BuildingGreen Report

Case Study

May 1, 2000
Vermont Law School’s Oakes Hall: Green Building on a Budget

Oakes Hall is not one of those buildings that jumps out and screams “green.”

In the words of architect Rolf Kielman, AIA, a principal with Truex Cullins & Partners Architects, the 24,000 ft2 (2,200 m2) building “fits in quietly behind the historic fabric that is both the... Read more

Feature

May 1, 2000

A crew of five works steadily —lowering rafters, pulling nails, cleaning mortar off bricks, bundling oak strip flooring—turning an old building into carefully stacked lumber, palleted bricks, and windows organized by size. They call themselves a deconstruction services team. They take buildings apart in pretty much the reverse order of their... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000
Sustainable Building Sourcebook:

2nd edition, 2000. Austin Energy, PO Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767-8844; 512/505-3700, 512/499-2859 (fax). 3-ring binder format, 266 pages, $60.

The

Sustainable Building Sourcebook came out in 1993 (see

EBN

Vol. 3, No. 1) as one of the leading resources on green building, providing... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000

A new

Gallup poll on the environment shows continued broad support for the goals of the environmental movement—but not as a top priority. Of the 1,004 adults polled during April 3-9, 83% agree with the goals of the environmental movement, including 43% who “strongly agree.” Among those surveyed, 55% describe current environmental... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2000
Dan Woodbury Promoted to Publisher

We’re pleased to announce that Dan Woodbury is moving from the role of marketing director to that of publisher! Dan has proven himself invaluable in expanding our circulation and helping to produce and sell our other products, and we’re excited that the responsibilities of publisher will now be in such capable... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000
The AIA’s Top Ten for Earth Day 2000

The executive committee of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has selected its ten recognized projects for Earth Day 2000. More details and contact information are available from Mike Janes of The AIA press office at 202/626-7467 or mjanes@aia.org.

... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000

Washington state is following the lead of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and others in moving toward

certification of state-owned forestland. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced in late March that it would like to have up to 1.1 million acres (445,000 ha) of state land certified under the Forest Stewardship Council... Read more

Product Review

April 1, 2000
Restoring Forests and Making Flooring

EBN’s usual policy is to encourage only the use of wood products certified to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards, but we recently learned of uncertified flooring that is good for the forest.

Flooring, paneling, and other wood products from Green Mountain Woodworks (GMW) in Southwestern... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000
Newsbriefs

1999 energy consumption in the United States increased 1.6% over 1998, according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA). Total consumption was 92.72 quads (97.9 x 1018 J). At the same time, domestic energy production dropped 0.86% and net imports increased 2.59%. Dependence on petroleum... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2000
LEED Pioneer Buildings Announced

At its March 30 Federal Government Summit, the U.S. Green Building Council presented the first twelve buildings to receive LEED™ certification (see descriptions, starting at right). These buildings are certified under the standards of the pilot program—also known as LEED 1.0—so no actual scores or levels (such... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000

On April 4, 2000 the San Jose, California City Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at

promoting green building practices in the city. With an estimated $1.4 billion in total value of building permits issued during fiscal year 1997/98, this new program could affect a lot of construction. The recommendations approved by the... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2000
Carpet Backing Too Green for the Market?

In an ironic example of a great idea that is struggling commercially, Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Company has created a new carpet backing but is having trouble selling it. Amoco’s AdBac® Composite Backing System has a host of advantages: it is lighter weight, easier to install, and free of the odor (... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2000
Structure as Finish Ties It All Together

I always read

EBN all the way through, but I look for the best parts and go to them first. After leafing through the whole magazine, I started on the “Structure as Finish” article (

EBN

Vol. 9, No. 3), thinking at first—“not so interesting.” By the time I was into the third... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000

In what is believed to be a first, a municipal government in the United States is joining with an international alliance of island nations to combat global warming. The Monroe Board of County Commissioners in the Florida Keys passed a resolution in mid-March acknowledging the likelihood of significant impacts from global warming and agreeing to... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2000
Green Mortgages from Fannie Mae

The secondary mortgage lending market is complex and can be confusing. While sale of mortgages on the secondary market can actually limit green options (with the requirements for conventional heating and wastewater systems, for example), it can also be a way of encouraging green—at least if Fannie Mae’s new Green... Read more

Op-Ed

April 1, 2000
Introducing BuildingGreen.com

By the time you read this,

EBN’s Internet presence, including our Web site and e-mail addresses, will be at the BuildingGreen.com domain. Ebuild.com, the cyber-identity we grew up with, is being sold to a leading publisher in the homebuilding industry. We’re excited about the change for two reasons: 1) the... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000
Straw Bale Building:

by Chris Magwood and Peter Mack, 2000. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C., Canada.

Paperback, 234 pages, $24.95.

Straw Bale Building makes a substantial contribution to the literature in many ways.

First and foremost, the book is authored (and published) by Canadians with a definite focus... Read more

News Brief

April 1, 2000

The first quarter of 2000 was the

warmest first quarter ever recorded in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The average temperature for this period, 41.7°F (5.4°C), exceeds the previous record (1990) by a full degree Fahrenheit.

News Brief

April 1, 2000
Awards & Competitions

Natural Home magazine is sponsoring a

“Natural Home of the Year” contest for both new construction and remodeled residences and single rooms. The winning homes will be featured in the magazine’s November/December 2000 issue and will receive additional national press exposure. There is no charge to enter, and... Read more

News Analysis

April 1, 2000
Certified “Climate-Neutral” Products Introduced

Interface Flooring and Saunders Hotel Group have recently obtained certification from the Climate Neutral Network (CNN) for some of their products. Interface selected Solenium flooring (see

EBN

Vol. 8, No. 5) as their first climate-neutral product, and Saunders now offers climate-... Read more