BuildingGreen Report

News Brief

June 1, 2004

Stanford University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is seeking applications for a tenure-track assistant professor or untenured associate professor

position focusing on the sustainable development of buildings and other infrastructure. The review of applications will begin September 15, 2004. More information is... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004

Three conservation organizations have sued the federal government to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require maximum achievable

reductions in mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted by coal- and oil-fired power plants. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA’s deadline for issuing these standards was December 20,... Read more

News Analysis

June 1, 2004
Citing demand from project owners and the belief that it’s “the right thing to do,” Allied Waste Industries, Inc. is weaving the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System into its day-to-day operations. In the Great Lakes region, through SunSet Waste Services, and in the Northeast region, through BFI Waste Services, Allied Waste is... Read more

Feature

June 1, 2004
I kept thinking of Yogi Berra’s line “It’s déjà vu all over again” as I pored over dozens of scientific papers, reports, and articles on flame retardants and talked with experts over the past month. Current concerns about certain flame retardants—especially brominated flame retardants—bear striking resemblance to concerns expressed in the 1970s... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004
Chemical reactions between air-fresheners and smog can generate formaldehyde (a probable human carcinogen) and other compounds blamed for respiratory problems, according to a recent study performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and published in the April 2004 issue of

Environmental Science and Technology. The study examined... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004

The U.S. Senate has voted against eliminating a tax incentive for renovating existing buildings. Intense lobbying by preservationists led to the defeat of a plan to sunset the portion of the

Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit that applies to pre-1936 Main-Street-style commercial buildings that are not designated historic. The... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004

Citrus Elementary School in Ocoee, Florida has become the nation’s first school to publish an

online “Utility Report Card,” which tracks and evaluates the school’s electricity consumption. A joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Orange County public school system, the Walt... Read more

News Analysis

June 1, 2004

Following a period of review and discussion, the U.S. Green Building Council board of directors, at its April 26–27 meeting in Washington, D.C., voted to reaffirm an earlier electronic vote not to create a new membership category in the Council for trade associations. The issue of how professional organizations that have the same Internal... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) has named

Douglas H. Reid its new executive director. Reid is leaving his current position as director of development at the University of Massachusetts College of Natural Resources and the Environment in Amherst. NESEA is online at www.nesea.org.

News Brief

June 1, 2004

On Earth Day, April 22, Connecticut governor John Rowland signed Executive Order 32,

requiring state facilities to use 20% renewable power by 2010, 50% renewable power by 2020, and 100% renewable power by 2050. “With my order today, we can begin to clean our air, improve the health of our children, and ensure our long-term energy... Read more

News Analysis

June 1, 2004
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) headquarters buildings in Chino, California have become the fourth project to achieve a LEED® version 2 Platinum rating. The 66,000 ft2 (6,100 m2), two-building IEUA headquarters is the first public agency project, and the largest, to be rated LEED v2 Platinum. And, at $160/ft2 ($1,720/m2) for the tilt-up... Read more

News Brief

June 1, 2004

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the organization most actively promoting green roofs in North America, has announced the winners of its second annual Awards of Excellence.

Winners were selected for industrial and commercial, institutional, and residential projects for both intensive (with more than 6” of growing medium) and... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2004

The

Certified Wood and Paper Association (CWPA), which was formed in 2002 during a reorganization of the Certified Forest Products Council, ceased operations on April 15, 2004. According to a letter on the CWPA Web site by the Board of Directors, the organization was forced to dissolve due to lack of financial resources. Michael... Read more

Feature

May 1, 2004
We have almost a heaven and hell,” says Pauline Souza, of Chong Partners Architecture in San Francisco, describing her firm’s successes and frustrations at greening their work. Mid-sized and large design firms carry a lot of cachet, and clients tend to follow their advice more readily than they follow the suggestions of sole practitioners or small... Read more

Op-Ed

May 1, 2004
Energy and Environmental Policies of the Bush AdministrationTo say that I’m discouraged with energy and environmental policy trends is an understatement. As someone with a generally optimistic outlook, I keep assuming that the policies of the current Administration can’t get any worse. But then I open the morning paper or turn on the radio and... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2004
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced this year’s inductees to the College of Fellows, among the highest honors bestowed on AIA members. Five of this year’s Institute Fellows are noteworthy green designers:

Michael Holtz, president of Architectural Energy Corporation in Boulder, Colorado;

Peter... Read more

News Analysis

May 1, 2004

On April 8, 2004 the California Division of the State Architect (DSA) released a draft of its first environmentally preferable product (EPP) standard—on composite panel products—for public review. Once the standard is finalized, products that conform to it will be eligible to be included in the DSA’s database of environmentally preferable... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2004
Catherine Shawn, an energetic and inspiring advocate of green building and director of the highly regarded High Performance Buildings Salon lecture series held throughout New York State, died of breast cancer on April 5, 2004. Shawn was the creator of the Go2Buildings.com Web site and environmental clearinghouse, which brought designers, builders... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2004
The National Building Museum plans to showcase

the work of architect Samuel Mockbee in a traveling exhibition. The exhibition, which will feature 12 models and more than 100 photographs of Mockbee’s work at Auburn University’s Rural Studio, will open in Washington, D.C. on May 22. For more information on Mockbee and his work, see the review of... Read more

News Analysis

May 1, 2004

Spokane, Washington-based Potlatch Corporation has become the first U.S.-based, publicly traded wood products company to have its forestlands certified according to standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Potlatch chairman and CEO L. Pendleton Siegel announced on April 20, 2004 that forestry operations on the company’s 668,000 acres... Read more