Championing the
Changemakers

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The recent EPA standard on VOC limits in architectural coatings includes a provision that may represent the wave of the future in environmental policy and regulation. Although limits are established on allowable levels of VOCs in various coatings, the agency has chosen to allow manufacturers to exceed these limits by... Read more

In the early 1980s, fully 95% of the world’s wind energy generating capacity was located in the United States. Today, that share has dropped to 22%, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy: about 1,620 megawatts (MW), down from a high of 1,823 MW in 1992.... Read more

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) is soliciting comments on six Independent Substantive Changes to its

Standard 90.1-1989R: “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” The most extensive sections being modified are those on building... Read more

A structural insulated panel (SIP) plant being completed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania will likely be the first in North America to produce polyisocyanurate-core SIPs that do not harm the ozone layer. Agile Building Systems’ 110,000 sq. ft. (10,200 m2) plant will initially use the industry-standard HCFC-141b... Read more

A

Nursing and Biomedical Sciences classroom building being designed for the

University of Texas at Houston by Vancouver-based Patkau Architects received a 1998 Award of Excellence from

Canadian Architect magazine. Juror Peter Busby lauded the project’s “integration of an environmental design approach with an excellent... Read more

by Ann Edminster and Sami Yassa, 1998. Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211; 212/727-2700, www.nrdc.org. Paperback, 112 pages, $15 + $3 shipping

Too often forest conservation activists promote the use of non-wood construction systems without... Read more

Following States Industries in 1997 (the first manufacturer to offer certified hardwood plywood—see... Read more

Buchloe dactyloides), but there have been few off-the-shelf options for more northern, less sunny regions. The Prairie Nursery Corporation of Westfield, Wisconsin introduced the No Mow mix of fescue... Read more

There’s good news and bad news in the demand water heater field. . . .

The good news is that the

AquaStar 125-EI (now referred to as the 125-X) demand water heater that we reviewed in the April 1998 issue of

EBN (

Vol. 7, No. 4) is finally being shipped—months after its scheduled debut.... Read more

EBN is aware of to offer third-party-certified engineered wood products.

This past July, the company gained chain-of-custody certification from Smart Wood for glulam beams and is nearly there with... Read more

With its fourth annual cycle, the EnergyValue Housing Award administered by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center appears to be gaining steam.

Quite a few winners were announced at the January 14 ceremony in Dallas, with some outstanding projects. A number of the winning entries... Read more

Psychologists have long known that the colors with which we surround ourselves can affect our energy and our moods. Unfortunately, too few professionals of any type realize how the medium we use to create those colors can affect our health and the health of the planet. This article looks at new developments with interior paints and explores the... Read more

C&A has had great success, both in terms of performance and sales, with its POWERBOND® ER3™ backing (see “New Life for Old Carpets” in

by David Lloyd Jones. The Overlook Press, Woodstock, N.Y., 1998 (distributed by Penguin Putnam, Inc.). Hardcover, 250 pages, $65. Note: Sometimes listed with the sub-title “Contemporary Green Buildings”

Several books published in the past decade have claimed to provide an overview of ecologically... Read more

Owens Corning’s breakthrough binder-free fiberglass insulation, Miraflex® (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 1) is now available with a stapling flange for use in 2x4 and 2x6 stud walls. The new wall products were introduced in August 1998 and became available nationally in the fall. Miraflex was... Read more

Maureen McIntyre, longtime editor of the acclaimed

Solar Today magazine (the publication of the

American Solar Energy Society—ASES), has been hired by the Society to organize renewable energy policy activities at the state level. As coordinator of ASES’s “Empowering the States” program, McIntyre will help renewable... Read more

We read your article entitled “Low Slope Roofing: Prospects Looking Up” (EBN

Vol. 7, No. 10 – November 1998) with interest. We would like to bring some items to your attention.

•Fire resistant EPDM (needed to obtain Factory Mutual and U.L. fire ratings for adhered and mechanically fastened systems) contains... Read more

Organizers of the annual H.O.P.E.S. Eco-Design Arts Conference (see Calendar) are sponsoring a “Design Challenge” on the theme of this year’s conference: Equity and Ecology. Entries in the form of display boards and written explanations must be received by March 26. For details, contact H.O.P.E.S. at 541/346-0719, hopes@laz.uoregon.edu, or on... Read more

Heraklith-Fiber Rock Canada, manufacturer of wood-fiber-based acoustical ceiling panels, has pulled out of North America, according to the importer, Fiber Rock Canada. This move leaves Tectum as the only wood-fiber-based ceiling panel distributed on the continent. See

EBN

Vol. 7, No. 4... Read more