The “Eco-Labeling Act of 2008” is far from becoming the law of the land, but U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is crafting federal legislation under that name to rein in the confusing proliferation of environmental product labels.

The potential environmental benefits of nanomaterials may be significantly offset by the intensive demands of their manufacturing processes, according to research recently published in the

Journal of Industrial Ecology.

EBN

Vol. 17, No. 3) for... Read more

GE Consumer and Industrial is seeking approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the hydrocarbon isobutane in household refrigerators, according to a recent report in

Appliance magazine. Isobutane is neither an ozone-depleting compound nor a greenhouse gas, which sets it apart from the HCFCs and HFCs used in... Read more

In a recent ruling, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) updated the energy code used by states in crafting their own codes for commercial buildings. All states now must have codes equal to or more stringent than ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 or apply for an exemption; the previous requirement referenced the 1999 version of the standard. The... Read more

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 12) was recently chosen to provide heating and cooling at 2,000 housing units at Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. About 600 units are in operation now, with new homes being completed at a rate of 40 each month.

Jack Gafford,... Read more

In signing a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), real estate development firm Cushman & Wakefield has pledged to cut energy use in its U.S. buildings by 30% by 2012. The commercial real estate services firm holds more than 3,200 properties in the U.S. that amount to over 265 million square feet.

Icynene, maker of the widely used and first open-cell polyurethane spray foam insulation of the same name, has launched a new product with some rapidly renewable content. Icynene LD-R-50 is formulated with a polyol derived from the castor plant—a shrub with two annual growing cycles that thrives on marginal land.

Eli Zabar’s bakery and market on East 91st Street in Manhattan seems like a classic New York market. On my half-dozen visits over as many years, I’ve reveled in the gorgeously displayed vegetables and fruits, the vast array of cheeses, and the wide assortment of breads and pastries baked next door. But Zabar’s market, the Vinegar Factory (... Read more

Officials in Portland, Oregon, have proposed a far-reaching green building program that would be the first of its kind in the country.

When NTI founder Kevin Dennison visited western Canada in 1999, he found slab-on-grade houses with air conditioning and heat-recovery ventilation for the summer as well as radiant floor heating for the winter. Looking at all of the separate equipment and the space it required, Dennison wondered, “Why couldn’t we develop a unit that did... Read more

Long before the invention of portland cement, the Romans created impressive concrete structures using lime and a volcanic ash (with properties that were first discovered in Pozzuoli, Italy) that reacted with the lime and hardened the concrete. Coal fly ash, which is the particulate matter collected by pollution-control equipment from... Read more

A recent review in Environmental Health Perspectives of 41 scientific papers found sparse but suggestive evidence for a connection between phthalate exposure and asthma and allergies. The reviewers examined evidence that phthalates, commonly used as plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, increase the risk of asthma and allergies and... Read more

Cyclists were already in line before... Read more

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Let... Read more

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Let... Read more

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