BuildingGreen Report

News Brief

March 1, 2001

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued new reports on

global climate change, with three very important outcomes. First, global average surface temperatures have increased by 0.6°C over the last 100 years, 0.15 degrees more than previously reported. The difference is largely due to relatively higher... Read more

News Analysis

March 1, 2001

Osmose, Inc. and Chemical Specialties, Inc. (CSI) announced an agreement allowing Osmose to produce and sell ACQ, a copper-based alternative to CCA wood preservatives developed by CSI. This agreement should lead to a significant expansion in the availability of ACQ-treated wood products in North America and elsewhere. Terms of the deal were not... Read more

Op-Ed

March 1, 2001

The February [

EBN

Vol. 10, No. 2] cover story on site restoration and the editorial on hospice ecology in Hawaii were excellent. In the piece on Hawaii and its loss of habitat and native species, your question of how this relates to green building is so important. It goes to the heart of what is “green” and what is “sustainable... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001
Pulte Homes Tucson Division

was named Builder of the Year by the EnergyValue Housing Awards on February 9 at the International Builders Show in Atlanta. Also recognized were ten Gold Winners and ten Silver Winners, in a range of categories and climates. The Awards are managed by the NAHB Research Center in partnership with the National... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001
The

world’s first commercial wave-power plant began operation in late November on the Scottish island of Islay, feeding approximately 500 kW of power into the United Kingdom power grid.

The technology was jointly developed by Wavegen, which built and owns the power station, and Queens University Belfast. The technology employed is known... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001

U.S. Green Building Council board member

Drew George was promoted on January 15, 2001 to Environment Manager – Americas of Bovis Lend Lease. George now oversees environmental programs and green construction projects for the company’s 26 offices in North and South America, with a mandate to make BLL the leading green provider of... Read more

Product Review

March 1, 2001
According to a recent study by Ecos Consulting and the Natural Resources Defense Council, two of every three homes in the U.S. have at least one ceiling fan, and—on average—each fan consumes about 130 kWh per year. Ceiling fans can reduce energy consumption for cooling, but they are all notoriously inefficient. Except one. A much more energy-... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001

The February 2001 issue of the influential publication

I.D.: The International Design Magazine focused on socially conscious design for its annual “

I.D. Forty” selection. Among the many inspiring designers featured were a number of architects and other professionals recognized for their ecological vision. They are (in order of... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001
Capital E

is a new company created to provide intelligence on the distributed generation industry, with a particular focus on financial issues and investing. Technologies covered include fuel cells, photovoltaics, microturbines, and cogeneration. Among the company’s three principals are two leading advocates of energy efficiency in buildings... Read more

News Analysis

March 1, 2001
On January 9, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on an important case that jeopardizes wetland protection nationwide (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. United States Army Corps of Engineers). The Court ruled against the Army Corps, threatening somewhere between 30% and 60% of all our wetlands, according to the Association of State Wetlands... Read more

News Brief

March 1, 2001
William D. (Bill) Browning

, Senior Associate of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Development Services, has been named an honorary member of The American Institute of Architects—an honor bestowed on a few non-architects who have made a significant contribution to the architectural profession and to the AIA.

News Brief

March 1, 2001

EBN Advisory Board members Gail Lindsey and Michael Nicklas have been selected as Fellows of The American Institute of Architects. Lindsey, principal of Design Harmony, Inc., becomes only the second woman from North Carolina to receive this distinction, given for outstanding achievement and service to the profession. Lindsey recently served two... Read more

News Analysis

February 1, 2001
Austin Promotes Smart Growth

Austin, Texas now has two-plus years of experience with its innovative incentive program to encourage smart growth. With this point-based system, a developer can earn enough points to waive some or all of the city’s development fees and increase the ceiling on city-paid infrastructure improvements needed for the... Read more

News Brief

February 1, 2001
Newsbriefs

Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects (BNIM), a leader in the sustainable design movement, has moved its downtown Kansas City headquarters to the landmark Power & Light Building. BNIM will occupy the first three stories of the building. With its renovation of the space and signing of a ten-year lease, the firm hopes to... Read more

News Brief

February 1, 2001
Awards & Competitions

The Van Geet residence in Idaho Springs, Colorado received a first place Technology Award from the

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at its 2001 Winter Meeting in Atlanta. Total cost of heating and powering the home during 1999 was $100, thanks to passive and... Read more

News Analysis

February 1, 2001
Green Building on the Move

EBN has received notice of quite a few new green builder programs, prompting us to take stock of this indicator of growth in the green building market. The list below includes local and state programs for rating private-sector buildings, primarily homes. There are many more programs—alliances, networks,... Read more

News Brief

February 1, 2001

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has established the

New Jersey Green Homes office. Residing within the Division of Housing and Community Resources, the office’s mission is “to fundamentally improve the environmental performance, energy efficiency, quality, and affordability of housing in New Jersey.” The Green Homes... Read more

News Brief

February 1, 2001

David E. Brown, Mindy Fox, and Mary Rickel Pelletier, editors. Earth Pledge Foundation, 149 East 38th Street, New York, NY 10016, 212/573-6968,

www.earthpledge.org. Available through Chelsea Green Publishing Co. Paperback, 324 pages, $17.

This small, elegantly produced handbook provides a great panorama of the theory and practice of... Read more

News Analysis

February 1, 2001
The City of Portland, Oregon’s new Office of Sustainable Development has formulated a series of initiatives aimed at greening both municipal and private-sector buildings. The new office was created in September 2000 by combining the City’s Energy Office with the Solid Waste and Recycling Division and adding a Green Building Division. The City’s... Read more

Product Review

February 1, 2001
Temple-Inland’s Green Drywall

For the first time, builders and architects can specify gypsum wallboard with a certified recycled content of 99%. Temple-Inland—with distribution to most areas of the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest—earned Scientific Certification System’s green cross and globe emblem for wallboard products being manufactured in... Read more