An American Institute of Architects (AIA) report by Kira Gould, Assoc. AIA and Lance Hosey, AIA. Available free on AIA's website. September 2006, 169 pages.

Ecology and Design: Ecological Literacy in Architecture Education provides an unprecedented collection of information on curricula within architecture programs across the... Read more

The 2,500 ft2 (230 m2) prototype, assembled from 11 steel-framed modules... Read more

Alex Wilson's new book, written for anyone planning to build a new home, is now available from New Society Publishers. Your Green Home is authored by Wilson, EBN's executive editor, and illustrated by EBN art director Julia Jandrisits. The 256-page volume addresses how to find the right designer and builder, where to build, and a wide range of... Read more

Solar Energy International (SEI) recently held its first workshop, Photovoltaic Lab Week, at its new facility in Paonia, Colorado. Attendees installed three solar electric systems in the lab yard, gaining renewable energy training while helping SEI complete part of its new facility. SEI purchased the 7-acre (3-ha) site in Paonia in 2005 and has... Read more

“Today, I am happy to announce we have reached a historic agreement on legislation to combat global warming,” California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed in late August 2006. Breaking with the federal government’s silence on climate policy and placing California at the vanguard of action to stabilize Earth’s climate, the California... Read more

Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans. The competition asked participants to create sustainable housing and community spaces for the Holy Cross Neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. The jury was made up... Read more

Even with flyash and other cement-reducing additives, portland cement is still required to make concrete for most projects. But now there might be a way to specify that the cement comes from a relatively efficient plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a program to help increase the energy efficiency of cement... Read more

Interface, Inc., a leading producer of carpeting and other textiles, has united its various global operations under the corporate name of Interface. The company’s textile division is now called InterfaceFABRIC, and its carpet division is now InterfaceFLOR. “Our re-brand will help to eliminate any confusion that exists about our various brand... Read more

In bringing its treated wood product, TimberSIL™, to market, Timber Treatment Technologies, Inc. (TTT) of Virginia has faced obstacles both from the conventional chemical treatment industry and from the government agencies that regulate treated wood (see EBN, Vol. 15, No. 8). TTT has shrugged off those hurdles as nothing more than sour grapes... Read more

Buildings account for roughly 72% of electricity consumption in the United States. Appliances, equipment, and lighting throughout those buildings may be powered by electricity of different voltages or different types of current, but it doesn’t matter to those appliances how the electricity is generated. The owners and occupants of the buildings... Read more

The Royal Institute of British Architects – U.S.A. (RIBA-USA) recently announced “Building a Sustainable World: Life in the Balance,” an international competition to develop concepts for sustainable communities, from small towns to large urban subdivisions, that respond effectively to predicted shifts in global climate. Although there are no... Read more

At some point in the development of a standard like one for green building, a trusted organization needs to provide independent and unbiased oversight. At American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), for example, there is proven balance to the memberships of standards developing committees, so no one... Read more

Lead-containing paint, banned in the U.S. in 1978, is still common in several Asian countries, according to a study published in the September 2006 issue of

Environmental Research. Researchers tested new paint in China, India, and Malaysia, and found that two-thirds of it contained 0.5% or more lead by weight, the U.S. threshold in... Read more