The Hines CalPERS Green Development Fund has been capitalized with over $120 million in equity and leverage that will allow investments of up to $500 million. Houston-based Hines Interests, LP, one of the world’s largest developers, recently announced that the fund had already begun deploying capital toward the fund’s investment goal,... Read more

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has published a list of companies across the U.S. and Canada that recycle construction and demolition (C&D) waste. C&D waste amounts to roughly 136 million tons (123 million tonnes) each year in the U.S., or 25% to 45% of the total waste stream, depending on the region, according to the U.S... Read more

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) has released a report detailing the connections between a range of public health concerns and the built environment. According to CNU, this report is the first to summarize the effects of the built environment on public health while also discussing potential improvements.

The 132-page report, “... Read more

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, a major provider of property and casualty insurance, announced new green building coverage plans in October 2006. The plans are available for owners of certified green buildings, or property owners who want to not just rebuild to preexisting standards following a fire but also add green features. For buildings... Read more

Oregon’s Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLSTM) has announced that it will include energy-efficient and green features in its home listings starting in the spring of 2007. RMLS, which covers Oregon and southern Washington, will include information on homes that are certified by Energy Star®, LEED® for Homes, and several other programs, as... Read more

Recently under new ownership, Environ Biocomposites Manufacturing, LLC, has renovated its production facility and increased its output by 60%. Environ Biocomposites offers panel products with no added formaldehyde made with such materials as recycled newsprint, wheatstraw, and sunflower-seed hulls. Product lines include Dakota Burl®, Biofiber™... Read more

In September 2006,

The Wall Street Journal announced the winners of its annual Technology Innovation Awards, honoring HelioVolt Corporation of Austin, Texas, and ETwater Systems, LLC, of Corte Madera, California. HelioVolt, winner of the overall Silver award as well as winner in the Energy and Power category, has developed a thin-film... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with support from national land developer Newland Communities, has announced a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an organization dedicated to addressing global issues through the commitments of individuals and organizations. USGBC has committed to creating a one-year consumer-education... Read more

For starters, tens of millions of exit signs in... Read more

EBN

Vol. 11, No. 7). Congress asked GSA... Read more

What do you do if you find yourself the custodian of a number of permanent sports stadiums that cost hundreds of millions of euros to build and are now—many of them unused—generating hefty maintenance bills? If you’re Greece, the host of the 2004 Olympic Games, you tear them down. According to

Der Spiegel, that’s what the government is... Read more

California bill AB 2496, which would have mandated toilets using no more than 1.3 gallons (4.9 l) of water per flush (see

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 6), was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2006. The bill, which had passed through the State Assembly in May 2006, was held up in the Senate by concerns over the addition... Read more

Back in 2003, two of the nation’s largest manufacturers of cabinets and shelving for schools, hospitals, and labs switched over to agrifiber panels as their standard core material, citing both environmental and performance benefits (see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 11, and

Vol. 12, No. 12). Now, with the supply of panels made from... Read more