The U.S. Department of Energy has released version 1.2.2 of its EnergyPlus modeling software, compatible with Windows and Linux operating systems. The new version features more weather files and the ability to model more complex ventilation designs, among other enhancements. Details are at www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/.

Stains and sealants can reduce the cancer risk posed by decks and playground equipment treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), according to preliminary results from a study being undertaken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Oil- or water-based stains that can penetrate wood... Read more

Twenty Middlebury College students have teamed up with the nonprofit Green House Network to create the

Flat Earth Award, designed to publicly expose well-known climate-change naysayers “for their denial of the facts on global warming.” This year’s nominees were Michael Crichton, whose 2004 novel,

State of Fear, portrays climate... Read more

The Enterprise Foundation has released a report that summarizes how different states are using federal low-income housing tax credits to support green building. “The report finds that many states encourage developers to meet some standard of energy and/or water efficiency; utilize sustainable, durable materials; and ensure proximity to services... Read more

EBN

Vol. 13, No. 7). “The design utilizes the natural asset of earth to create terraces that emulate the gentle flow of the area’s... Read more

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is urging businessmen to doff their suits this summer to save air-conditioning energy. “I, too, will go without jackets and ties,” said Koizumi, who called for setting thermostats no cooler than 82° F (28° C). Japan imports more than 80% of its energy, and has committed, through the Kyoto Protocol, to... Read more

EBN

Vol. 14, No. 1).

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an executive directive in April 2005 requiring that all new buildings for state agencies, universities, and community colleges be certified according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System. The directive also requires that all buildings owned or operated by the state reduce their... Read more

A bill being debated in the California legislature would ban both bisphenol-A and certain phthalate plasticizers in baby products. Bill AB 319, introduced in the California legislature in February 2005 by Assemblywoman Wilma Chan of Oakland, would ban, effective January 1, 2007, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any product... Read more

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requiring public utilities to purchase at least 5% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2008. Eligible technologies include wind, solar, geothermal, small hydropower, most biomass, and fuel cells using one of these fuel sources. The RPS... Read more

What we do to our environment, we do to ourselves, the saying goes. Nowhere is this principle played out more dramatically than in our hospitals, where doctors and nurses work the front lines against environmental illness, treating patients for cancers caused by exposure to toxic materials, asthma triggered by breathing dirty air, and heat... Read more

Consumer Reports® launched a new, free website on Earth Day, April 22, 2005, to help consumers make environmentally responsible purchases. Greenerchoices.org began with a dozen products in several categories and plans to expand in the future. An additional “green ratings” feature details Consumer Reports’ findings on the energy-efficiency and... Read more

EBN ran a chart titled “Some Existing and Forthcoming Straw Panel Products.” It included a dozen listings—ten were domestic, two were from overseas. At the time, eight of the ten domestic manufacturers weren’t yet in production; the other two had suspended production, but anticipated getting rolling again. A decade... Read more