After a recent study finding that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) exceed California’s hazardous waste standards, researchers at the University of California’s Davis and Irvine campuses conclude that LEDs should be classified as hazardous waste. The leachability test, whose results were published in

Environmental Science and Technology,... Read more

In an attempt to reduce the number of toxic rechargeable batteries that end up in landfills—3.8 million pounds a year in New York State—the State now requires battery manufacturers, along with retailers, to create free and accessible recycling programs for all batteries sold and disposed of in the state. The new law includes laptop, cell phone... Read more

Environmental Health Perspectives links poor indoor air quality due to solid-fuel use to increased lung cancer rates. The study was sparked by the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s recent classification of indoor coal smoke emissions as a human carcinogen and wood smoke as a “... Read more

Through its Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI), the Boston-based Green Roundtable (GRT) has produced a new “green” certification for design and construction firms. The program recognizes firms that have the institutional capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality sustainability services and projects. Recently piloted in the Boston area... Read more

3 photolysis)—a form of nitrogen oxide only present in darkness—normally breaks down damaging chemicals that create smog. Recent... Read more

The fight in the December 2010 lame-duck Congress over a massive tax bill got a lot of press coverage, almost all of it focused on tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush. But the bill, now signed into law, also included the Treasury Grant or “1603” program, which provides subsidies for building large and small wind projects, biomass... Read more

Hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6 (CrVI), hit the news recently when a study found the chemical in the tap water of several major U.S. cities. A groundwater pollutant notorious from the 2000 hit movie “Erin Brockovich,” the chemical in vapor form is also a regulated occupational hazard. Should we be taking a more critical look at chrome... Read more

Many schools economize by continuing to use older fluorescent light fixtures, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it’s time to replace them. EPA’s new guidance for schools focuses on pre-1979 fluorescent light fixtures containing hazardous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which leak hazardous oil and contaminate air when... Read more

When we poke a hole in the wall and stick a window in it, we strike a high-stakes bargain. We want a visual connection to the outdoors that lets in daylight and that is itself pleasant to look at, both from the inside and the outside. We expect windows to provide fresh air and cooling breezes at times, but at other times we expect them... Read more

Knight Wall Systems’ CI-Girt is a “drop-in” commercial rainscreen system that simplifies installation of cladding over exterior foam insulation. The “CI” in CI-Girt emphasizes the importance of the system in supporting continuous insulation—insulation installed on a building exterior so that there are no penetrations other than fasteners and... Read more

The District’s privately owned buildings policy, which requires... Read more

We know that the climate is changing, but until now architects have only been able to design based on

historical climate data. That has changed, at least in the UK, now that Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) and the University of Exeter have released, free of charge, weather files for 35 locations around the UK based on climate... Read more

Our new report, Green Building Product Certifications: Getting What You Need, covers every relevant certification in the field. But of course, as we all know, things keep changing. To ensure you have correct and current information, this errata covers all updates, corrections, and clarifications that we know of to date. If report readers learn... Read more

I've always gotten a lot of questions from friends, neighbors, and casual acquaintances about energy issues,... Read more

In a move that could prompt industry-wide changes to claims about volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) has told Sherwin-Williams it should stop marketing its Harmony line of paints as “zero-VOC.”

Paints must have fewer than 5 grams per... Read more

When my husband and I attended the first Solar Decathlon in 2002 with our one-year-old and his newborn brother, we (and our massive double stroller) traveled downtown on the subway.

Users of LEED Online, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) Web-based LEED documentation system, are being greeted by a new “Legal Terms and Conditions” agreement when they sign in. That agreement and legal agreements associated with using LEED Online v3, registering LEED projects, and applying for LEED project certification have been... Read more

The North Carolina company EonCoat, LLC, has just introduced a corrosion-resistant coating that appears to be a breakthrough product that could revolutionize the painting industry--and... Read more

With all the snow we received in southern Vermont last week, it's a great time to be an energy nerd! Lots of snow on roofs means... Read more

The Natural Step US and the Cascadia Green Building Council have announced that they will merge operations.

The two Portland, Oregon-based organizations both offer training, workshops, and other consulting services for businesses wishing to pursue sustainability, with Cascadia focusing on green building and The Natural Step... Read more