Mobil Corp. has sold its Composite Products Division to Trex Company, LLC, a corporation formed by four company managers. One of the new owners, Andrew Ferrari, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, told

EBN that the company direction will not change. A fifth production line at the company’s Winchester, Virginia, plant operates around... Read more

Redwood lumber that has been independently certified as coming from “well-managed” forests is now available. The family-owned Big Creek Lumber Company in Davenport, California, which completed certification of its forestry operations this past April (see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 4), has now completed “chain-of-custody” certification of... Read more

Due to high demand, the Real Goods Institute for Solar Living in Hopland, California, has expanded its educational program offerings to year-round. A number of the offerings are related specifically to sustainable building, though the emphasis is on owner-builders. Programs include “Sustainable Building and Eco Design,” “Solar Electric Systems... Read more

The September 2, 1996 issue of

Plastics News reports that the Center for Plastics Recycling Research at Rutgers University is shutting down due to budget cuts. This center has been instrumental in much of the research behind applications for recycled plastic lumber and recycled plastic marine pilings. The article describes the closing... Read more

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) doesn’t write building codes, but some of the group’s standards carry as much weight as codes. That is the case with ASHRAE Standard 62 on ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. This standard is recognized in legal circles as the “standard-of-care”... Read more

We’ve generally argued that for a good green design, it is necessary to get the environmental agenda on the table as early as possible in the design process. Every decision that is made along the way represents a commitment to a particular path and the closing out of other options. If too many decisions are made before bringing an environmental... Read more

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has $1 million available to co-fund research and development work relating to high-efficiency lighting products. The maximum award per project is $250,000, and all projects should include a New York State manufacturer. Proposals are due by December 31st. For information... Read more

Annette Osso, Project Manager; David A. Gottfried, Managing Editor. 1996. Public Technology, Inc., 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washing-ton, D.C. 20004; 202/626-2441; 202/626-2498 (fax); osso@pti.nw.dc.us (e-mail). Also available from the U.S. Green Building Council, 290 Alhambra #11, San Francisco, CA 94123; 415/543-3001; 415/957-5890 (fax);... Read more

The article on the Sustainable Technology Center (Vol. 5, No. 5) missed the true performance of this market-rate commercial complex in its first year. The two buildings at the Center saved 82% on utility costs for water, sewage, electricity, and heating compared to the performance of the Center if built conventionally in Friday Harbor. Using... Read more

Owens Corning announced on August 11 that its Fiberglas® insulation has been certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as having at least 30% recycled glass content. Tim Grether, Manager of Building Materials Technical Services at the company, gave

EBN a more detailed breakdown of the recycled content: 26% is post-industrial... Read more

New York City’s Tiffany Street Pier, one of the largest plastic lumber structures, was damaged by lightning recently, according to the October 14, 1996 issue of

Plastics News. About one-third of the plastic lumber deck and the gazebo were melted. Most of the plastic hardened in place, albeit in a deformed state. City officials are quite... Read more

by The Results Center, IRT Environment, Inc. Paperback, 28 pages, $75.

One recent report in IRT... Read more

Building products giant Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (L-P) is purchasing GreenStone Industries, Inc., the top producer of cellulose insulation in the country. GreenStone was virtually unknown in the industry until several years ago, when it went public and began purchasing cellulose manufacturers. GreenStone now operates seven manufacturing... Read more

Whirlpool Corporation has suspended nationwide sales of its super-efficient “Energy-Wise” refrigerators, according to the 23 August issue of Global Environmental Change Report. This refrigerator was introduced in 1995 and is virtually identical to the “golden carrot” refrigerator developed through the utility-funded Super Efficient Refrigerator... Read more

The search is on for an American home. The goal is a home with the look and feel of a traditional suburban house, which the buying public demands, yet one that is at least twice as efficient in its use of energy and other resources. And, it must cost no more than the competition—less, if possible.

by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers. Dutton, 1996. Hardcover, 306 pages, $24.95.

EBN mailbox. The basic thesis of

Our Stolen... Read more

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has come under fire for its Sustainable Forestry Initiative because it does not include independent certification of forestry practices (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 3). The association’s just-issued first annual progress report on the Initiative, however, illustrates the delicate... Read more

Willamette Industries has discontinued the use of “urban wood waste” at its Eugene, Oregon medium-density fiberboard (MDF) plant. The company had pioneered the use of recycled wood from municipal solid waste collection sites starting in 1993 (see EBN Vol. 5, No. 2), when wood fiber prices were extremely high. Urban wood use at the plant peaked... Read more

Environment Design Guide, The Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Australian$126 for four quarterly installments (approximately US$100). Order from RAIA-Environment; The Royal Australian Institute of Architects, P.O. Box 3373, Manuka ACT 263, Australia; +61 6 273 1953 (fax). Full set of 24 previously... Read more