New Energy Efficiency Bill Is Performance-Based

On June 13, Senator Bob Smith (Republican–NH) introduced the Energy Efficient Buildings Incentives Act (S. 2718) to Congress. The bill would provide tax deductions for the following residential and commercial energy efficiency improvements: whole-building performance, PV systems, certified solar... Read more

Honeywell TranStar Transformer Offers Significant Savings

“Exciting transformers” might seem like an oxymoron, but Honeywell has one for you—the new dry-type, ultra-low-loss TranStar™. The iron or steel core in conventional transformers has been replaced in the TranStar by a highly efficient MetGlas® amorphous metal core.

The TranStar... Read more

On June 30, 2000 two dozen representatives of various design-related organizations (joined by deans from some of the nation’s leading architecture schools via video teleconference) met at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C. to discuss

sustainability in architectural education. The event was organized by The American... Read more

T-5 Fluorescent Lighting Outshines HIDs

It has long been believed in the design profession that, for indoor settings, fluorescent lighting made the most sense for low ceilings—below about 15 or 20 feet (4.5 m to 6 m)—and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting was the best choice for higher ceilings (high-bay applications). No longer. New... Read more

The Green Skyscraper:

by Ken Yeang, 1999. Prestel Verlag, Munich. Paperback, 304 pages, $29.95

The challenges presented by Ken Yeang in

The Green Skyscraper start right with the cover shot—an arresting model of the Tokyo Nara Building revealing several floors of skyscraper devoted to gardens and a soft, sculptured form—and... Read more

There is a compelling elegance in using the earth’s relatively constant temperatures as a source and sink for heat. Indeed, ground-source heat pumps can be a highly efficient space conditioning option and, although their overall market share is very low, they are increasingly popular in the many dozens of model green homes and light commercial... Read more

Not All Tax Credits Are Bad

With reference to your June 2000 (EBN Vol. 9, No. 6) editorial entitled “Perspective: Green Building Tax Credits? No, Thanks!” you are entirely correct—the last time the federal government offered tax credits for solar energy applications, they made a monumental mistake, one that almost destroyed the solar industry... Read more

Draft Report Predicts Climate Change Impacts for U.S. by Region

On June 12, 2000 the National Science Foundation released its

National Assessment Synthesis Report for a 60-day comment period. This report is the culmination of a research program initiated in 1990 by the Global Change Research Act. Included in it are the results of... Read more

Product Briefs

The

Innvironments® series from Innovations® in Wallcoverings picked up Best of Show at the recent NeoCon® event. Three products make up the series. Eco-Alchemy is a scrubbable Type II (general use in areas of average traffic and scuffing) covering made of recyclable nylon on a polyester and wood pulp backing, which allows... Read more

More on Recycled Synthetic Roof Shingles

I am an architect interested in environmental issues.

EBN is always my first source in searching for information about environmental products because of its clear summaries and comparisons. Your “Recycled Synthetic Roofing Shingles” product review (

Vol. 9, No. 5 – May 2000) raises two... Read more

Jim Quinn

, President and CEO of Collins Companies, has announced plans to retire this fall. Under Quinn’s leadership, Collins became national leaders in Forest Stewardship Council-accredited certification of their forest lands, which include areas in northern California, southern Oregon, and (as Kane Hardwood) Pennsylvania. Quinn will be... Read more

Erie-Ellington Homes: Affordable + Green

A new affordable housing development in the Dorchester area of Boston demonstrates that affordability and green can go hand-in-hand with publicly funded housing projects.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 50-unit Erie-Ellington Homes housing project was held on June 22. The triplex units cost $94... Read more

Lighter AAC from Matrix

Matrix PAAC, LP (formerly Hebel Southeast), makers of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block, have introduced the AAC-2.5LT. The AAC-2.5LT has the same dimensions as the standard 2.5, but is 23% less dense. Even though the block is light enough to reduce shipping costs on a full load, it is still suitable for structural... Read more

Newsbriefs

A proposal has been submitted in the Canadian House of Commons for a

nationwide ban on “cosmetic” pesticides for residential lawns—those used to get rid of dandelions or make the grass look greener. Dozens of small communities in Canada have already banned or severely limited use of such chemicals, according to a June 5... Read more

Recycling Asphalt Roofing Shingles

Each year, about 11 million tons (11.2 tonnes) of asphalt roofing shingle waste is generated in the U.S.—7 to 10 million tons (7.1 to 10.2 tonnes) in tear-off and 1 million in manufacturer scrap.

Nearly two-thirds of all roofs, both new and existing, are clad in asphalt shingles. The potential uses of... Read more

BP Amoco and an unnamed group of other investors announced in May that they will invest up to $100 million in

GreenMountain.com, which sells green power to customers in California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The financing will help the company expand into Ohio, Texas, and other states that are deregulating their energy markets.

... Read more

Dioxin: Down and Up

An EPA assessment scheduled for release in June will conclude that dioxin is a human carcinogen, according to a May 16 article in the

Washington Post. While dioxin emissions are way down from peak levels in the 1970s, reflecting the impact of a series of regulations on dioxin-emitting industries such as incinerators... Read more

Christopher Gribbs

has left his longtime post as The American Institute of Architects’ staff member responsible for the Committee on the Environment (COTE), for a position with broader authority and more growth potential as Director of Convention Programs for the Institute. At a time when many AIA Professional Interest Areas struggled to get... Read more

The Hayward Truss

Hayward Lumber Company of Pacific Grove, California continues its leadership role in the green building materials industry (see EBN

Vol. 7, No. 1) with introduction of 100% certified-wood trusses.

William E. Hayward, President and CEO of the company, called this is a “landmark event in the construction industry... Read more

Maryland has adopted a Consumer Benefits Act in May that offers tax credits to employers who provide staff with

incentives not to commute by car—such as subsidizing public transit or providing a cash benefit instead of free parking.