New Mexico Governor Signs Green Home Tax Incentive—New Mexico building owners can now earn an income tax credit for building or renovating a green building. Tax credits for residential buildings range from $4.50–$9.00 per square foot ($50–$100 per m2) for the first 2,000 ft2 (186 m2) depending on the rating a building receives through the U. S... Read more

The New York City (NYC) Department of Education and the NYC Construction Authority have announced the release of the NYC Green Schools Guide and rating system, designed to bring new school construction projects into compliance with Local Law 86, which sets green building requirements for all public buildings in the city. The new rating system... Read more

In a perfect world, energy simulations and design tools would be so well integrated that each time an architect moved a wall, added a window, or changed a lighting specification, the building’s predicted energy performance would be updated and displayed instantly. With that sort of real-time feedback, designers would quickly become skilled at... Read more

A bill passed by the Washington State Legislature places a limited ban on the use and sale of all polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The legislation includes a widespread ban, effective January 1, 2008, on the octa and penta forms of PBDE, which were voluntarily discontinued by the sole manufacturer, Great Lakes Chemical... Read more

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) announced in March 2007 that four firms have achieved accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to perform chain-of-custody certification audits for SFI and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sustainable forestry certification systems. PEFC is an... Read more

Fire... Read more

Michael Potts has replaced Amory Lovins as CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the Colorado-based nonprofit and self-described “think and do tank.” Potts has been a member of RMI’s board of trustees since 2005. He previously served as CEO of software design company American Fundware, and, most recently, as a managing partner at Galway... Read more

Energy Star, the federal energy efficiency program, has announced that it will no longer certify programmable thermostats. According to Energy Star spokesperson Jill Abelson, the thermostats have the potential to save homes $150 or more yearly when used properly, but in practice, homes with programmable thermostats don’t consume less energy... 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 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

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has announced the creation of its first certification programs for ASHRAE members and other professionals. The four programs, to be launched between 2007 and 2008, will focus on healthcare facility mechanical systems, sustainability, commissioning and... Read more

The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment has so far signed on 145 presidents, including those of the nation’s largest universities. The commitment endorses a goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by mid-century and commits signatory institutions to pursuing climate neutrality. Universities have two... 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

In conventional CFLs, a

hot... Read more

The energy firm BP (formerly British Petroleum) has announced the creation of the Energy Biosciences Institute and has selected the University of California–Berkeley, the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to lead the effort. In addition to contributing $500 million over ten years, BP will also... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council’s 2007 Emerging Green Builders Natural Talent Design Competition is accepting registrations. The competition is being held on the local level again this year, with 19 participating chapters each creating their competition around a local design challenge. For example, the Northern California chapter is asking... Read more

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

EBN

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