Championing the
Changemakers

High relative humidity is a significant problem in many regions of the country during the summer months. In hot weather, the higher the humidity, the less comfortable we are--partly... Read more

It’s not just about the building! The site and its landscaping and infrastructure is a key part of a building’s overall environmental performance. The following primers from the pages of Environmental Building News explore five strategies for sustainable sites.

Invasive Plants: Taken out of their native ecosystems and away from natural... Read more

Alex Wilson, the founder of BuildingGreen and executive editor of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec, is the 2010 winner of the Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. Now in its second year, the Hanley Award is sponsored by The Hanley Foundation, EcoHome magazine, and publisher Hanley Wood. Wilson will receive the... Read more

The Public Service Commission of Maryland rejected implementation of “smart grid” metering proposed by Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) in June 2010. The commission based the rejection on fears of rate increases and tiered pricing that would increase costs for consumers.

Smart grid technologies have the potential to reduce strain on... Read more

A new gas-filled panel insulation material that consists of pockets of low-conductivity gas in a honeycomb foil substrate provides insulation levels as high at R-11 for inch-and-a-half-thick panels.

About gas-filled panels... Read more

You would think that establishing a definition for “showerhead” would be simple. But, as the Department of Energy (DOE) is discovering after issuing a draft interpretive rule on the matter, nothing is simple when it comes to getting people wet.

Back in early 1994, under the Energy Policy and... Read more

We're into those hot days of summer--really hot--with temperatures predicted in the mid- to upper-90s, even in Vermont, this week... Read more

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has begun a process to take closer control over the review of LEED project documentation. The move changes the practice that has been in place since early 2009, following inconsistencies and poor service that have been frustrating to LEED project teams.

GBCI was spun off from the U.S.... Read more

More than five years ago, when the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies first began to contemplate a new sewage treatment facility for its wooded, 195-acre campus in Rhinebeck, New York, the non-profit organization’s management, at least at first, viewed the undertaking solely as an infrastructure replacement project. But it soon grew into a... Read more

Twelve West is best known in the neighborhood for its four rooftop wind turbines but, as developer Dennis Wilde of Gerding Edlen Development points out, those “are just a bit of frosting.” The more meaningful green strategy of this building is not so easy to see. That’s partly because it’s hidden inside the walls and systems, with predicted... Read more

By Alanna Malone

Richard Louv coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” in his national bestseller Last Child in the Woods to describe the current disconnect between children and the outdoors. According to experts, a new and growing body of research maintains that direct exposure to the natural world is essential for healthy child... Read more

The July 2010 issue of Environmental Building News asks whether we should end our love affair with all-glass buildings. The short answer is "yes." With most large commercial... Read more

One of Vermont's longest and most treasured covered bridges now has the newest, most environmentally responsible lighting. This past weekend, the 267-foot West Dummerston Covered Bridge (the... Read more

At its annual convention in June 2010, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a reporting tool for firms participating in its “2030 Commitment.” Over 100 firms have now signed on to the commitment, which is a more pragmatic, step-by-step move toward the goals of Architecture 2030’s “2030 Challenge” to eliminate fossil-fuel use in... Read more

The resulting Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement creates a three-year plan for developing and... Read more