Championing the
Changemakers

Manville brand fiberglass insulation, manufactured by Schuller International, Inc., now carries Scientific Certification System’s “cross and globe” emblem, certifying its minimum 20% recycled glass content (see EBN,

Vol. 2, No. 1). This is the first insulation material certified by SCS. For more information, contact SCS,... Read more

Buyers of wood products are increasingly concerned about the effects of their buying decisions on the environment, according to surveys conducted by the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA). The association distributed a survey to more than 20,000 lumber retailers and wholesalers in late 1992... Read more

President Clinton announced in an Earth Day address on April 21st that the United States would commit to “reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases to their 1990 levels by the year 2000.” This policy announcement reverses the Bush Administration’s position at the Earth Summit in Brazil last year. Within the Clinton Administration, this... Read more

The nation’s first self-contained, commercial-based recycling facility is in operation at the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. The mall generates as much trash as a city of 20,000. Built and operated by Browning Ferris Industries, the recycling facility can process 35 tons of material from over 400 stores during an eight-hour work-shift... Read more

The Official Recycled Products GuideAmerican Recycling Market Inc., PO Box 577, Ogdensburg, NY 13669;

800/267-0707, 315/471-3258 (fax)

$155 single issue; $275 annual subscription including updates, monthly newsletter, online database.

Builders, designers, and specifiers who search out recycled... Read more

Waste in Cement Kilns

Dear Editor,

I am writing to comment on your recent article on cement. I really appreciated it, except for the part about hazardous waste. It is NOT burned “relatively safely.” And the high temperatures do not result in “very complete combustion with very low pollution emissions.” This... Read more

The National Materials Exchange Network

Since its launching last fall, the National Materials Exchange Network has made it a lot easier for companies to find the resources they need in someone else’s waste. Here’s how it works: companies with unwanted by-products, overstock, or discards list their material with a... Read more

Building With Value: Resource-Efficient Construction, a two-day regional conference on sustainable construction issues to be held November 12th and 13th, 1993 in Seattle, Washington. See Calendar for details.

Fact: More than 130 sawmills and plywood mills have... Read more

McDonald’s is showcasing dozens of recycled materials—from feldspar floor tiles to a recycled copper roof—in a new restaurant in Kent, Washington. It is the most recent of four such restaurants recently built around the country; the others being in New York, Arizona, and Tennessee. According to McDonald’s... Read more

Ozone levels dropped to record low levels in parts of Canada this past March, according to the

Global Environmental Change Report (Cutter Information). Environment Canada’s Ozone Watch Service found low ozone levels as far south as Toronto, where values reached a record 24% below normal. The low values are thought to be a result of... Read more

The American Solar Energy Society’s Board of Directors formally created a new Sustainability Division at its January 1993 meeting. While creating the new division, the board recognized that sustainability is an interdisciplinary issue that spans other division areas within ASES. Those interested in learning more about the new division should... Read more

Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwestby Elliot Norse, The Wilderness Society, 1990, 328 pages. ($19.95 pb.; Island Press, P.O. Box 7, Covelo, CA 95428; 707/983-6432).

This well-written book provides a comprehensive overview of the ecology of Pacific Northwest forests.... Read more

A couple of fiber-reinforced cementitious siding products have been getting a lot of attention in the sustainable building community recently. These products have some advantages, especially when they are used to replace top-quality wood products that come from old-growth forests. They also provide excellent fire ratings and... Read more

The 18th Triennial Congress of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) will convene jointly with the American Institute of Architects Annual Convention in a gathering entitled: “Architecture at a Crossroads: Designing for a Sustainable Future.” See Calendar for details.

With new regulations appearing around the country that limit the amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) allowed in paints and varnishes, a host of new products are appearing on the market. This is especially true with varnishes, where new “environmental” polyurethanes are being introduced that use water as the... Read more

Iris Communications, Inc., 258 East 10th Ave., Suite E, Eugene, OR

97401-3284; 503/484-9353

The

Energy Source Directory reviewed in EBN Volume 1, Number 1, has been expanded and updated for 1993, with many new products. Improvements include a listing of windows by type (casement, awning, fixed, etc.), and listings of... Read more

Estimates provided by Professor Ray Cole of the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture. House modeled is a 3,750 ft2 ranch. Energy-efficient version assumes ceiling R-values raised from R-24 to R-42, 2x4 walls replaced with 2x6 walls, additional... Read more

By exposing mice to fumes from samples of carpet, scientists at Anderson Laboratories, Inc., have demonstrated significant toxicological effects. In the most severe sample tests, four out of four mice exposed to the fumes died. Of samples purchased at random off-the-shelf, 25% showed some effect, according to Mark Goldman... Read more