BuildingGreen Report

News Brief

December 1, 2002

Fifty schools throughout the state of New York will receive photovoltaic panels, thanks to a grant through the

Energy Smart Schools Program of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The PV arrays, each with a peak capacity of 2 kW, will be accompanied by curricular materials to help teachers explain the... Read more

News Analysis

December 1, 2002
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) was formally launched by its nine founding nations on November 11. Representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, and the United States gathered in Austin to ratify the formal constitution of what they hope will serve as the United Nations of Green Building Councils.

... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is seeking applications for its

2003 Northeast Green Building Awards. The awards are open to new construction or renovations completed after January 1, 1998 in the northeastern United States. Submissions are due February 11. Details are online at www.nesea.org/buildings/2003design... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002

“Does the presence of

lead pigment in paint and in coatings in homes, schools, hospitals, and other public and private buildings throughout the state of Rhode Island constitute a public nuisance?” A mistrial was declared in October when a six-member jury could not agree on the answer. Following seven weeks of testimony and four days of... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002

U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, DC 20036; 202/828-7422, www.usgbc.org. 2002. Spiral-bound, 64 pages, pricing not set by EBN press time.

Across the country, state and local governments have implemented legislation, building codes, tax breaks, and other incentives for green building in the public as well as the private sector (see... Read more

Product Review

December 1, 2002
In the early 1990s, the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin developed and patented a technology for making lightweight, high-strength panels from recycled cellulose fibers. This technology, known as “Spaceboard,” was licensed to several companies, including Gridcore Systems International (GSI), which had the license for building... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002
The U.S. Green Building Council awarded its first

Sacred Tree Leadership Awardsin Austin for outstanding contributions to green building. Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface, Inc. won the

Green Business Award. The

USGBC Leadership Award went to Rob Watson, director of the Natural Resource Defense Council’s... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002

Americans may want to “live larger” but not necessarily in larger homes. Over 1,000 Americans were recently asked by Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch, on behalf of the industry trade group The Hardwood Information Center, to

describe the perfect house. Americans dream of an average 2,500 ft2 (230 m2) house, according to the survey—not... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002

U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, DC 20036; 202/828-7422, www.usgbc.org. Brochure, 14 pages, single copies available free from USGBC Marketing Department.

At the Austin conference, the U.S. Green Building Council unveiled an attractive new brochure, “Making the Business Case for High Performance Green Buildings.” The concise, clear... Read more

Feature

December 1, 2002
Likely to be remembered as a watershed in the sustainable building movement, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) first annual International Conference and Exposition, held in Austin, Texas last month, was a resounding success. While the Council hoped for about 2,000 attendees, the final tally, including exhibitors, was 4,189 registrants. The... Read more

News Brief

December 1, 2002
David M. Keith

, a principal at Boulder, Colorado’s Marshall Design, Inc., was named a Fellow of the

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) for his contributions to the improved efficiency of outdoor and indoor lighting systems, including research in roadway lighting and lighting control systems.

News Brief

December 1, 2002

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is seeking applicants for its 2003 National Green Building Awards, to be announced at the National Green Building Conference March 30 through April 1, 2003 in Baltimore, Maryland. Applications are due December 31. For more information, call 888-602-HOME or visit www.nahbrc.org.

 

Op-Ed

November 1, 2002
Environmental Building News

executive editor Alex Wilson testified in October before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs. Wilson joined Claire Barnett, founder and director of the Healthy Schools Network, and Lois Gibbs, director of the Center for... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002

When The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment first convened, it immediately identified as a top priority the need for information about the environmental impacts of building materials. With funding from the U.S. EPA and the technical expertise of Joel Ann Todd’s Scientific Consulting Group, AIA produced a series of... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002

Capital E is seeking

case studies documenting specific benefits of green buildings, as part of a contract with California’s Department of General Services and other agencies to analyze the full costs and benefits of green buildings. Documented examples of benefits that are not always recognized, such as enhanced occupant health,... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002
The

Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region (SC-OR) wastewater treatment plant in Oroville, California, will begin operating on solar energy this month. A 3-acre (1.2 ha) field adjacent to the plant is home to a

520 kW solar power array, installed by Sun Power and Geothermal Energy of San Rafael, that will supply 80% of the plant’s energy... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002

The

Santa Fe Public Utilities Committee believes it has found a way to stretch the city’s limited water supply to satisfy an ever-growing population. If the committee’s controversial “

toilet tax” is accepted by the City Council, builders will have to replace 8–12 toilets in existing Santa Fe buildings with low-flow models to... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and The American Institute of Architects (AIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in October, continuing and expanding their partnership that

promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in the built environment. Details are available from DOE’s Chris Kielich at 202/586-5806.... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002
Home Depot has expanded its solar power program, launched in 2001 in

California, to the East Coast. Visitors to select Delaware, New Jersey, and New York Home Depot stores can now choose between AstroPower’s SunUPS® and SunLine™ Solar Electric Home Power Systems. Home Depot is selling, installing, and servicing the systems under its “At-Home... Read more

News Brief

November 1, 2002

Torrance, California will soon be home to a 501 kW rooftop PV system. The array, to be installed by PowerLight Corporation, will bedeck 52,000 ft2 (4,800 m2) of the Toyota Motor Sales USA headquarters. Details are available online at

www.powerlight.com.