Newsbriefs

fluorescent lamps (CFLs) became the latest product to join the Energy Star® program. To qualify under the program, manufacturers must put their CFLs through independent testing. Among the required standards are the following: minimum efficacy ranging from 33 to 60 (initial) lumens per watt, depending on the... Read more

AlliedSignal and DSM Chemicals North America are now building a facility that will process 200 million pounds (90 million kg) of used carpet annually, creating about 100 million pounds (45 million kg) of caprolactam, the chemical building block for

nylon 6. The technology, known as

selective pyrolysis (see

EBN

... Read more

Colorado home builder

McStain Enterprises plans to build up to three environmental test houses near its Boulder headquarters. Long a leader in green building among tract home developers

(see EBN

Vol. 5, No. 6, p. 15), McStain expects to focus on such issues as indoor air quality and innovative materials, such as... Read more

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 8) is a great idea according to building scientists, but getting it into the marketplace has been a struggle.

In the latest development, Vaughn Manufacturing determined that it could not sell enough... Read more

is slated to become the first “brightfield” under a U.S. Department of Energy program to rehabilitate blighted sites and promote renewable energy. A two-story building on the site will be renovated into a model green building, thanks to a joint effort between the American Institute of Architects Committee on the... Read more

Our Bad Timing of the Month award goes to Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-Michigan), whose bill to repeal water conservation standards on plumbing fixtures moved into the hearing phase on July 27, just as one of the worst droughts of the century was making headlines along the East Coast. Knollenberg’s bill, H.R. 623, with 84 cosponsors (72... Read more

A long-awaited report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on

endocrine disrupters (or hormonally active agents) says that more research is needed to understand whether (and how) these chemicals might affect human health and the environment. Hormonally active agents (HAAs) include a wide variety of chemicals that mimic the... Read more

At an August 26 celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary, Home Depot president and CEO Arthur Blank announced a major—if somewhat vague—environmental commitment: “By the end of 2002, we will eliminate from our stores wood from endangered areas—including certain lauan, redwood and cedar products—and give preference to ‘certified’ wood.”... Read more

Donald Watson, FAIA, editor-in-chief; Michael J. Crosbie, PhD, senior editor; John Hancock Callender, in memoriam. McGraw-Hill, 1997. Hardcover, 1034 pages, $150.

Time-Saver Standards has guided two generations of architects in building design. This 7th Edition (the first in 12 years) consists almost entirely of new... Read more

Digital Arts Ltd. has been selected by The Presidio Trust to begin exclusive negotiations for development of a campus for several of filmmaker George Lucas’ companies on a prominent site in San Francisco’s Presidio National Park. The plan, selected from among 18 initial proposals and 4 detailed proposals, includes architectural... Read more

The waffle-shaped panel product Gridcore (see

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 3 and

Vol. 2, No. 5) is no longer in production, at least for the time being. The product had been in full-scale production since 1994, but the factory was shut down early in 1999 due to financial difficulties. Although still solvent, Gridcore Systems... Read more

The new “Ergolight” fixture from Ledalite, of Langley, British Columbia, may be the beginning of a new trend in office lighting.

Ergolight is a three-lamp... Read more

The Passive Solar Industries Council is now the

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council. On August 15 the organization formally adopted the change, following a balloting of members. PSIC was formed in 1981, and its mission was refined in January 1997 as follows: “to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental... Read more

Master specification systems, such as The American Institute of Architects’ Masterspec™, are widely used throughout the building design professions. They provide generic specifications that can be customized for particular projects, along with additional guidance on each section. The generic specification language is enormously influential in... Read more

Awards & Competitions

Tryon Farm Living Green Award, to be presented to the creator of a project in the Midwest (Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin) demonstrating commitment to community and conservation. Include land-use plans, maps, images, and a short description of... Read more

As described in our July 1996 product review (EBN Vol. 5, No. 4), the introduction of Rastra to the U.S. has been fraught with conflict and confusion. With one of the two battling companies now out of the picture, the situation appears to be settling down for this foam-and-cement, stay-in-place concrete form product.

Here’s a bit of the... Read more

In November of last year, we moved into our newly renovated third-floor office in downtown Brattleboro. On the top floor of an unusual, slate-shingle-sided building constructed in the mid-1800s by the Estey Organ Company, the

EBN offices are wonderfully illuminated with natural light. Built before electric lighting existed, the building... Read more

by David Del Porto and Carol Steinfeld, 1999.

The Center for Ecological Pollution Prevention,

PO Box 1330, Concord, MA 01742;

www.ecological-engineering.com.

Softcover, 234 pages, $29.95

The Composting Toilet System Book set out to accomplish a very challenging task: to present in an... Read more

On March 1,

Jamison Ervin left her position as coordinator of the U.S. Initiative of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Jamie began work with FSC in 1992, even before the association was formally founded, and she helped to shepherd FSC through this complex formative process. Jamie plans to complete a doctorate in natural resource... Read more

Photovoltaic manufacturer

Kyocera International has acquired

Golden Genesis Company (previously Photocomm), creating the world’s largest PV manufacturer/system provider. Total annual sales will exceed $1 billion. Kyocera is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan.