The

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance has grants available for projects that will advance environmentally sound practices within construction and demolition activities. Maximum grant amount is $75,000. Projects must take place in Minnesota, but applicants need not be based in the State. Application... Read more

by Matts Myhrman and S.O. MacDonald. 1997, Out On Bale, 1037 E. Linden Street, Tucson, AZ 85719; 520/624-1673, outonbale@aol.com. Paperback, 140 pages, $29.95 + $4 S&H.

“It’s not heavy enough to be a good doorstop and the movie version isn’t out yet, so you might as well read it.” So begins the “Ways to Use this Book” section of... Read more

by Chris Hanson. 1996, Hartley and Marks, Vancouver, British Columbia and Point Roberts, Washington. Paperback, 278 pages, $24.95.

Once Cohousing has convinced you that there is no better way to live, The Cohousing Handbook will show you how to make it happen. Hanson takes the subject matter of one chapter in Cohousing—the development... Read more

Cohousing has the potential to be a very low-impact housing option, though it doesn’t always work out that way. Communities in rural areas still tend to increase automobile use and may take up valuable land. Houses are not always as energy- efficient as they could be. A new cohousing development nearing completion... Read more

by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett with Ellen Hertzman. 1994, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, California. Paperback, 288 pages, $29.95.

This beautiful book has aptly been called the "Bible" of the Cohousing movement. McCamant and Durrett are generally credited with popularizing the Danish cohousing model in the U.S., and the first... Read more

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $200,000 to the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) for development and implementation of the LEED Building Rating System. The funding will be used for development of a design assistance manual and companion software, as well as for development of a marketing plan. LEED, which stands for... Read more

Don Lindemann, editor. Quarterly magazine. The CoHousing Network, P.O. Box 2584, Berkeley, CA 94702; 510/486-2656. Subscription rates range from $20 to $75/year.

While the books are important for getting a comprehensive overview, the magazine is the easiest way to keep up with developments, both regionally and nationally. Articles by... Read more

A new membership organization, the

Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, has been formed as an independent program of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative. The new Milwaukee-based organization aims to promote green building practices.

Matthew Tendler, AIA, of the firm Kahler Slater, is the organization’s first steering committee... Read more

The

Good Wood Alliance, formerly the Woodworkers’ Alliance for Rain-forest Protection (WARP), is merging with the

Forest Products Buyers Group to form a new organization:

The Certified Forest Products Council (CFPC). The CFPC will be based in Beaverton, Oregon, and directed by David Ford. Good Wood Alliance’s executive... Read more

A recently completed survey offers a glimpse into how sustainable design is perceived by mainstream developers, and the news is mixed. The Canadian Consulate General and the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation commissioned the survey, which was written and administered by Mark Smith... Read more

We have made tremendous progress in improving the quality of our surface waters in the 25 years since passage of the Clean Water Act, and similar gains are being realized in reducing water consumption. Industry, for example, has cut water use by one-third since the 1950s, even while increasing output threefold.... Read more

, in a commencement address to graduates of Stanford University in May, broke ranks with many in the petroleum industry by expressing concern about global warming. He was quoted in the July/August issue of

Solar Today as asserting that it is “unwise and potentially dangerous to ignore the mounting... Read more

During May 1997, the United States reached an all-time high in petroleum imports, with 52.4% net imports, according to the

Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Total imports in May were 57.2% of petroleum supplied, but the U.S. exports some petroleum to U.S. territories, resulting in lower

... Read more

by James Steele. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997. Hardcover, 285 pages, $49.95.

One factor driving up the size of American homes may have been removed with the recent changes to the U.S. tax code. The August 8, 1997 issue of the lumber industry newsletter Eastern Quotes & Comments notes that people who sell homes in expensive markets and retire to less expensive areas often bought huge houses to avoid paying the... Read more

William McDonough, prominent environmental architect and dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, has now founded a new Institute within the School he heads. The Institute for Sustainable Design has goals nearly as broad as McDonough’s vision, aiming to reinvent industry and... Read more