, the first large-volume producer of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) materials in the U.S., has new owners and a new name. The company, now known as

Matrix Precast Autoclaved Aerated Concrete L.P., is owned by Charlotte, North Carolina-based J. A. Jones, Inc., a provider of construction services worldwide. J. A. Jones,... Read more

by Leon A. Frechette. Craftsman Book Company, Carlsbad, California, 1999. Softcover, 336 pages, $34.75.

Leon A. Frechette’s new book

Build Smarter with Alternative Materials is a well-organized collection of product reviews and material-specific advice from an experienced residential and... Read more

I am writing in response to the article on daylighting—“Daylighting: Energy and Productivity Benefits”—in

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 9 (September 1999). Although I am very pleased to see such a commitment of both article space and staff time to this important topic, it was disappointing to see an exclusive focus on high-cost daylighting... Read more

The

Presidio Trust in San Francisco is this year’s winner of the

Waste Reduction Awards Program from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Among the trust’s many recycling and reuse programs is a program to salvage reusable furnishings and building materials from structures throughout the national park. For more... Read more

New research on mice reported in the scientific journal

Nature (21 October 1999) shows that

Bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in producing polycarbonate plastic,

causes premature puberty and adolescent weight gain. Bisphenol A is one of a number of chemicals suspected of being an “endocrine disrupter”—a class of... Read more

by Architects’ Council of Europe (Brussels): Eoin O’Cofaigh; Energy Research Group, University College (Dublin): Eileen Fitzgerald, Robert Alcock, Ann McNicholl, J. Owen Lewis; Suomen Arkkiteillitto (Helsinki): Vesa Peltonen; and Softech (Turin): Antonella Marucco. James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd., London, 1999. Paperback, 145 pages... Read more

Version 2.0 of the BEES software tool (for “Building Environmental and Economic Sustainability”), a building materials analysis program developed by the U.S. government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is due out in late Spring of 2000. (See

EBN

Vol. 7, No. 5 for a... Read more

by Mary Guzowski. McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000. Hardcover, 450 pages, $79.95.

Since the discovery that toxic spores from the

black mold Stachybotrys atra had caused at least ten infant deaths in Cleveland a few years ago (see

EBN

Vol. 7, No. 3), interest in and awareness of this problem has mushroomed—so to speak. Evidence of this mold has been found in numerous new studies, according to an... Read more

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is offering $1.5 million to support the

installation of photovoltaics on commercial buildings in New York State. Up to 75 percent of project cost or $5 per installed watt of solar capacity may be awarded, with a limit of $750,000 per proposal.... Read more

by Bob Kobet and Wendy Powers of Conservation Consultants, Inc., Stephen Lee of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, and Christine Mondor and Marc Mondor of Big Picture Designs, 1999. Paperback, 50 pages, free from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, P.O. Box... Read more

Every once and a while, when I’m able to step back from the immediate pressures of keeping up with the next deadline, I reflect on the bigger picture of what we’re collectively doing—at

EBN and elsewhere—to advance sustainability. I’m troubled by a paradox: the more successful we are at advancing resource... Read more

The

City of San Francisco Department of the Environment is seeking applicants for a new position of Resource-Efficient Building Coordinator. The position involves overseeing of pilot projects, coordination with other City departments, and outreach within the City government and to the general public. For more information, contact the... Read more

or Concrete

Asphalt and concrete account for the vast majority of paving today. These materials are very different: asphalt is a mix of aggregate and leftover heavy hydrocarbons after more valuable, lighter fractions of crude oil have been extracted; concrete is a hardened, rock-like material usually made by... Read more

Rebuild America has announced its

1999 National Energy Champion Award winners. Among the twelve winners are:

Portland Partners for Energy Efficiency program of the Portland Energy Office, represented by senior energy program manager Curt Nichols;

•Partnership Leader of the Year:

Hilary... Read more

Taking a page from the tobacco book, Rhode Island’s attorney general is suing lead paint manufacturers for allegedly conspiring to market a dangerous product that poisons children. The ten-count lawsuit seeks damages to “get the lead out of Rhode Island’s children, homes, and buildings, by paying to treat... Read more

The average overall

automobile fuel economy in the United States has dropped to its lowest level in nearly 20 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. When light trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are included in the statistics, the fleetwide fuel economy for 1999 model vehicles averages 23.8 miles per gallon... Read more

Trex®, the leading producer of wood-plastic composite decking, has dedicated a new manufacturing plant in Fernley, Nevada. The 160,000 square-foot (14,850 m2) facility was officially dedicated on October 28, though it has been operating since July. Two production lines are currently operating at the plant, with another two scheduled to come on-... Read more

ONSI 200 kW fuel cell power plants have now collectively logged more than 3 million hours of service, according to a press release from the company. The announcement called this a new world record, and noted that the company also held the world record at 2 million hours.  EBN’s fax attendant reported great relief at being spared announcements... Read more