In the

New Commercial Construction category, the winner was the Vermont Law School’s Oakes Hall designed by Truex... Read more

US Century, the manufacturer of FlexShake, is no longer in business.

On May 15, the first-in-the-nation, comprehensive green building tax credit was signed into New York state law (see

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 5). A modest fund—$25 million over nine years—has been established to support the program. “The significance does not lie in the amount, it lies in the... Read more

On March 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new regulations designed to reduce

pollution from small power equipment, such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, and weed trimmers. The regulations, to be phased in over seven years, are expected to reduce the emission of smog-causing pollutants by 350,000 tons (320,000 tonnes... Read more

Flooring, paneling, and other wood products from Green Mountain Woodworks (GMW) in Southwestern... Read more

2nd edition, 2000. Austin Energy, PO Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767-8844; 512/505-3700, 512/499-2859 (fax). 3-ring binder format, 266 pages, $60.

The

Sustainable Building Sourcebook came out in 1993 (see

EBN

Vol. 3, No. 1) as one of the leading resources on green building, providing... Read more

At its March 30 Federal Government Summit, the U.S. Green Building Council presented the first twelve buildings to receive LEED™ certification (see descriptions, starting at right). These buildings are certified under the standards of the pilot program—also known as LEED 1.0—so no actual scores or levels (such... Read more

I always read

EBN all the way through, but I look for the best parts and go to them first. After leafing through the whole magazine, I started on the “Structure as Finish” article (

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 3), thinking at first—“not so interesting.” By the time I was into the third... Read more

A new

Gallup poll on the environment shows continued broad support for the goals of the environmental movement—but not as a top priority. Of the 1,004 adults polled during April 3-9, 83% agree with the goals of the environmental movement, including 43% who “strongly agree.” Among those surveyed, 55% describe current environmental... Read more

The executive committee of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has selected its ten recognized projects for Earth Day 2000. More details and contact information are available from Mike Janes of The AIA press office at 202/626-7467 or mjanes@aia.org.

In an ironic example of a great idea that is struggling commercially, Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Company has created a new carpet backing but is having trouble selling it. Amoco’s AdBac® Composite Backing System has a host of advantages: it is lighter weight, easier to install, and free of the odor (... Read more

By the time you read this,

EBN’s Internet presence, including our Web site and e-mail addresses, will be at the BuildingGreen.com domain. Ebuild.com, the cyber-identity we grew up with, is being sold to a leading publisher in the homebuilding industry. We’re excited about the change for two reasons: 1) the... Read more

Washington state is following the lead of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and others in moving toward

certification of state-owned forestland. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced in late March that it would like to have up to 1.1 million acres (445,000 ha) of state land certified under the Forest Stewardship Council... Read more

1999 energy consumption in the United States increased 1.6% over 1998, according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA). Total consumption was 92.72 quads (97.9 x 1018 J). At the same time, domestic energy production dropped 0.86% and net imports increased 2.59%. Dependence on petroleum... Read more

The secondary mortgage lending market is complex and can be confusing. While sale of mortgages on the secondary market can actually limit green options (with the requirements for conventional heating and wastewater systems, for example), it can also be a way of encouraging green—at least if Fannie Mae’s new Green... Read more

On April 4, 2000 the San Jose, California City Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at

promoting green building practices in the city. With an estimated $1.4 billion in total value of building permits issued during fiscal year 1997/98, this new program could affect a lot of construction. The recommendations approved by the... Read more

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 5) as their first climate-neutral product, and Saunders now offers climate-... Read more

In what is believed to be a first, a municipal government in the United States is joining with an international alliance of island nations to combat global warming. The Monroe Board of County Commissioners in the Florida Keys passed a resolution in mid-March acknowledging the likelihood of significant impacts from global warming and agreeing to... Read more

by Chris Magwood and Peter Mack, 2000. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C., Canada.

Paperback, 234 pages, $24.95.

Straw Bale Building makes a substantial contribution to the literature in many ways.

First and foremost, the book is authored (and published) by Canadians with a definite focus... Read more

In a major achievement for environmental activists, two of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Kaufman & Broad (K&B) and Centex Homes, have publicly committed to eliminating their use of wood from endangered forests. Both statements arrived just days before an April 1 “Day of... Read more