News Brief
by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers. Dutton, 1996. Hardcover, 306 pages, $24.95.
We knew that this was an important book when, not long after we got a copy, a report from the right-wing Competitive Enterprise Institute attempting to discredit it arrived in theEBN mailbox. The basic thesis of
Our Stolen... Read more
News Brief
A new report by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy quantifies the potential for energy savings in residential lighting. By replacing those incandescent lights that are used four hours per day or more with compact fluorescent lights, total annual savings in the U.S. would be 31.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh),... Read more
News Analysis
Designers of the high-profile Audubon Headquarters in New York City, together with National Audubon Society scientists, took great pains to minimize the use of toxic and environmentally damaging building materials. Among the choices they made in renovating the 100-year-old building was to use undyed, 100% wool carpet throughout the space... Read more
Op-Ed
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.
News Brief
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
News Analysis
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
News Brief
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
Op-Ed
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).
The promise inherent in TERRA Group and David Easton’s PISE™ wall-building system is the ability to go beyond the limited volume market of custom homes and owner-builders, and to become a feasible alternative... Read moreNews Brief
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.
This compact booklet is the first product of a new initiative by Schomer of Interior Concerns—regional directories of green design and construction... Read moreNews Analysis
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) doesn’t write building codes, but some of the group’s standards carry as much weight as codes. That is the case with ASHRAE Standard 62 on ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. This standard is recognized in legal circles as the “standard-of-care”... Read more
News Brief
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).
With publication of the new 5th Edition of this little book, over 100,000 copies are now in print! TheConsumer Guide to Home Energy Savings,... Read more
News Brief
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
Product Review
News Brief
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
News Brief
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
News Analysis
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
News Brief
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
News Analysis
It's just not cost-effective any longer.
Willamette Industries has discontinued the use of “urban wood waste” at its Eugene, Oregon medium-density fiberboard (MDF) plant. The company had pioneered the use of recycled wood from municipal solid waste collection sites starting in 1993 (see EBN Vol. 5, No. 2), when wood fiber prices were extremely high. Urban wood use at the plant peaked... Read more
News Brief
First prize in the Van Alen Institute’s competition for a design for reuse of New York Harbor’s Governors Island was awarded to University of Pennsylvania graduate student Peter Hau for his plan to transform the Island into a regenerative garden. Entitled: “Open Narratives: Reconfiguring the Air, Land and Waters,” Hau’s proposal includes plants... Read more
News Brief
The country’s first commuter bike station has opened in Long Beach, California, according to the Urban Land Institute’s June 1996
Land Use Digest. The Bike Station, modeled after similar facilities in Japan and the Netherlands, provides secure parking for 150 bicycles, along with bike rentals, repairs, and accessories. It is located in... Read more