Championing the
Changemakers

According to the 22 May 1999 issue of the

Global Environmental Change Report,

AlliedSignal is seeking EPA approval for a new hydrofluorocarbon used in foam insulation production.

HFC-245fa has been in development since 1994 as a blowing agent for polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foam. This non-ozone-depleting foaming... Read more

Video, 28 minutes. Produced by the Environmental Fund of Pennsylvania for the “GreenWorks for Pennsylvania” television show. Available on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Web site.

This new video tells the story of creating the new South Central Office Building in Pennsylvania, a privately owned, 73,000-square-... Read more

Bonneville Power has contracted with Northwest Power Systems to purchase 110 residential fuel cells. The first ten 3 kW prototype proton-exchange membrane (PEM) units should be delivered this fall. After testing and refinement, NPS will deliver another 100 units. Commercial production is expected in 2002, according to the Fuel Cell Technology... Read more

The night sky over New Mexico should soon be darker. Governor Gary E. Johnson signed the Night Sky Protection Act into law on April 6, 1999. The purpose of the law is “to regulate outdoor night lighting fixtures to preserve and enhance the state’s dark sky while promoting safety, conserving energy, and preserving... Read more

Building green costs too much.” “I’d like to include green features, but the budget just isn’t high enough.” “Green building is just for wealthy clients.” All too often we hear these claims. And, indeed, a lot of elements of environmentally responsible building

do cost more—at least in the short term. But many of the design and... Read more

Buy Recycled Business Alliance, a Partnership of the National Recycling Coalition, Inc., 1727 King St., Ste. 105, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703/683-9025, 703/683-9026 (fax).

The Buy Recycled Business Alliance has compiled approximately 20 project profiles of commercial and institutional facilities that have made... Read more

On April 9, New York State Governor George Pataki proposed legislation offering income tax credits for the construction or renovation of green buildings ranging from 5% to 8% of the cost of construction or renovation, with additional incentives for the use of photovoltaics and fuel cells. This... Read more

Collins and Aikman Floorcoverings may not get as much publicity for its sustainability initiatives as rival Interface, Inc., but C&A continues to demonstrate their commitment—most recently with the “

Sustainability Laboratory.” The Sustainability Lab is a forum of leading thinkers and activists from various fields, assembled to... Read more

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (COTE) continued an annual tradition by releasing, on Earth Day, a list of ten architectural design solutions that have a lasting and positive impact on the built and unbuilt environment. Selections were made by COTE’s executive committee based on... Read more

Several environmental projects are featured in

Architecture magazine’s April 1999 awards issue. One of the projects receiving a citation in the

46th Annual P/A Awards was a Hay Barn and Stable in Somis, California by the Los Angeles firm SPF:a, constructed of a light steel frame with hay bales around... Read more

King County Commission for Market-ing Recyclable Materials, 400 Yesler Way, Rm. 200, Seattle, WA 98104; 206/296-3740, 206/296-4366 (fax). EnCompass Web site address:

www.metrokc.gov/market/encompass

Georgia Tech has announced a new Continuing Education Certificate Series of courses for the summer of 1999 on

Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure. The series includes:

•a 1-day Primer on June 21;

•a 2-day course on June 22-23 on Assessment Tools and Techniques;

•a 2-day course on June 24-25 on... Read more

In the wake of increasing scientific evidence that the dangers outweigh any possible benefits of ozone generators for home use, Health Canada has issued a public warning against such use. The April 13, 1999 announcement cites the adverse health effects associated with exposure to ozone,... Read more

Worldwatch Paper 144, by Gary Gardner and Payal Sampat, December 1998. Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202/452-1992;

www.worldwatch.org (Web site). Paperback, 60 pages, single copy $5 plus $4 shipping in North America.

The Worldwatch Institute is well known for its pithy, factual, and well... Read more

In April 1999 Interface released Solenium, a revolutionary new floorcovering product that was originally slated for release last fall (see EBN Vol. 7, No. 8). Interface calls the product a “resilient textile flooring,” bridging the divide between carpet and resilient flooring. As... Read more

by Nelda Matheny and James R. Clark, 1998. International Society of Arboriculture, P.O. Box 3129, Champaign, IL 61826; 217/355-9411,

www.ag.uiuc.edu/~isa. Paperback, 184 pages, $45 plus $7 shipping & handling

Trees and Development is an important reference book for... Read more