The

1997 Architecture + Energy Awards from the American Institute of Architecture/Portland Chapter have gone to:

•Pacific Gas Transmission Building in Portland, for energy efficiency;

•Widmer Bros. Brewing Co. Expansion 2, for reuse and renewal;

•... Read more

As this issue’s feature article points out, some fluorescent lighting equipment can pose a significant risk to both human health and the environment. Lamps contain mercury, one of our most toxic metals. More significantly, as many as half of the ballasts in use in the U.S.—those made before 1979—contain highly toxic... Read more

A new North American organization,

The Cohousing Network, was officially established on September 21 at the third North American Cohousing Conference in Seattle. The Cohousing Network will take over many of the activities of regional associations, such as the Rocky Mountain CoHousing Association. It will produce

CoHousing: The... Read more

by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett with Ellen Hertzman. 1994, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, California. Paperback, 288 pages, $29.95.

This beautiful book has aptly been called the "Bible" of the Cohousing movement. McCamant and Durrett are generally credited with popularizing the Danish cohousing model in the U.S., and the first... Read more

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $200,000 to the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) for development and implementation of the LEED Building Rating System. The funding will be used for development of a design assistance manual and companion software, as well as for development of a marketing plan. LEED, which stands for... Read more

Don Lindemann, editor. Quarterly magazine. The CoHousing Network, P.O. Box 2584, Berkeley, CA 94702; 510/486-2656. Subscription rates range from $20 to $75/year.

While the books are important for getting a comprehensive overview, the magazine is the easiest way to keep up with developments, both regionally and nationally. Articles by... Read more

by Matts Myhrman and S.O. MacDonald. 1997, Out On Bale, 1037 E. Linden Street, Tucson, AZ 85719; 520/624-1673, outonbale@aol.com. Paperback, 140 pages, $29.95 + $4 S&H.

“It’s not heavy enough to be a good doorstop and the movie version isn’t out yet, so you might as well read it.” So begins the “Ways to Use this Book” section of... Read more

Cohousing has the potential to be a very low-impact housing option, though it doesn’t always work out that way. Communities in rural areas still tend to increase automobile use and may take up valuable land. Houses are not always as energy- efficient as they could be. A new cohousing development nearing completion... Read more

by Chris Hanson. 1996, Hartley and Marks, Vancouver, British Columbia and Point Roberts, Washington. Paperback, 278 pages, $24.95.

Once Cohousing has convinced you that there is no better way to live, The Cohousing Handbook will show you how to make it happen. Hanson takes the subject matter of one chapter in Cohousing—the development... Read more

During May 1997, the United States reached an all-time high in petroleum imports, with 52.4% net imports, according to the

Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Total imports in May were 57.2% of petroleum supplied, but the U.S. exports some petroleum to U.S. territories, resulting in lower

... Read more

We have made tremendous progress in improving the quality of our surface waters in the 25 years since passage of the Clean Water Act, and similar gains are being realized in reducing water consumption. Industry, for example, has cut water use by one-third since the 1950s, even while increasing output threefold.... Read more

One factor driving up the size of American homes may have been removed with the recent changes to the U.S. tax code. The August 8, 1997 issue of the lumber industry newsletter Eastern Quotes & Comments notes that people who sell homes in expensive markets and retire to less expensive areas often bought huge houses to avoid paying the... Read more

Joseph Romm is the Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, having replaced

Christine Ervin, who has moved over to the President’s Council for Sustainable Development. Romm, the author of

Lean & Clean Management: How to Boost Profits and Productivity... Read more

A few days after Browne’s address at Stanford, Senate Majority Leader

Trent Lott blasted solar when addressing the

Independent Petroleum Association. An article in the May 23

Washington Post (reported by

PV News) quoted Lott as facetiously saying: “I’m sure you petroleum folks understand that solar power will... Read more

William McDonough, prominent environmental architect and dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, has now founded a new Institute within the School he heads. The Institute for Sustainable Design has goals nearly as broad as McDonough’s vision, aiming to reinvent industry and... Read more

A new membership organization, the

Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, has been formed as an independent program of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative. The new Milwaukee-based organization aims to promote green building practices.

Matthew Tendler, AIA, of the firm Kahler Slater, is the organization’s first steering committee... Read more

You stated in response to a letter from Structural Board Association President John Lowood in your July/August issue that “while formaldehyde emissions from panels made with PF (phenolic formaldehyde) binder are quite low, they are still problematic for some individuals.” While this could be true for some... Read more