The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) has recognized the Greenguard Children and Schools product certification program from the Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) as a means of improving indoor air quality in school buildings. GEI’s product certification program complies with California’s Department of Health Services... Read more

A report from the United Nations Environment Programme, titled “Buildings and Climate Change: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities,” details connections between the building industry and efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. According to the report, which focuses primarily on Europe, more rigorous energy efficiency standards there could... Read more

Much has changed in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Technical Scientific Advisory Committee [TSAC] final report on PVC [see

EBN

Vol. 16, No. 3]. In this round, TSAC expanded its analysis to account for life-cycle issues that traditional LCA (life-cycle analysis) tools often miss, such as disposal issues and occupational... Read more

According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Americans took more than 10 billion trips on local public transportation in 2006, reaching the highest level since 1957. Ridership was up 3% between the end of 2005 and the end of 2006, and up 28% in the decade since 1996. Over the last decade, the growth rate of public transit... Read more

Fire... Read more

BuildingGreen Suite.

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EpiCenter, Artists for Humanity (Boston;... Read more

The remarkable ability of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to refract, or bend, light makes the substance suitable for myriad applications, including pigment in paint, paper, plastics, cosmetics, and food; a light-blocking ingredient in sunscreen; and a UV-reflector in applications including ceramics and glass. In addition, some TiO2 molecules in a... Read more

Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are permanent forms for poured-concrete walls; the forms are typically stacked without mortar before concrete is poured, providing insulation and often reducing the amount of concrete needed for the resulting wall.

The insulation material varies from system to system, with the most common being high-... Read more

• The

World Birding Center Headquarters in Mission, Texas, designed by Lake Flato Architects, is an integral part of... Read more

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) seem to have reached widespread acceptance: large retailers such as Wal-Mart are encouraging their customers to purchase the energy-saving lamps, Chinese manufacturing has significantly reduced costs, and rebates are available for them in some areas. Now there are several initiatives to ban the sale and use of... Read more

Thank you for your recent review of Cradle to Cradle certification (see

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Vol. 16, No. 2), and the more general look at nascent attempts to understand and assess the thousands of materials we put in our buildings. As usual, the article was thorough, clear, and complete, and I salute both

EBN and all those about whom... Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the recipients of its first WaterSense labels for landscape irrigation certification programs. The Irrigation Association’s programs to certify irrigation designers and contractors have been recognized by EPA for their ability to teach principles of water-saving irrigation design.... Read more

The American Institute of Architects has announced the admission of 76 architects to its College of Fellows for 2007. Elected to the position by a jury of their peers, fellows are recognized for their design achievements and for their service to the profession and the public. Among the fellows recognized were several who specialize in green... Read more

Both major associations of interior designers, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), have entered into collaborative agreements with BuildingGreen, publisher of

Environmental Building News, that make online access to

BuildingGreen Suite available at a special... Read more

A McGraw-Hill Construction study, the

Education Green Building SmartMarket Report, suggests that green schools represent a growing sector of the construction market. The $53 billion education sector currently represents over 27% of the construction market by value, and the study suggests that the green portion of this market will be... Read more

Disposal of unused drugs in toilets, as well as human and livestock excretion of drugs, has polluted surface water and groundwater with traces of pharmaceuticals. In coordination with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently... Read more