With thousands of safe and economical photoluminescent (PL) exit sign installations in buildings throughout North America, we at Active Safety initially wanted to tar and feather Alex Wilson for the inaccuracies and misconceptions in his feature article “The Evolution of Exit Signs (and Why the Latest is a Bad Idea),”

Vol. 15, No. 11.... Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in November 2006 that it would regulate a form of nanotechnology for the first time. Engineered at the scale of one-billionth of a meter, nanotechnology is now used in over 200 consumer products, according to the nonprofit Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. EPA has decided that one... Read more

Originally founded in Seattle in 1999, the Sustainable Building Advisor Program has grown into a national endeavor. Now available in several communities in Washington and Oregon, as well as in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the program is geared toward building professionals who are looking to extend their knowledge of green building practices.... Read more

It’s a common saying in the green building movement that “the greenest building is the one that isn’t built.” This ideal may be great, but with growing demand in many parts of the U.S.—and the world—for buildings, it’s often ignored. Meanwhile, millions of buildings already exist but are not being used to their full potential, despite... Read more

This was the first program I’ve seen in which you can tell that someone approached the building with sustainability in mind,” says Scott Shell, of EHDD Architecture, in reference to the client’s concept document for the Department of Global Ecology, a new arm of the Washington, D.C. –based Carnegie Institution. Located alongside the venerable... Read more

Heifer international is a nonprofit organization that addresses global problems with an approach founded in sustainability. It gives livestock such as goats, cows, and chickens to families in need as a lasting source of food and income. In 2000, during a period of strong growth and with its 200-plus staff spread across five locations in Little... Read more

Viridian Energy and Environmental, LLC, a new company specializing in energy modeling, green building consulting, and commissioning, was created on November 1, 2006, by four leading consultants from Norwalk, Connecticut-based Steven Winter Associates (SWA). The four—Adrian Tuluca, John Amatruda, Carl Ian Graham, and Vevashish (Dave) Lahiri—... Read more

Among the many announcements at the 2006 Greenbuild conference was the formation of the Green Cleaning Network, a nonprofit group dedicated to spreading information about green cleaning in hospitals, schools, offices, and other buildings (for more on green cleaning, see

EBN Vol. 14, No. 9). The founding members of the network include... Read more

Averting serious climate change would be far cheaper today than dealing with it in the future, according to a report commissioned by the British government and written by Sir Nicholas Stern, chief of Britain’s economic service and former chief economist of the World Bank. If we continue to allow unmitigated climate change, dealing with its... Read more

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Vol. 13, No. 7) and then discontinued in 2005 (see

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Vol. 14, No. 10) is back, and from more than one company. This product uses a booster compressor that makes it viable as an air-source heat pump even in very cold weather. David Shaw, designer... Read more

Three longtime leaders in the green building field, Bill Browning, Bob Fox, and Rick Cook, have formed a partnership, Terrapin Bright Green, LLC, to provide clients with consulting, strategic planning, and policy services. While Fox and Cook will continue work with their existing firm (Cook + Fox Architects in New York City), they are working... Read more

Green CommunitiesTM, a partnership between Enterprise Community Partners and the Natural Resources Defense Council (see

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Vol. 14, No. 3), is now offering grants of up to $5,000 for affordable housing developers who wish to incorporate green planning charrettes into their design processes. The grants, designed to pay for... Read more

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Vol. 14, No. 10) as an alternate path to achieve a credit for low-emitting carpets in the LEED® Rating System. As originally written, credit EQ 4.3, “Low-Emitting Materials: Carpet Systems,”... Read more

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced the opening of its 2007 Top Ten Green Projects design competition. Online registration for the competition began November 10, 2006 and continues through the January 17, 2007 submission deadline. The deadline to take advantage of early... Read more

Building Design + Construction magazine, published in a white paper entitled “Green Buildings and the Bottom Line” (November 2006), reveal that green building activities are growing (no surprise there) but that expectations of future activity are much higher that actual activity. The online survey of 872 industry... Read more

The Paint Product Stewardship Initiative of the Product Stewardship Institute—a consortium of paint manufacturers and recyclers, governmental representatives, and other interested parties—partnered with the environmental certification standards organization Green Seal to develop a recycled-content latex paint standard addressing product quality... Read more