The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued new reports on

global climate change, with three very important outcomes. First, global average surface temperatures have increased by 0.6°C over the last 100 years, 0.15 degrees more than previously reported. The difference is largely due to relatively higher... Read more

was named Builder of the Year by the EnergyValue Housing Awards on February 9 at the International Builders Show in Atlanta. Also recognized were ten Gold Winners and ten Silver Winners, in a range of categories and climates. The Awards are managed by the NAHB Research Center in partnership with the National... Read more

world’s first commercial wave-power plant began operation in late November on the Scottish island of Islay, feeding approximately 500 kW of power into the United Kingdom power grid.

The technology was jointly developed by Wavegen, which built and owns the power station, and Queens University Belfast. The technology employed is known... Read more

Taking just 119 days, the State of California recently passed Assembly Bill 970, which included emergency new standards for energy efficiency in new homes and commercial buildings. According to Don Kazama, the Building Standards Project Manager for the California Energy Commission (CEC), “We worked most holidays and an awful lot of overtime to... Read more

U.S. Green Building Council board member

Drew George was promoted on January 15, 2001 to Environment Manager – Americas of Bovis Lend Lease. George now oversees environmental programs and green construction projects for the company’s 26 offices in North and South America, with a mandate to make BLL the leading green provider of... Read more

Osmose, Inc. and Chemical Specialties, Inc. (CSI) announced an agreement allowing Osmose to produce and sell ACQ, a copper-based alternative to CCA wood preservatives developed by CSI. This agreement should lead to a significant expansion in the availability of ACQ-treated wood products in North America and elsewhere. Terms of the deal were not... Read more

The February 2001 issue of the influential publication

I.D.: The International Design Magazine focused on socially conscious design for its annual “

I.D. Forty” selection. Among the many inspiring designers featured were a number of architects and other professionals recognized for their ecological vision. They are (in order of... Read more

A lot of finger-pointing is going on in California these days. The rolling blackouts in January were due to deregulation gone awry … or failure to project rapid growth in demand … or permitting delays … or bottlenecks in power transmission. One thing is crystal clear, however: energy is back on the radar screen. People are talking about the oft... Read more

is a new company created to provide intelligence on the distributed generation industry, with a particular focus on financial issues and investing. Technologies covered include fuel cells, photovoltaics, microturbines, and cogeneration. Among the company’s three principals are two leading advocates of energy efficiency in buildings... Read more

, Senior Associate of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Development Services, has been named an honorary member of The American Institute of Architects—an honor bestowed on a few non-architects who have made a significant contribution to the architectural profession and to the AIA.

www.eeba.org. Spiral-bound paperbacks, 328 to 473 pages, $30 (EEBA members), $40 (non-members)

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 5), we gave a pretty hearty thumbs-up to Joe... Read more

, an architecture firm in the U.K., has become the first firm we know of to adopt the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 environmental management standard. The firm applied the standard to an architectural practice by developing a system to ensure that environmental impacts are considered in its... Read more

EBN Advisory Board members Gail Lindsey and Michael Nicklas have been selected as Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. Lindsey, principal of Design Harmony, Inc., becomes only the second woman from North Carolina to receive this distinction, given for outstanding achievement and service to the profession. Lindsey recently served two... Read more

David E. Brown, Mindy Fox, and Mary Rickel Pelletier, editors. Earth Pledge Foundation, 149 East 38th Street, New York, NY 10016, 212/573-6968,

www.earthpledge.org. Available through Chelsea Green Publishing Co. Paperback, 324 pages, $17.

Austin, Texas now has two-plus years of experience with its innovative incentive program to encourage smart growth. With this point-based system, a developer can earn enough points to waive some or all of the city’s development fees and increase the ceiling on city-paid infrastructure improvements needed for the... Read more

A ballot initiative that passed in Oregon on November 7, 2000 is worrying both environmentalists and fiscal conservatives.

Measure 7, approved by a margin of 54% to 46%, amends the Oregon constitution to require state and local governments to reimburse private property owners when regulations reduce the value of their property. It... Read more

I appreciated the good coverage you provided on the SB2000 conference and the GBC process (

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 1). You also quoted David Gottfried as expressing a concern that iiSBE’s organizers were “...actively undermining his efforts to promote the World Green Building Council. “ I think a little... Read more