EBN rely on this latter... Read more

Submittals are now being accepted for the annual

Top Ten Green Projects competition from The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE), in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE). In past years Committee members have selected the winners, but this year an invited jury will be led by Horst Berger... Read more

, one of five core businesses of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, has acquired that portion of the old

Siemens Solar Industries that they did not already own. In March 2001, Siemens AG sold a portion of their photovoltaic (PV) subsidiary, entering into a joint venture comprised of Siemens, E.ON Energie AG, and Shell. Each of... Read more

globally (with records going back to 1880), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Only 1998 was warmer. Temperatures in the United States were the sixth warmest since records were first kept in 1895. NOAA believes that conditions are ripe for 2002 to become a record-... 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 [

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

On January 28, the U.S. Green Building Council announced a pilot program for LEED™ for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB™). This version of the LEED Rating System is intended to certify low-impact buildings, including buildings that were originally certified under LEED when they were built, as well as those not previously certified (see

EBN... Read more

Following two years of preparation, the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) has released a

certification program for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) technicians, supervisors, and contractors. TABB was created by the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI), a not-for-profit corporation sponsored by the... Read more

Thanks for providing another thought-provoking feature (EBN

Vol. 10, No. 11). As a result, I hope more of your readers will view the roof as a green-design opportunity. Although rooftop PV systems may be the most ecologically productive use of a roof, a well-planned vegetated roof has enormous green building value. A cautious approach... Read more

On January 14, the Bush Administration announced new rules reversing Clinton-era actions to increase protection of wetlands. The new rules expand the number of projects that can be approved under nationwide general permits, which receive much less scrutiny than individual permits. The Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers defended the... Read more

The Boston Architectural Center is offering a

Certificate in Sustainable Design under its continuing education program (BAC also offers bachelor’s and master’s programs in architecture and interior design). Students must complete five required courses and one elective to earn the new Certificate. Details are available from the BAC at... Read more

Our excitement over the 100% post-consumer recycled paper we chose for the January EBN was diminished somewhat by the issue’s show-through and inking inconsistency problems. (Our printers didn’t much care for how it handled on their press either!) We will be trying some other alternatives over the next few issues. Please send us an e-mail with... Read more

Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates(TVS) has received the

2002 AIA Architecture Firm Award—the highest honor that The American Institute of Architects can bestow on an architecture firm for consistently producing distinguished architecture. An important aspect of TVS’ great designs is sustainability, which is... Read more

The results of a survey by the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT) about the

effect of building codes on green building practices (see

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Vol. 10, No. 7/8) are now available, and confirm what many practitioners already knew: building codes can be a barrier to the use of alternative building materials... Read more

On January 11, President Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (H.R. 2869). He marked the occasion at The Millennium Corporate Center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, which recently became the 1,000th brownfield revived under the Pennsylvania Land Recycling Program. “With this bill, we are... Read more

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

I’m glad to hear about the new efficient hand dryer ("XLerator – The Electric Hand Dryer Reinvented"

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Vol. 11, No. 1), but how ’bout at least mentioning the option of a little shake and wipe on the pants. It’s worked well for me for years—and looks great on the eco-comparison chart.