In a June 13, 2005, decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals’ Seventh Circuit upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Construction General Permit (CGP). This permit streamlines the permitting process, allowing property owners and contractors to discharge stormwater runoff from their sites without obtaining individual permits or undergoing... Read more

The latest release of Energy-10™, the leading energy-modeling tool for small commercial buildings, provides improved integration with window data from the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) and includes the ability to model some additional HVAC system types. Developed primarily by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Energy... Read more

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has bid farewell to Alex Zimmerman, who had served as president of the nonprofit organization since August 2003. “I can’t say enough about Alex’s contributions to the CaGBC,” says Joe Van Belleghem, cofounder of the Council, noting that CaGBC now boasts more than 900 members and 140 registered projects... Read more

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the “Precautionary Purchasing Ordinance” into law in June 2005, requiring city departments to consider public health and environmental responsibility when making purchases, which amount to about $600 million each year. “By exercising our economic power, San Francisco can encourage market development of... Read more

The Council of the District of Columbia has enacted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that applies to all retail electricity sales in Washington, D.C. The two-tiered system establishes yearly benchmarks for tier-one and tier-two resources. By 2022, all utilities must generate 11% of their electricity from tier-one resources, including solar... Read more

The U.S. Department of Energy has released version 1.2.2 of its EnergyPlus modeling software, compatible with Windows and Linux operating systems. The new version features more weather files and the ability to model more complex ventilation designs, among other enhancements. Details are at www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/.

Stains and sealants can reduce the cancer risk posed by decks and playground equipment treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), according to preliminary results from a study being undertaken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Oil- or water-based stains that can penetrate wood... Read more

Twenty Middlebury College students have teamed up with the nonprofit Green House Network to create the

Flat Earth Award, designed to publicly expose well-known climate-change naysayers “for their denial of the facts on global warming.” This year’s nominees were Michael Crichton, whose 2004 novel,

State of Fear, portrays climate... Read more

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an executive directive in April 2005 requiring that all new buildings for state agencies, universities, and community colleges be certified according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System. The directive also requires that all buildings owned or operated by the state reduce their... Read more

The Enterprise Foundation has released a report that summarizes how different states are using federal low-income housing tax credits to support green building. “The report finds that many states encourage developers to meet some standard of energy and/or water efficiency; utilize sustainable, durable materials; and ensure proximity to services... Read more

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Vol. 13, No. 7). “The design utilizes the natural asset of earth to create terraces that emulate the gentle flow of the area’s... Read more

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is urging businessmen to doff their suits this summer to save air-conditioning energy. “I, too, will go without jackets and ties,” said Koizumi, who called for setting thermostats no cooler than 82° F (28° C). Japan imports more than 80% of its energy, and has committed, through the Kyoto Protocol, to... Read more

A bill being debated in the California legislature would ban both bisphenol-A and certain phthalate plasticizers in baby products. Bill AB 319, introduced in the California legislature in February 2005 by Assemblywoman Wilma Chan of Oakland, would ban, effective January 1, 2007, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any product... Read more

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Vol. 14, No. 1).