indicate only that entries must present a solution to a universal ecological problem and be presented on no more than two presentation boards. Contact Maren Zieba at... Read more

I am writing in response to your article in the November 1999 issue of

Environmental Building News (Vol. 8, No. 11) regarding BEES 2.0. As you may know, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has played a major role in the development of BEES from its conception in the early ’90s to the present. From the beginning, our ambitious... Read more