BuildingGreen Report

News Brief

January 1, 2005

by Jerry Yudelson, 2004. Green Building Marketing, 4727 S.W. Vesta Street, Portland, OR 97219, 503-246-4111. Three-ring binder, 206 pages, $79.95.

The Insider’s Guide to Marketing Green Buildings is a no-frills book that delivers. Author Jerry Yudelson, a professional engineer with a master’s degree in business administration and... Read more

News Analysis

January 1, 2005

Revere Copper Products, Inc. ceased production of lead-coated copper roofing at the end of September 2004, according to Anne Schade of Revere.

EBN believes that Revere was the last producer of lead-coated, or terne-coated, copper roofing. Terne is an alloy of 70% lead and 30% tin that produces an attractive, gray roofing surface. Revere... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005
“Builders and consumers are realizing that by reducing a home’s footprint through better design, they can put the savings into details that are high-quality, energy-efficient, and environmentally sound,” says Sarah Susanka, whose books started the Not So Big™ movement. A showhouse built according to Susanka’s principles debuts January 13–16, 2005... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

Shaw Industries, Inc. and Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. have announced a plan to generate steam energy from carpet and wood waste resulting from Shaw’s manufacturing processes. The plan will save energy while lowering Shaw’s plant emissions and reducing the amount of waste it sends to landfills. Siemens will build and service a conversion... Read more

News Analysis

January 1, 2005

Global chiller manufacturer York International stopped offering new chillers using the ozone-depleting refrigerant HCFC-123 beginning November 15, 2004. While touting the quality of its HCFC-123 chiller line, York cited the mandated global phaseout of HCFC refrigerants by the year 2020—well within the operating life of new chillers—as the... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Green Building Initiative in December 2004, mandating that all new and renovated state-owned facilities achieve a LEED

® Silver or higher rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Initiative, part of executive order S-20-04, was made in recognition that state-owned buildings... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

Habitat for Humanity and the Charlottesville Community Design Center have announced a competition to redesign an existing trailer park in Charlottesville, Virginia to provide environmentally responsible, affordable, multifamily housing. Other project goals include providing community green space and commercial space for service providers while... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

The American Public Health Association, representing more than 50,000 researchers, health-service providers, administrators, teachers, and other health workers, has called for a phaseout of all polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, including the widely used deca-BDE. The organization made its recommendation in light of “... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

Following a “tough underwriting reception,” the environmental home-improvement television series

Build It Green! (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 12) is once again on track after the nonprofit GreenBlue (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 6) agreed to sign on as fiscal sponsor. The series, to be broadcast nationally on PBS, will... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005
Anthony Bernheim, FAIA, principal of green design and managing principle at SMWM, was awarded the

2004 Nathaniel A. Owings Award by The American Institute of Architects’ California Council. Named for the late Nathaniel A. Owings, FAIA, of Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the award recognizes “individuals or groups who have demonstrated... Read more

News Analysis

January 1, 2005
Following two years of development and review, the Green Guide for Health Care™ (GGHC) has been released in version 2.0 pilot form. Modeled closely on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED

® Rating System, GGHC identifies and quantifies environmental and health concerns in the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

The U.S. Green Building Council has announced the results of the election for its 2005 board of directors. The new members are

Charles Angyal, FAIA, chief architect of Sempra Energy Utilities;

Dan Burgoyne, sustainability manager at the California Department of General Services;

Tim Cole, director of support services at... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

Pennsylvania became the 16th state to pass a renewable portfolio standard in November 2004, requiring that 18% of the state’s energy come from alternative sources by 2020. More notably, this is the first statewide renewable-energy standard to include a fossil fuel component. The bill defines Tier 1 energy sources as solar, wind, low-impact... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005
edited by Pamela Lippe, 2004. Published by Earth Day New York, 201 E. 42nd Street, Suite 3200, New York, NY 10017, www.earthdayny.org. Paperback, 136 pages, $25.

Pamela Lippe and Earth Day New York have released another gem of a compilation, including two dozen cutting-edge essays from some of the green building world’s most acclaimed... Read more

News Analysis

January 1, 2005
Worldwide solar-thermal energy capacity far exceeds that of other renewable sources, such as wind and photovoltaics, according to a new report. To make it easier to compare these energy sources, a team of experts representing seven countries, including the U.S., Canada, and several European nations, agreed on a new methodology—replacing square... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

When deciding where to live, Americans’ top priority is being within a 45-minute commute to work, according to the 2004 American Community Survey, sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart Growth America. A short commute is “very” or “somewhat” important to 79% of respondents. The second most important factor, at 75%, was “... Read more

News Brief

January 1, 2005

In a unanimous vote from the Victoria city council, Windmill Development–VanCity Enterprises has won a bid to redevelop Dockside, an 11.6-acre (2.85 ha) brownfield site in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. The CA$300 million development, expected to take a decade to complete, includes 1 million ft2 (93,000 m2) of residential, commercial,... Read more

Product Review

Toto has expanded its hands-free EcoPower line to include flush valves for toilets and urinals.

January 1, 2005

Toto, the world’s largest manufacturer of toilets and a significant product innovator, has expanded its hands-free EcoPower™ product line to include flush valves for toilets and urinals. EcoPower sensor-activated faucets, introduced in late 2002, use a tiny hydropower turbine generator for operating and back-up power.

Toto’s EcoPower... Read more

Feature

January 1, 2005

We last took a broad look at insulation materials exactly ten years ago: in the January/February 1995 issue. A lot has happened since then—manufacturers have introduced new insulation materials, new product formulations have eliminated problem materials such as HCFCs, and improved understanding of performance and health risks has informed our... Read more

News Analysis

December 1, 2004

At press time (late November 2004) the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) was preparing to launch its own version of LEED® for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC). Under the licensing agreement with the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings that achieve LEED certification by CaGBC will be recognized as LEED buildings by the... Read more