Championing the
Changemakers

A three-year-old North Carolina company, Earthstone Products, has introduced a great-looking, relatively inexpensive recycled-granite paver. Used both indoors and outdoors, the pavers are manufactured from waste slabs of granite.

According to John Tesh, the sales and marketing director at Earthstone, 25% of a slab of granite is... Read more

A new report from the nonprofit Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) takes aim at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its LEED rating systems, arguing that they don’t do enough to address human health issues. While acknowledging the validity of some of EHHI's concerns and inviting collaboration, USGBC argues that the... Read more

On June 2, 2010, the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) announced the winner of its Buckminster Fuller Challenge, which asked entrants to provide workable solutions to significant challenges such as water scarcity, food supply, and energy consumption. The $100,000 prize was awarded to Operation Hope, which reversed desertification on 6,500... Read more

Independent standards developer NSF International, in conjunction with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), recently finalized American National Standard 332: Sustainability Assessment Standard for Resilient Floor Coverings.

On May 4, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft proposal for regulating the widely anticipated use and disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs), including coal fly ash, which is widely used in construction materials. The proposal comes in the wake of a large spill from a coal-ash holding pond in Kingston,... Read more

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At the U.S. Green Building Council’s Federal Summit in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2010, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) administrator Martha Johnson announced a bold new goal for the agency responsible for all the facilities of the federal government: net-zero environmental footprint. Johnson stressed that the key word was “... Read more

McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) is in the process of transferring the Cradle to Cradle Certification system to the Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII), a recently formed, California-based nonprofit organization. In a high-profile news conference at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, on May 20, 2010, William... Read more

Environmental Building News, I have come to rely upon and respect your publication for its professionalism and unbiased reporting about new developments in the fields of sustainable design and construction. In fact, when asked by design professionals who are interested in increasing their “sustainability IQ” what... Read more

EPA's new specification for water-efficient homes works well for all sorts of builders and even remodelers Although EPA's criteria for WaterSense labeled new homes were only recently released, custom and production builders from Georgia to Arizona, from Montana to Hawaii, are signing up. With typical overall water savings of more than 20... Read more

Can insulation materials, which we use to save energy and help prevent climate change, cause greenhouse gas emissions? Yes, in two ways. First, it takes energy to produce and ship these materials--which we refer to as "embodied energy"--and using fossil fuels for these energy needs releases carbon dioxide (our most significant greenhouse gas... Read more

In a standard (non-pressurized) gravity-flush toilet, water fills a tank behind and above the toilet bowl. When the toilet is flushed, a valve at the bottom of the tank opens and water flows from the tank into the bowl, producing the siphon-action flush.

With a pressure-assist toilet, instead of an open tank behind the toilet bowl... Read more

On April 29, 2010, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) officially launched its LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system. A joint effort between USGBC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Congress for the New Urbanism, LEED-ND incorporates principles of green building, smart growth, and new urbanism (see EBN Mar... Read more

Two common foam insulation materials are produced with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents that are potent greenhouse gases— extruded polystyrene (XPS) such as Dow Styrofoam of Owens Corning Foamular, and standard closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF). While all insulation materials reduce greenhouse gas emissions (by saving... Read more

Developed by John Deere Renewables, the Greensburg Wind Farm began operating in March 2010... Read more

In March 2010, GAO released a report about its experiences submitting 20 made-up products to Energy Star for... Read more

Dimensional lumber has defined the “stick-built” home for decades, but bamboo stalks were used for centuries before 2x4s came along. Now a trendy green material, bamboo is angling in on its old turf.