BuildingGreen Report

Feature

May 1, 2005
Building materials have undergone a breakneck evolution in the past century. Standard dimensions and shapes, predictable qualities, and manufactured precision make it quicker and easier to design and construct new buildings with laser-flat walls, straight and sharp corners, and glass-smooth floors. For most people, the more crisp, precise, and... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005
Sarah Susanka, author of the

Not So Big House series, was named a 2005 Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Along with 65 other architects, Susanka will be invested during a ceremony on May 20. The complete list of 2005 Fellows is online at www.aia.org/fellows_default/.

News Brief

May 1, 2005

A class-action lawsuit against DuPont was finalized in February 2005, resulting in a $108 million settlement (see

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Vol. 13, No. 11 for more on the tentative settlement). DuPont was charged with polluting the drinking water of several Ohio and West Virginia communities with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8,... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005
The California Integrated Waste Management Board is sponsoring a competition for prototypes of building and landscaping products made out of tires culled from the state’s waste stream. Products will be displayed and judged at the California State Fair, to be held in Sacramento in July 2005. The competition is open to anyone who resides in... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005
North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad announced plans in March 2005 for North America’s largest biodiesel manufacturing plant, to be constructed in Minot beginning late this summer. The $50 million North Dakota Biodiesel, Inc., plant will be able to produce 100,000 tons (91,000 tonnes) of biodiesel each year from more than 355,000 acres of canola. The... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected eight

Green Projects and one

Special Recognition from among more than 60 entries. This year’s jury included Bob Berkebile, FAIA, of Berkebile Nelson Immerschuh McDowell (BNIM) Architects; Daniel Nall, FAIA, of Flack & Kurtz, Inc.; Henry Siegel, FAIA, of Siegel & Strain... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005

U.S. net imports of petroleum reached a record level in 2004, coming in at 57.8% of all petroleum used, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy. Just over 19% of those imports came from the Persian Gulf countries. EIA is online at www.eia.doe.gov.

News Brief

May 1, 2005
by John Abrams; Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, VT, 2005; 328 pages, $27.50, hardcover

South Mountain Company, cofounded by EBN advisory board member John Abrams, has been a pioneer in democratizing the workplace. The Martha’s Vineyard design-build firm, founded in 1975, became an employee-owned company in 1987. Not only is... Read more

News Analysis

May 1, 2005
In March 2005, Harvard University launched a Green Building Loan Fund. This $3 million fund for new construction projects is modeled on an existing fund that supports retrofits and renovations—the Green Campus Loan Fund. Both are revolving funds that provide capital for investments in energy and resource efficiency and get repaid by claiming a... Read more

News Brief

May 1, 2005

The North Carolina State Energy Office named Raleigh-based Innovative Design, Inc.,

North Carolina’s Energy Champion in March 2005. Led by Michael Nicklas, FAIA, Innovative Design has been incorporating active and passive solar design, energy efficiency, and other green features into its buildings since its beginnings in 1977. More... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2005
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced the winners of its 2005 National Green Building Awards in March during its Green Building Conference in Atlanta. “Green building is a way of life for these award winners,” said Ray Tonjes, homebuilder and chairman of NAHB’s Green Building Subcommittee.

• Cannon Beach Cottage, a 2,268 ft2... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2005
Decreased intelligence caused by fetal exposure to mercury costs the U.S. economy $8.7 billion each year in lost productivity, according to a study published in

Environmental Health Perspectives. About 15% of that cost burden can be attributed to the emissions of coal-fired power plants, according to the study, which was performed by... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2005
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has begun awarding pre-certification through the pilot program of the LEED® Rating System for Core and Shell Development, which began accepting applications in late 2003. In recognition that LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) does not apply to most speculative office, retail, or mixed-... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2005
The Sherwin-Williams Company, the nation’s largest paint manufacturer, has dropped its challenges of Pennsylvania’s new air-quality regulations. The state’s new coating standards set limits for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 48 distinct categories, including paints, primers, and stains. The regulations are anticipated to reduce... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2005

The third-party certifier Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) confirmed in March 2005 that Owens Corning has increased the average recycled content of its fiberglass insulation from 30% to 35%. The insulation now includes 9% post-consumer and 26% post-industrial recycled content. (For more information about insulation, see

EBN

... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2005

Having recently read your cover story “Recycled Content: What is it and What is it Worth?” [

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Vol. 14, No. 2], I would like to commend author Nadav Malin for a very comprehensive review of the subject matter.

I am also compelled to comment on the following quote, attributed to Wayne Trusty, president of the Athena™... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2005
The Building Materials Reuse Association (formerly the Used Building Materials Association, see

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Vol. 13, No. 3) is seeking presentation proposals for its upcoming conference, Building Materials Reuse and Recycling: Decon ’05. The conference will be held November 7 and 8, 2005, in Atlanta, just before the U.S. Green Building Council’... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2005

At press time, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire was expected within days to sign into law a bill passed on March 30, 2005, by the Washington State legislature requiring Silver-level certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System for all major construction projects built with public funds. Executive orders and... Read more

Product Review

April 1, 2005
Cooling towers dissipate heat through evaporation, using large thermal transfer areas wetted by recirculating water. They often provide the most cost-effective option for removing heat generated in manufacturing, power generation, and large, refrigerant-based air-conditioning systems; but the combination of heat, expansive moist areas, and... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2005

The Marco Island City Council voted four to two in March 2005 to ban artificial turf, in response to a dispute between homeowner Ed Ehlen and his neighbors (see

EBN

Vol. 14, No. 2). While Ehlen argued that his synthetic lawn’s water savings made it environmentally friendly, the city council countered that the lawn’s rubber... Read more