After a five-year absence, SierraPine is issuing a reformulated version of its popular Medite FR (fire retardant) medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panel that it discontinued in 2002 (see

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 11). SierraPine is bringing back this no-added-formaldehyde panel to replace Medite FR2 MDF, which used an urea-formaldehyde... Read more

The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), a stakeholder-based nonprofit dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water, has recently opened its headquarters as a public resource in Chicago. AWE serves as a North American advocate for water-efficient products and programs, and provides information and assistance on water conservation... Read more

No place is more emblematic of water shortage than Las Vegas. The metropolitan area receives about four inches (100 mm) of rainfall per year and has doubled in population just since 2000 (to 1.9 million). It is 90% dependent on Lake Mead—a half-full (half-empty?) lake whose level has dropped more than 100 feet (30 m) since 1990.

But Las... Read more

The city council of Greensburg, Kansas (pop. 1,500), a town devastated by a tornado in May 2007 (see EBN Vol. 16, No. 12), announced in December 2007 that all city-owned buildings greater than 4,000 ft2 (400 m2) would be required to meet LEED Platinum standards. Greensburg, which is rebuilding with a focus on sustainability, became the first U.... Read more

Guardian Industries, one of the world’s largest architectural and automotive glass manufacturers, with 19,000 employees in 25 countries, has under development a revolutionary vacuum-glazing panel that provides a center-of-glass insulating value of R-12 to R-13. The glass—Guardian VIG (for vacuum-insulated glass)—has a very thin (250-micron or 0... Read more

Press release:

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In his book Your Green Home, Alex Wilson refers to radiant floors as "a great heating option for a poorly designed house." He goes on to explain that the heating requirements of an extremely well-insulated home with a properly airtight envelope, even in most cold climates, will most likely result in an overheated house if the radiant floor is... Read more

On the heels of the announcement of the market introduction of Smith & Fong's no-added-formaldehyde PlybooPure bamboo flooring and panel products in the current issue of Environmental Building News, Dan Smith of Smith & Fong — the makers of Plyboo... Read more

Notes from BuildingGreen's breakfast gathering at Greenbuild for partners and Sustainable Design Directors from forward-thinking firms around the U.S.

Back on November 5, Nadav Malin posted here about "the imminent creation of the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)." The USGBC is now distributing the following press release:

The folks who make Waterless No-Flush urinals (we've had one in our office since 1998) have been distributing the following quiz.

I'll be interviewed about GreenSpec and Green Building Products this evening on Santa Fe Public Radio, KSFR, at 7:10 p.m. (Eastern time), for 15 or 20 minutes. Tune in if you'd like — 101.1 FM if you're in New Mexico (pretty much anywhere between Taos and Albuquerque)... or streaming on the web (looks like you'll need Windows Media Player,... Read more