Several organizations have joined forces to create Minnesota GreenStar, a residential green building program. The program will consist of two rating systems, one for remodeling projects and the other for new construction. Corey Brinkema, executive director of the Green Institute, which led the effort to write the system, said that Minnesota... Read more

Signed into law in October 2007, California Assembly Bill 715 requires manufacturers to phase in toilets using 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf; 4.85 liters per flush [lpf]) and urinals using 0.5 gpf (1.9 lpf). Starting in 2010, these high-efficiency toilets and urinals must represent 50% of a manufacturer’s offerings in the state, with that portion... Read more

In a series of developments that may signal trouble for the composite decking industry, two industry leaders, TimberTech and Trex Company, appear to be hedging their bets by introducing new product lines made of virgin PVC. Popular in the residential market, PVC decking is considered more resistant to scratching, staining, and fading than... Read more

In May 2007 Citigroup committed $50 billion over ten years in investments and financing to fight climate change. That announcement came on the heels of a similar $20 billion promise from Bank of America, as well as environmental initiatives from nearly every other major financial institution. At the same time, the real estate community is... Read more

Heavy or massive objects like masonry, earth, and water can hold a lot of heat. Because of this capacity to act as a heat source (warming their surroundings) or a heat sink (drawing heat from and cooling their surroundings), materials with thermal mass affect comfort both indoors and out. (Oceans and lakes, for example, moderate air... Read more

BuildingGreen. Inc., is respected and honored for its unbiased, in-depth, thoughtful reporting and commentary on the green building industry. Here on BuildingGreen.com Live, we're picking up the pace and unleashing our more dynamic and informal side—sharing some of the most timely and just plain interesting news as we hear it. The best part is... Read more

Air-quality test results confirm that it’s possible to reduce the concentration of fine particulate matter, which is harmful indoors even at extremely low concentrations, by using cleaner-burning woodstoves certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). University of Montana researchers saw a 72% reduction of residential indoor... Read more

Whether with lightbulbs or buildings, many of us in the green building world are in love with conservation and efficiency. Of course, if the goal is reducing our footprint on the planet, better than doing something efficiently is to not do it at all—whether it’s turning on a light or making a building. The mindset of efficiency in the green... Read more

The existence of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) is well known; the fact that it was extended through 2008 might also sound familiar; the financial and environmental opportunities that the Act, and other policies, create for builders, homeowners, and commercial building owners, however, are less understood. The following websites offer a... Read more

Fresh on the heels of “greening” the Governor’s Mansion following the January 1, 2007, inauguration of her husband, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer is now working to help other New York residents do the same. The First Lady has proposed legislation to grant up to $10,000 for new or renovated homes that meet “green... Read more

Perhaps gearing up for the 2007 Chicago-hosted Greenbuild convention, Illinois recently passed two innovative green building laws. The first bill enacts a “smart cities” grant program to fund urban preservation, redevelopment, and green technology at the municipal level; it also creates a “green cities” grant program for municipalities whose... Read more

Hydronics engineer Tom Meyer has enough experience to know that what gets built is never exactly what is on the plans. He has also observed that most of the people who actually build green buildings are not well served by the education and training opportunities in today’s green building world. Those insights led him to create the Green... Read more

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), working with GreenHome Guide, has developed a certification program for remodeling professionals using green building techniques. Applicants must have five years of remodeling experience, have been focused on green remodeling techniques for at least three years, and have 16 hours of... Read more

Polypropylene pipe, a niche product known for its environmental and performance benefits (see

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Vol. 13, No. 9), has a new North American distributor. In May 2007, Aquatherm, Inc., of Provo, Utah, became the exclusive distributor of Fusiotherm potable water pipe and Climatherm heating pipe in the U.S., while a sister company... Read more

As a remodeling contractor, I read your recent article “The Challenge of Existing Homes” [see

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Vol. 16, No. 7] with great interest. I think, however, that the challenge posed by existing homes is even broader than the article acknowledges.

Most homeowners who have their homes insulated have no idea if the job was good... Read more