Global chiller manufacturer York International stopped offering new chillers using the ozone-depleting refrigerant HCFC-123 beginning November 15, 2004. While touting the quality of its HCFC-123 chiller line, York cited the mandated global phaseout of HCFC refrigerants by the year 2020—well within the operating life of new chillers—as the... Read more

The American Public Health Association, representing more than 50,000 researchers, health-service providers, administrators, teachers, and other health workers, has called for a phaseout of all polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, including the widely used deca-BDE. The organization made its recommendation in light of “... Read more

Following a “tough underwriting reception,” the environmental home-improvement television series

Build It Green! (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 12) is once again on track after the nonprofit GreenBlue (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 6) agreed to sign on as fiscal sponsor. The series, to be broadcast nationally on PBS, will... Read more

2004 Nathaniel A. Owings Award by The American Institute of Architects’ California Council. Named for the late Nathaniel A. Owings, FAIA, of Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the award recognizes “individuals or groups who have demonstrated... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council has announced the results of the election for its 2005 board of directors. The new members are

Charles Angyal, FAIA, chief architect of Sempra Energy Utilities;

Dan Burgoyne, sustainability manager at the California Department of General Services;

Tim Cole, director of support services at... Read more

® Rating System, GGHC identifies and quantifies environmental and health concerns in the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of... Read more

Pennsylvania became the 16th state to pass a renewable portfolio standard in November 2004, requiring that 18% of the state’s energy come from alternative sources by 2020. More notably, this is the first statewide renewable-energy standard to include a fossil fuel component. The bill defines Tier 1 energy sources as solar, wind, low-impact... Read more

When deciding where to live, Americans’ top priority is being within a 45-minute commute to work, according to the 2004 American Community Survey, sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart Growth America. A short commute is “very” or “somewhat” important to 79% of respondents. The second most important factor, at 75%, was “... Read more

In the wake of the U.S. Green Building Council’s April 2004 decision not to allow trade associations to become full members (see EBN

Vol. 13, No. 6), the snubbed organizations have banded together to create “The North American Coalition on Green Building.” This group, which at last count had 34 members but no single point of contact,... Read more

Following its July 2004 declaration of Chapter 11 bankruptcy (see EBN

Vol. 13, No. 9), U.S. Plastic Lumber (USPL) has announced that it will discontinue its composite lumber product lines and focus exclusively on 100%-plastic products as part of its restructuring plan. The decision means that USPL will discontinue composite decking and... Read more

During the international climate change conference in Buenos Aires in December 2004, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), representing the 155,000 Inuit, or Eskimo, peoples, announced plans to demand a ruling from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that by contributing to global climate change, the U.S. is threatening Inuit... Read more

A new website is focusing on the market for buying and selling homes that were built or remodeled to be green or healthy. “Although some real estate professionals may be familiar with the concept of green and healthy homes, many are not knowledgeable about the inherent extra value of a specialty home,” according to Roy Prince of Green and... Read more

Aluminum and packaging manufacturer Alcan, Inc. and the International Business Leaders Forum have awarded their first-ever

Alcan Prize for Sustainability to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Alcan created the $1 million prize “to recognize outstanding contributions to the goal of economic, environmental, and social sustainability by... Read more

We last took a broad look at insulation materials exactly ten years ago: in the January/February 1995 issue. A lot has happened since then—manufacturers have introduced new insulation materials, new product formulations have eliminated problem materials such as HCFCs, and improved understanding of performance and health risks has informed our... Read more

In a unanimous vote from the Victoria city council, Windmill Development–VanCity Enterprises has won a bid to redevelop Dockside, an 11.6-acre (2.85 ha) brownfield site in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. The CA$300 million development, expected to take a decade to complete, includes 1 million ft2 (93,000 m2) of residential, commercial,... Read more

Toto, the world’s largest manufacturer of toilets and a significant product innovator, has expanded its hands-free EcoPower™ product line to include flush valves for toilets and urinals. EcoPower sensor-activated faucets, introduced in late 2002, use a tiny hydropower turbine generator for operating and back-up power.

Toto’s EcoPower... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized the contributions of Christine Ervin, USGBC president and CEO between 1999 and 2004, in the opening session of USGBC Day prior to the 2004 Greenbuild conference in Ervin’s hometown of Portland, Oregon. “Christine was a major force in transforming the building industry,” noted Rick Fedrizzi, current... Read more