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

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement in October formalizing their

partnership in the promotion of energy-efficient, environmentally responsive buildings. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) extends and expands on a 1996 MOU that had been allowed to expire. In listing... Read more

by Kathryn Houser and Michael Myers, 2002. Published by Sustainable Living Alliance, PO Box 33368, Austin, TX 78764, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The manual and CD-ROM are available free of charge while supplies last. E-mail your request with contact information to rainfall@swbell.net or call 512-326-4636.

... Read more

Of all new commercial construction projects in the nation in 2002, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, over 4% by floor area are registered for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Rating System. Among the 18 projects already certified under LEED version 2.0, 8 are rated Gold and 3 are rated... Read more

At a November 13 reception in Austin, the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) presented their

2002 Best Practice Sustainability Awards. Awards were made in five categories—details at www.sbicouncil.org:

•

Sustainable Policy Initiatives:

The Cool Metal Roofing Coalition, a nonprofit organization founded last year... Read more

BuildingGreen, Inc. and the editors of

Environmental Building News announced at the USGBC conference in Austin our pick of the ten best new green building products. The first-ever award recognizes the most exciting products added to the

GreenSpec Directory during the past year (though some products may have been on the market... Read more

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

The cement industry has announced the merging of two major organizations. The

American Portland Cement Alliance (APCA) will continue its work in government affairs as a division of the newly expanded trade group, the

Portland Cement Association (PCA). In conjunction with its reorganization, the PCA is launching a new logo and... Read more

In September, Global Green USA presented the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System with a

2002 Building Design Award for Designing a Sustainable and Secure World. Global Green USA is online at www.globalgreen.org.

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.

 

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

Kane Hardwood, a Collins Company, has been awarded the

National Hardwood Lumber Association’s (NHLA) Forest Stewardship Award. Kane was recognized for its achievements in public education, political involvement, private landowner education, forest stewardship, and efficient resource utilization. Kane, which owns and manages over 125,000... Read more

The onslaught of wildfires in the western United States in recent years has persuaded the California Office of the State Fire Marshal to incorporate new fire performance requirements into the building codes of homes encroaching on California wildlands. The task of testing how roofs, walls, windows, and decks respond to fire has fallen to the... Read more

The

Oak Hill Fund, formed this year after the W. Alton Jones Foundation was split into three separate foundations, is seeking grant applicants for its Environmentally Sustainable Affordable Design Program. The program includes four initiatives:

•Education, for programs with academic institutions (including K–12);

•Sustainable and... Read more

Land surface changes may be as much to blame for

global climate change as greenhouse gases, according to research by Roger Pielke Sr., professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, and his colleagues. The study, published in a recent issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London and released by... Read more

A single-family home near the Twin Cities in Minnesota is the first to be constructed according to the American Lung Association’s recently revised

Health House® guidelines. The home, completed in September and open for tours, was designed with special attention to ventilation, air filtration, and moisture control. A second Health House... Read more

Under a September executive order signed by Governor Gary Locke, every Washington state agency must establish

sustainability objectives and prepare biennial sustainability plans. The newly named Sustainability Coordinator and Sustainability Advisory Council will organize the plans around energy and water efficiency and a shift to... Read more

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

Ninth International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Hal Levin, Editor. CD-ROM version: $100; 5-volume printed version: $200. Shipping additional. Download an order form:

www.indoorair2002.org.

If you’re doing research on indoor air quality issues, you shouldn’t be without this treasure trove of information. Every oral... Read more

Ben Shepherd

is leaving his position as research consultant for the Green Development Services division of the

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to work for a leading U.K. firm of green consulting engineers and landscape architects,

Battle McCarthy Ltd. After a stint in London, Shepherd will be setting up a U.S. office for that firm... Read more