A scientific panel convened by the

National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, reports that after surveying hundreds of studies, it found no clear and convincing evidence that exposure in the home to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) causes any human disease. The panel determined that research... Read more

A plan including photovoltaics, extensive energy conservation measures, and reduced environmental impacts helped a team led by Lend Lease Corp. Ltd. and Mirvac Ltd. win the contract to build the Olympic Village for the year 2000 Games. The Village, which will likely support the largest residential PV system... Read more

In the Old World, humans and animals have been adapting to each other for a long time, so it should come as no surprise that the owl habitat protected by new local regulations in Britain is of human construction. According to the Autumn 1996 issue of

Building for a Future, the North Cornwall and Derbyshire Dales District Councils now... Read more

by John Carmody, Stephen Selkowitz, and Lisa Heschong.

W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1996. Softcover, 214 pages, $22.

Simply put, this is one of the best books on energy to come out in recent years. The authors have done a superb job of clearly and accurately describing the complex developments in window... Read more

Not a Bright Idea

Submission deadline for the 1997

Quality Building Conference Design Competition is February 15, 1997. Prizes will be awarded to projects that incorporate cost-effective energy and resource conservation systems into their buildings. A range of categories will be judged, including both built and unbuilt projects. Awards will be presented... Read more

Choosing the right materials for a building is no easy task under any circumstances. Just meeting the conventional criteria, such as performance, cost, and aesthetics, can be a challenge; the addition of an environmental agenda further complicates the picture. The good news is that more tools and resources are becoming available to help... Read more

by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Produced by the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) and View By View, Inc., San Francisco. Available from the AIA for $24.95 ($17.45 to members) plus $5 S&... Read more

is pleased to announce the addition of architect Chris Liddle to our staff. Chris has experience in passive solar and sustainable design, as well as accessible design. His initial responsibilities at

EBN will focus on increasing circulation.

The environmental labeling organization Green Seal is calling for comments on its proposed standards for environmentally preferable chillers. Among the criteria in the standard are choice of refrigerant, measures to limit refrigerant releases, and energy efficiency. Copies are available by calling Green Seal at 202/331-7337; the deadline for... Read more

Interior Concerns Environmental Resources, Inc., 131 W. Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley, California 94941; 415/389-8049, vschomer@interiorconcerns.org (e-mail). 40 pages, paperback, $10 postpaid.

I’d like to clarify some of the statements made in your construction detail “Using Air to Build Rammed Earth Walls” (Vol. 5, No. 5).

by Alex Wilson and John Morrill. ACEEE, Washington, DC, 1996. Paperback, 267 pages. $7.95 in stores ($11.95 postpaid from ACEEE, 2140 Shattuck Avenue, #202, Berkeley, CA 94704; 510/549-9914).

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings,... Read more

Asbestos fibers and lead are two very different materials that happen to have a few things in common: they are both health hazards, both were used extensively in buildings, and both have spawned whole industries for their management and removal. Now there’s another commonality: in the right circumstances, both can be managed in place by... Read more

has learned that Sierra Pine, Ltd. of Rocklin, California, is negotiating to purchase the U.S. operations of Medite Corporation, a manufacturer of formaldehyde-free medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It has been rumored for months that Medite was on the block, and

Panel World reported in their November 1996 issue that Medite’s... Read more

Mobil Corp. has sold its Composite Products Division to Trex Company, LLC, a corporation formed by four company managers. One of the new owners, Andrew Ferrari, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, told

EBN that the company direction will not change. A fifth production line at the company’s Winchester, Virginia, plant operates around... Read more

Redwood lumber that has been independently certified as coming from “well-managed” forests is now available. The family-owned Big Creek Lumber Company in Davenport, California, which completed certification of its forestry operations this past April (see

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 4), has now completed “chain-of-custody” certification of... Read more

Due to high demand, the Real Goods Institute for Solar Living in Hopland, California, has expanded its educational program offerings to year-round. A number of the offerings are related specifically to sustainable building, though the emphasis is on owner-builders. Programs include “Sustainable Building and Eco Design,” “Solar Electric Systems... Read more

Owens Corning announced on August 11 that its Fiberglas® insulation has been certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as having at least 30% recycled glass content. Tim Grether, Manager of Building Materials Technical Services at the company, gave

EBN a more detailed breakdown of the recycled content: 26% is post-industrial... Read more

The September 2, 1996 issue of

Plastics News reports that the Center for Plastics Recycling Research at Rutgers University is shutting down due to budget cuts. This center has been instrumental in much of the research behind applications for recycled plastic lumber and recycled plastic marine pilings. The article describes the closing... Read more