Two bills in Congress, one in each chamber, would promote resource efficiency in building construction. The Federal Resource Efficient Building Materials Act of 1993 (S. 817), was introduced by Senator John Glenn of Ohio, and the Federal Environmentally Efficient Building Materials Act of 1993 (H.R. 1819), was introduced in the House by... Read more

Amory Lovins, the visionary “energy guru” and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, is among the recipients of this year’s MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.” Lovins is quoted saying he will use the $280,000 award to further RMI’s work.

The Clinton Administration has announced its plan for dealing with the timber controversy in the Pacific Northwest. The plan was severely criticized by advocates on both sides of the debate even before it was publicly announced. Environmentalists are concerned that it may take away the power courts have had to... Read more

The first issue of

EnvironmentalBuilding News was mailed out one year ago to a few hundred subscribers. Six issues later, we have a respectable circulation of well over 1,000. Judging from feedback received, we’re succeeding in what we set out to do: provide useful, unbiased information on how to make buildings... Read more

Assiniboine Community College has a new year-long vocational training program called “Sustainable Shelter Technology,” which will address all aspects of energy, and resource-efficiency, and health in housing. Contact: Mark Burch or the Admissions Office, Assiniboine Community College, 1430 Victoria Ave. East, Brandon, Manitoba R7A 2A9; 204/726-... Read more

A group of product manufacturers and other building professionals has just founded the U.S. Green Building Council, with the goal of promoting environmentally sound and energy-efficient buildings worldwide. The Council was officially established at a May 27 meeting in Washington and already has over thirty... Read more

Dear Mr. MacArthur,

I thought your article in EBN (Vol. 2, No. 3) on “Water-based Poly­urethanes” was useful and timely. We now routinely recommend a water-based finish for health reasons, especially if it is applied in cold weather when adequate ventilation is difficult. Did you try a product called “... Read more

Foam-Tech, Inc. of North Thetford, VT, this past April became the first company to offer a urethane spray or injection foam with zero ozone-depletion potential. Super Green™ is produced with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) 134a, which contains no chlorine and thus does not damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer. In 1991,... Read more

The First North American Conference on Trade in Sustainable Forest Products took place this past May in Washington, D.C. Organized on very short notice by The Forest Partnership of Burlington, Vermont, the conference drew a highly select group of experts in ecologically sound forest practices,... Read more

The International Council for Building Research Studies and Documentation (CIB), based in France, is forming a new working group entitled “Construction and the Environment.” The new group will focus on recycling, waste reduction, by-products, and related matters. Membership in CIB is not a requirement for participation. Contact: Charles J.... Read more

Architecture Schools?

Dear Editor,

I am an architecture student in the first year of a Master of Architecture program. The school which I now attend, despite having an excellent program, places little emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental consciousness in design. I am looking for a school with such a... Read more

On May 18 EPA Administrator Carol Browner announced a program to control hazardous waste combustion that may eliminate the burning of hazardous waste in cement kilns. Effective immediately, all new permits now require comprehensive risk assessment, and existing permits will be reviewed over the next 18 months, according to an EPA press release... Read more

David W. Bearg. Lewis Publishers, 1992. C/O CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL 33431; 407/994-0555. 220 pages, hardcover; $59.95.

David Bearg’s new book is a terrific overview of a very complicated subject. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems for commercial buildings have become increasingly... Read more

Iris Communications, Inc., 258 East 10th Ave., Suite E, Eugene, OR

97401-3284; 503/484-9353

The

Energy Source Directory reviewed in EBN Volume 1, Number 1, has been expanded and updated for 1993, with many new products. Improvements include a listing of windows by type (casement, awning, fixed, etc.), and listings of... Read more

FiberBond, made by Louisiana Pacific Corp., and a similar but now discontinued product, Gypsonite, (which was made by Highland American Corporation), have received a lot of attention among green builders because of their use of recycled cellulose fiber. They have been widely used in environmental demonstration homes,... Read more