during 2001, accounting for 59.3% of petroleum consumption during the year, according to EIA. The fraction of imports coming from OPEC countries in 2001 averaged 46.1%. By comparison, during the 1970s, our peak dependence on foreign petroleum reached 47.8%, but the fraction of this oil... Read more

New York’s Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) has released its “

Commercial/Institutional Environmental Guidelines 1.0,” outlining the requirements for future construction in its jurisdiction on the west side of Lower Manhattan. The Guidelines are based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ 2.0 rating system, with... Read more

The City of Lubbock, Texas is replacing substandard and deteriorating

low-income housing with homes constructed of insulated concrete forms (ICFs). The city’s Energy Savings Reconstruction Program is partially funded through state, federal, and private partnerships, including support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban... Read more

I have been reading your article in the April 2002 issue of

Environmental Building News (

Vol. 11, No. 4) and generally agree with your take on the recent developments with SCS. However, as a Board member of the Silva Forest Foundation I must point out your error in describing SCS as “one of two organizations in North America... Read more

Generally not known for regulatory zeal, New Hampshire has become the

first state to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. On May 9, Gov. Jeanne Shaheen signed into law House Bill 284 (the “Clean Power Act”), establishing limits for carbon dioxide—along with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury—emitted by existing... Read more

, according to the results of a recent survey by

Metropolis magazine. Fifty-four percent of 500 Web site respondents agree that within 5 years, to be considered “good,” any design will have to address sustainability, and a whopping 93% of practicing design professionals... Read more

Electric lighting has advanced tremendously in the past few decades, yet the leading technologies in use today still generate 90% of their output as heat (incandescent lighting), or rely on the toxic heavy metal mercury to operate (fluorescent and nearly all HID light sources). Clearly there is still progress to be made.

This article... Read more

The Los Angeles City Council agreed in April to commit to sustainable building techniques by adopting LEED™ certification standards for all new public works projects of 7,500 ft2 (700 m2) or larger. Council members hope the initiative will not only improve environmental performance of the city’s buildings, but also benefit taxpayers—largely... Read more

Atrazine, America’s most common herbicide,

disrupts hormones in frogs, according to findings published in the April 16 issue of

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The University of California–Berkeley team found lowered testosterone levels and hermaphroditism (possessing both male and female sex organs) in frogs... Read more

tradable renewable energy certificates (TRCs), allowing consumers... Read more

After seven months of making herself invaluable as an intern,

Jessica Boehland (pronounced “BEE-lend”) has agreed to accept a permanent position as

EBN’s

Associate Editor. Originally from Duluth, Minnesota, Boehland graduated in 2001 from Oberlin College, where she was a student in Dr. David Orr’s Environmental Studies... Read more

On Earth Day, The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) announced this year’s Top Ten Green Projects. The winning projects represent a wide range of function and location, and employ an array of environmental strategies. This year’s awards program was juried, for the first time, by invited jurors from... Read more

Edited by Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith, and Catharine Wanek. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, 2002. Paperback, 288 pages, $26.95.

The Art of Natural Building: Design, Construction, Resources. Nor is it obsolete, argue editors Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G.... Read more

by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. North Point Press, New York, 2002. Plasticback, 194 pages, $24.95.

A new online tool, produced jointly by the Earth Day Network and Redefining Progress, allows individuals in 58 countries to

calculate their impact on the planet. After completing the 15-question survey, participants learn the size of their ecological footprints in global acres (or hectares), each of which corresponds to one acre (or... Read more

Thank you for your comparison article on non-water using urinals (“Falcon Waterfree Urinals Compete with Waterless,”

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 2). It is great to see you bringing this very viable technology to your readers. I would like to respond with some additional facts your readers may be interested in.

Pritzker Architecture Prize will be bestowed upon Australian architect

Glenn Murcutt, who is highly regarded for his ability to integrate the spare beauty of modernism at its best with great sensitivity to site, climate, and culture. Although he travels widely to teach and lecture, he has never accepted a commission... Read more