BuildingGreen Report

Blog Post

April 16, 2009

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.

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Blog Post

April 14, 2009
The ClimateMaster ground-source heat pump is recognized by the GreenSpec directory as a green product.

Last week I introduced heat pumps and described how they can deliver more heat than is contained in the electricity they consume--while being able to provide cooling as well as heating. I mentioned two different types of heat pumps: air-... Read more

Blog Post

April 13, 2009
The myth that plants will clean the air is a seductive one: if true, we could fix indoor air quality problems without expensive changes to mechanical systems and without worrying about what materials we introduce to the indoor environment. There is scientific evidence that plants clean the air, pulling formaldehyde and other pollutants out of... Read more

Blog Post

April 11, 2009
(For those who might feel that the Climate Denial Crock of the Week post needs some balance.)

Blog Post

April 11, 2009

Peter Sinclair is a graphic artist, illustrator, animator, and environmental awareness advocate. He's been posting a series of "Climate Denial Crock of the Week" videos on the internet.

The Great Petition Fraud. "We've all heard about the 'Petitions' of 'Scientists' who disagree with Climate Science. This sordid little episode... Read more

Blog Post

April 7, 2009
An air-source heat pump is like a window air conditioner: Running one way, it cools, running the other, it heats. When outside air is cold enough, electric resistance heaters kick in. Most air source heat pumps work better in moderate climates than cold ones, although there are specialized models for cold areas.

I used to think that electric... Read more

Blog Post

April 6, 2009
On March 27, a shake-table simulation of twice the ground acceleration of the '94 Northridge CA earthquake was run in the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation's Large Structures Laboratory at the University of Nevada on a full-scale model of a strawbale housing unit developed in the wake of the devastating 2005 Kashmir 7.6 magnitude... Read more

Blog Post

April 6, 2009
EBN reported last October on a California law requiring annual energy-use reporting for all nonresidential buildings. (Commercial owners will have to disclose energy use starting in 2010.) How far behind is a national law? Last week, a 648-page draft was released of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) bill by House... Read more

Blog Post

April 3, 2009
"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the first-ever nationwide report this morning on the level of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) found in U.S. coastal areas and the Great Lakes. The report contradicts earlier surveys that suggested PBDEs, chemicals commonly used as flame retardants in commercial goods since the... Read more

Blog Post

March 31, 2009
You're aware of the major changes that are coming to the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) system. If you pass the exam now, you come on board through the older, more familiar system that doesn't require actual LEED project experience. The key dates for the changeover have finally been announced. Now all that's left to do is register for... Read more

Blog Post

March 30, 2009

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.

Read the current bulletin

Blog Post

March 29, 2009

Occasionally I wonder if I have some sort of masochistic streak--somehow enjoying the grief I get when bursting people's favorite bubbles. I'll brace myself for such a response to this column, when I point out why radiant-floor heating systems don't make sense for new, energy-efficient houses.

Radiant-floor heating is a way of... Read more

News Brief

March 26, 2009
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center has recently begun designating products “Green Approved” and linking them to “green practices” in the NAHB scoring tool that serves as the first step toward certification under the new National Green Building Standard (see

EBN Mar. 2009). Despite the label’s name, the Research... Read more

Op-Ed

March 26, 2009
We were shocked when we learned, just a week after Gail Lindsey’s death, that Greg Franta was missing. Four weeks later, Greg’s car and body were discovered in a ravine along U.S. Route 93 between Boulder and Golden, Colorado. His car had tumbled off the road in the early morning hours of Monday, February 9, and rolled 375 feet, obscuring it from... Read more

News Brief

March 26, 2009

Individuals and companies who audit and retrofit homes for greater energy efficiency now have a trade association, Efficiency First. The group hopes to encourage the home retrofit industry through its support of national standards, legislation, incentives, financing, and training. Among the inaugural members are the Building Performance... Read more

News Analysis

March 26, 2009
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has developed a rating label for buildings, which it will launch at its annual meeting in June 2009. The label is the result of collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program and is designed to expand the reach of that... Read more

News Brief

March 26, 2009

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has announced that the first exam for its Green Roof Professional accreditation program will take place on June 5, 2009, at the group’s annual conference in Atlanta. The exam, which costs $395, will subsequently be available in Toronto, Seattle, Chicago, and New York in the fall of 2009. The exam will test... Read more

News Analysis

March 26, 2009

Of the $787 billion included in the economic stimulus package signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, just under $79 billion will go to renewable energy, energy-efficiency and green transportation projects. “The president’s recovery plan is a down payment on a clean energy transformation of our economy that will help solve... Read more

Product Review

March 26, 2009
By Tristan RobertsMany cost-effective green retrofit strategies involve expert audits or operational changes (see "Cost-Effective Green Retrofits" for detail). Many opportunities are also available in key product areas. To highlight some of the best, we’ve combed through our

GreenSpec Directory of green building products for this list of the... Read more

News Brief

March 26, 2009
The board of supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia, declared a five-year moratorium on non-conventional, or alternative, septic systems in November 2008, but three months later the state assembly passed bills prohibiting localities from banning the systems. Governor Tim Kaine has not yet taken a position on the matter. Alternative septic systems... Read more