The Greenguard™ Environmental Institute, a nonprofit certifier of products with low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), has created the Greenguard Standard for Children & Schools™, which sets emissions criteria for building materials, furnishings, finishes, and cleaning products to be used in schools and daycare facilities.... Read more

The Rainforest Alliance, an accredited certifier of compliance with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards, has published the SmartGuide to Green Building Wood Sources, a comprehensive listing of all FSC-certified suppliers in North America, including those certified by organizations other than the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program.... Read more

Johnson Controls, Inc., an industry leader in control systems for heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment, and York International Corporation, a leading manufacturer of heating and cooling equipment, announced in August 2005 that Johnson Controls would acquire York. “The transaction will enable us to become a single source of integrated... Read more

In July 2005 the Illinois Commerce Commission adopted Governor Rod Blagojevich’s sustainable energy plan, including a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requiring the state’s electric utilities to meet 2% of their electricity needs with renewable sources by the end of 2006. The requirement will increase by 1% each year until it reaches 8% in... Read more

ASTM International has published the

Standard Guide for the General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Building (E2432). “It is expected that the Guide will be referenced and used by federal, state, and local governments, architects, and others seeking to solidify and/or justify the tripartite—environmental, economic, and social—... Read more

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed a bill in September 2005 that expands tax credits for solar energy systems. The bill, which takes effect November 4 and expires in 2016, allows for tax credits of $3.00 per watt of installed solar electric output capacity. The credit is capped at half the cost of the installed system, up to $6,000.... Read more

Jane Silverstein Ries, FASLA, the ASLA Medal, the highest honor the organization bestows upon individuals, “for her lifetime achievements and contributions to the profession, the welfare of the public, and the environment.” Ries began her 56-year career in 1933 as the first female... Read more

California’s Million Solar Roofs bill, which would have led to the addition of 3,000 megawatts of solar panels on one million roofs, including half of all new homes, died in assembly in September 2005. The bill would have made California the world’s third largest solar energy producer, behind Japan and Germany. After passing the Senate by a... Read more

Green Built Home™, a voluntary green building program of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, in partnership with the Madison Area Builders Association, has been partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to certify all new Habitat homes as Green Built Homes. For 2005, all new Habitat homes will earn at least 112 points in the Green... Read more

BuildingGreen, Inc., will be participating actively in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Expo and Conference in Atlanta this November. Both Nadav Malin and Alex Wilson will be presenting conference sessions, and Nadav will be part of a special preconference workshop on environmentally preferable products. Also, BuildingGreen will... Read more

Lights Out NY, a voluntary program designed to reduce the number of migrating birds killed by flying into city windows at night.

Lights Out NY encourages... Read more

Nyle Special Products, LLC, has suspended production of the Cold-Climate Heat Pump™ (CCHP) amid skirmishing between the manufacturer, its former general manager, and the developer of the technology. Duane Hallowell resigned as general manager of Nyle in February to form Hallowell International, LLC, which acquired the manufacturing rights to a... Read more

from Architectural Computer Services, Inc. (Arcom, producers of The American Institute of Architects’ Masterspec®), www.arcomnet.com, 800-424-5080. Softcover book and CD-ROM, 2004, 250 pages, $240.

As anyone who has tried knows all too well, incorporating all the requirements for a LEED® project into the construction documents is no... Read more

Air Quality Sciences, Inc., has developed a series of techniques to test product

assemblies, as opposed to individual products, in controlled environmental chambers. Examples of these assemblies include paint and wallboard; carpet, adhesive, and subfloor; and laminate, adhesive, and particleboard. “Sometimes emissions may be reduced,”... Read more

Texas was among the first states to adopt a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), calling in 1999 for 2,000 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy generation by 2009. Announcing that the state is on track to meet that target by the end of 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 20, strengthening the RPS, in August 2005. According to... Read more