Championing the
Changemakers

Associated Builders and Contractors, a national organization representing 25,000 construction firms, has rolled out a green certification for its members. To earn the certification (which has one tier), companies must meet several prerequisites that cover office practices like recycling, green cleaning, purchasing Energy Star-qualified... Read more

Three new certification standards in development would certify not the sustainability of buildings or of products, but the environmental and social performance of manufacturers. While there are many forms of corporate reporting on sustainability through voluntary protocols, such as the Global Reporting Initiative, there have not yet been third-... Read more

Pumping uses a tremendous amount of electricity. In looking at efficiency of hydronic heating systems, we have long focused on the fuel used to heat the water being circulated, without paying much attention to pumping energy. Fortunately, that’s beginning to change.

The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) is a trade association representing the spray polyurethane insulation and roofing industries, including contractors, suppliers, distributors, and consultants. Several of our members have brought to our attention your article “Avoiding the Global Warming Impact on Insulation,” published in the June... Read more

We make more concrete than any other material in the world. It is used in our roads, dams, bridges, and buildings because of its versatility, strength, and durability. Yet producing the portland cement that binds concrete together is energy intensive and emits enormous amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as numerous other... Read more

Fly ash, produced from the combustion of coal in power plants, has recently been a subject of scrutiny by many, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is working on rules for disposal of “coal combustion residuals,” including fly ash. This month’s feature article in EBN (see “Reducing Environmental Impacts of Cement and... Read more

When we decide to avoid the use of certain chemicals, materials, or building techniques because they may harm our health or cause serious environmental damage, we are employing the precautionary principle. This principle says that we should avoid potentially harmful actions even if we are not scientifically certain of the extent of the... Read more

GraniteCrete is a portland-cement-based aggregate binder used with locally sourced, ground, decomposed granite or other suitable aggregate to produce porous, natural-looking walkways and other low-... Read more

The first mosque, in the world according to an article in The Daily Green, attempting LEED certification could be located in Lower Manhattan—in proximity... Read more

It takes a lot of energy to transport and treat water in this country, and it takes a lot of... Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has begun collecting energy- and water-use data from LEED-certified buildings, and is promising preliminary performance reports for building owners participating in its Building Performance Partnership (BPP) by November 2010.

In 2009 USGBC announced that buildings certified under LEED 2009 would... Read more

There are some significant advantages to urinals when it comes to bathroom maintenance (I won't go into the messy details of splashing that happens when males stand and urinate into a toilet). With ultra-efficient urinals (often called one-pint urinals) and waterless urinals, there are also very significant water savings that are... Read more

Last week, I touched on some of the strategies coming out of the "hypermiling" movement to boost automobile fuel economy. Here are a few more: 1. Lighten the load. The more weight we haul around in our cars or trucks, the... Read more

The prefabricated housing industry has been touting its product’s green credentials for years, saying that building in a factory not only saves time and money, but materials and energy as well. The truth is a lot more complex—not every prefabricated house is green one (for reasons why, see “Prefabricating Green,” EBN Oct. 2007). In Prefabulous... Read more

For the past couple years, I've been helping All Soul's Church in West Brattleboro, Vermont, save energy. While developing a plan to improve the performance of the building... Read more

In this column I usually focus on how to save energy in our homes and businesses, but for many of us, getting around is our largest energy consumer--particularly in the summer months when we're... Read more

I had the good fortune last week to spend a few hours touring the Bensonwood offices and factory in Walpole, New Hampshire. I've known Tedd Benson for perhaps 20 years, and... Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments, which offers a guided assessment of codes and ordinances as they relate to green building practices. The toolkit is designed to help officials identify—and remove—barriers and obstacles to sustainable design. It... Read more

As I always do when I fly, I bring my own stainless-steel water bottle, finishing the contents before going through security, then filling it so that I don't need a plastic water bottle... Read more