The Florida Solar Energy Center has become the first U.S. laboratory accredited for testing and certifying the

power rating of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The accreditation audit was done by PowerMark Corporation, which is the sole U.S. agent for the Photovoltaic Global Approval Program. Once manufacturers have put their products through... Read more

An agreement being negotiated between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the treated wood industry would phase out most uses of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) within two to three years, according to an article in the January 31 issue of

USA Today. Industry representatives contacted by

EBN were quick to point out that... Read more

The

Sustainable Products Purchasers Coalition (SPPC) is a new organization that seeks to improve the quality of information with which green purchasing decisions are made. The SPPC is encouraging manufacturers to generate and share detailed life-cycle assessment (LCA) information on their products, and is supporting the creation and use... Read more

I am writing on behalf of the Phthalate Esters Panel of the American Chemistry Council to point out the inaccuracies about phthalates contained in a letter to the editor written by Mr. Mark E. Kelley III [

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 11]. I request that you publish this letter so that your readers will not be left with an inaccurate... Read more

The 70,000 ft2 (6,500 m2) Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center for Ecotrust, a nonprofit organization promoting a conservation economy along North America’s rainforest coast, has achieved a LEED™ Gold rating. It is the first historic renovation project to earn LEED 2.0 certification. Tenants in the facility include Patagonia, the Certified Forest... Read more

Receive an award from His Majesty the King of Sweden if your project is a winner in the

Stockholm Partnerships for Sustainable Cities competition! Projects contributing to sustainability in any of 12 categories can be submitted via a Web-based form for the competition, and all valid submissions will be viewable online at

www.... Read more

I was so impressed with a pre-publication copy that I... Read more

Its new XLerator hand dryer gets hands... Read more

You’ll notice a new look to

EBN. We’re pleased to be printing on Badger Envirographic 100, a

100% post-consumer recycled-content paper that is processed without using chlorine for bleaching. It’s better for our environment and, because it’s whiter, will mean sharper photos as well. We’ve jazzed up the covers with more color and... Read more

The letter criticizing vinyl in

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 11 (“PVC Toxicity and Sustainable Materials”) was highly biased and misleading. The writer implied that burning vinyl presents a unique threat to homeowners, firefighters, and the environment. In fact, almost anything burning emits numerous toxic materials, especially carbon... Read more

last summer. Predictions were dire going into the summer months—of widespread blackouts as electricity supply was unable to keep up with demand. But cooler than normal weather, the lack of any major power plant shutdowns, and widespread energy conservation were able to stave off problems. Almost a... Read more

were presented to the developers of 10 outstanding real estate projects on October 5 in Boston. Winners with notable environmental features include:

Special category:

Dewees Island in Isle of Palms, South Carolina (see

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 2), developed by... Read more

Agreement has been reached on the innovative

industry-wide carpet takeback program (see

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Vol. 10, No. 2), and the formal “Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship” is scheduled to be signed on January 8, 2002 in Atlanta. Participants in the voluntary agreement include carpet and fiber manufacturers, the... Read more

I would like to clarify some misinformation contained in a letter published in

Vol. 10, No. 11. The letter’s writer asserts that while lead paint has been banned, it has been replaced “with lead from vinyl siding.”

Entries are due by March 1, 2002 for the

Northeast Green Building Awards, sponsored by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA). The competition is open to buildings—either new construction or renovations—completed after January 1, 1998 in the northeastern United... Read more

, a developer who pursued visionary environmental solutions for projects as mundane as shopping malls, died unexpectedly on November 30, 2001 at age 46, after suffering a heart attack while playing basketball. O’Connor was chairman of Gravestar Inc., the company that financed the environmental renovation of Porter Square in... Read more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is inviting building product manufacturers to submit data about their manufacturing processes for the forthcoming version of the BEES life-cycle assessment (LCA) software. The new “BEES Please” program aims to include product-specific LCA results alongside the more generic, industry-... Read more

It was also recognized with a 2001 Good Design™ Award from The Chicago Athenaeum in the fabric/textiles category. Why has it garnered such... Read more

CD-ROM by Rocky Mountain Institute, 1739 Snowmass Creek Road, Snowmass, CO 81654, developed in cooperation with and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Kettering Family Foundation. Order online at

www.rmi.org for $20.00 (plus $2.00 for shipping & handling).

The Pennsylvania chiropractic center illustrated in our November feature article (

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 11) on “Green Roofs” was designed by Van der Ryn Architects in Sausalito, California. Dave Deppen served as the project architect. We apologize for omitting this information.

A number of green roof case studies will be... Read more