In a case that has baffled his family, friends, colleagues, and the police, Gregory Franta, FAIA, has mysteriously disappeared. He was last seen having dinner with his daughter on Sunday, February 8, in Denver; and was captured on a surveillance camera leaving a club several hours later. He was driving a 2006 white Honda Civic Hybrid, four-door... Read more

Despite the economic downturn and the trend toward smaller crowds at building trade shows, Efficiency Vermont's 2009 Better Buildings by Design Conference was a great success and actually increased attendance this year. The enthusiastic response is a tribute to the sustainable building community at large and to Efficiency Vermont, which put on... Read more

Last week we reviewed the history of wind energy, including its use for pumping water and generating power. This week we'll take at look at the state of the art with wind power and what's ahead.

The growth of wind power over the past decade has been nothing short of spectacular. In ten years, from... Read more

Over the past few... Read more

Twice each month, BuildingGreen publishes an email news bulletin with current news and product information briefs. Sign up here — it's free. We will never share or sell your email address, and you may unsubscribe at any time.

Last week I described why some environmentalists have shifted their position and now support nuclear power, and I described how we might be able to store nuclear waste more safely and cheaply than in the Yucca Mountain facility. So what's wrong with nuclear power? Why not move full-steam-ahead with this much more climate-friendly power... Read more

There are a lot of problems with our existing food production system. Consider: the average mouthful of food has traveled 1,500 miles before reaching our plate, losing nutrition and flavor while consuming an incredible amount of energy. Agribusiness has created vast monocultures of grains, corn, and soybeans that, directly or indirectly deliver... Read more

In signing a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), real estate development firm Cushman & Wakefield has pledged to cut energy use in its U.S. buildings by 30% by 2012. The commercial real estate services firm holds more than 3,200 properties in the U.S. that amount to over 265 million square feet.

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 12) was recently chosen to provide heating and cooling at 2,000 housing units at Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. About 600 units are in operation now, with new homes being completed at a rate of 40 each month.

Jack Gafford,... Read more

Icynene, maker of the widely used and first open-cell polyurethane spray foam insulation of the same name, has launched a new product with some rapidly renewable content. Icynene LD-R-50 is formulated with a polyol derived from the castor plant—a shrub with two annual growing cycles that thrives on marginal land.

Officials in Portland, Oregon, have proposed a far-reaching green building program that would be the first of its kind in the country.

Responding to growing international requirements for suppliers to document that their wood comes from legal sources, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) released a report claiming to validate the legality of North American hardwood sources as a whole. While a trade association promoting hardwood exports might not be the most objective... Read more

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has proposed six addenda to Standard 90.1-2007 that would expand its scope and change how lighting efficiencies are calculated.

Serious Materials, Inc., the California-based manufacturer of environmental drywall products (see

EBN

Vol. 17, No. 12) and high-performing windows (see

EBN

Vol. 17, No. 8), has expanded its window-manufacturing capacity tenfold while rescuing a pair of troubled factories.

To achieve the rating, Gottfried renovated a... Read more