I read your editorial in the recent issue [July/August ‘93] with great interest, since we too are constantly struggling to provide good information at reasonable cost, yet keep the whole operation afloat financially. It’s not easy.

In July the Construction Specifications Institute appointed an Ad Hoc Environmental Issues Committee to promote awareness of environmental matters among CSI members and the construction industry. In its mission statement, CSI includes a commitment to “encourage the use of construction materials that will ensure the health, safety, and welfare... Read more

Pamela Winthrop Lauer, project director. 1993. Free. 36 pages. Order from: Metropolitan Council, Attn: Data Center, Mears Park Center, 230 E. Fifth St., St. Paul, MN 55101; 612/291-8140.

Although designed for use by contractors in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, this guidebook has lots of... Read more

Lumber Certification

My compliments to you for an excellent publication. I just received my first issue and am glad I subscribed.

I’m not sure how you interpreted my comments from the Sustainable Forest Products Conference, but The Home Depot is not for, but against, a simple stamp or seal. We fully support the SCS... Read more

As reported in a Congressional hearing in June, the EPA has so far been unable to duplicate the results of carpet toxicity studies done by Anderson Labs of Dedham, Massachusetts (see EBN

Vol. 2, No. 2, “Mouse-Killing Carpets”). For reasons that remain unclear, the EPA used different test procedures that included percolating the exposed... Read more

At a July 28 meeting in Pittsburgh the first steps were taken towards the establishment of an association to represent and coordinate the recycled plastic lumber industry. The Plastic Lumber Trade Association (PLTA) was officially formed with approval of all present at the meeting, though membership... Read more

Some thoughts on the May/June ‘93 issue:

On More Efficient Wood Use (p. 18):

We must conduct a massive educational campaign to wean the majority of builders and building inspectors (architects, too) away from their obsession with what I label 11th commandment framing. A recent poll by the NAHB shows 67... Read more

Cellulose insulation has been the darling of the green building movement because of its recycled content, low embodied energy, low-tech processing, and excellent energy conservation performance. But concerns are also raised about health risks for cellulose installers and occupants of cellulose-insulated buildings. In fact, some healthy home... Read more

by Peter Calthorpe. Princeton Architectural Press, 1993. Paperback. 175 pages. $24.95.

Peter Calthorpe’s latest book is a guide for planners and designers of communities. It begins with a series of essays outlining all the problems with neighborhoods and... Read more

On May 18 EPA Administrator Carol Browner announced a program to control hazardous waste combustion that may eliminate the burning of hazardous waste in cement kilns. Effective immediately, all new permits now require comprehensive risk assessment, and existing permits will be reviewed over the next 18 months, according to an EPA press release... Read more

A group of product manufacturers and other building professionals has just founded the U.S. Green Building Council, with the goal of promoting environmentally sound and energy-efficient buildings worldwide. The Council was officially established at a May 27 meeting in Washington and already has over thirty... Read more

The Drawing-Room Graphic Services, Ltd., Box 86627, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 4L2, Canada. $40.66/year in Canada (includes GST), U.S. $46 in the U.S.

Sol Plan Review is the thinking builder’s guide to advanced Canadian home­building. Considering how much governmental support there has been for... Read more

The NAHB’s “Builder of the Year,” Realen Homes of Philadelphia, has hired award-winning architect and landscape architect Leslie Gallery to develop a green plan for the company. Early efforts are focusing on protecting vegetation during sitework, but eventually all aspects of the process are to be addressed.

The first issue of

EnvironmentalBuilding News was mailed out one year ago to a few hundred subscribers. Six issues later, we have a respectable circulation of well over 1,000. Judging from feedback received, we’re succeeding in what we set out to do: provide useful, unbiased information on how to make buildings... Read more

Architecture Schools?

Dear Editor,

I am an architecture student in the first year of a Master of Architecture program. The school which I now attend, despite having an excellent program, places little emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental consciousness in design. I am looking for a school with such a... Read more

Steve Loken. 1993. Center for Resourceful Building Technology, PO Box 3866, Missoula, MT 59806; 406/549-7678. 56 pages. $12.50 postpaid.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is planning a demonstration building project that will exhibit energy- and resource-efficient technologies and provide office and meeting space for NESEA and affiliated organizations. The “Northeast Sustainability Center” is slated to be built in 1994 in the five-college area of western... Read more