Environmental Design & Construction articles from January 2001

Environmental Design & Construction archives from January 2001

Give The People What They Want.(energy efficient and environmentally sound houses)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A recent survey of new homebuyers found that 89% of the respondents are willing to spend additional money on energy efficiency and other environmentally friendly upgrades. [*] In fact, 28% of those surveyed indicated a willingness to spend an...

Making Better Technology A Market Winner.(energy efficient homes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Sam Rashkin Energy efficient homes offer substantial technological improvements over standard construction. They typically include some combination of tight construction; effective insulation; high-performance windows; sealed ducts; and...

Milliken Recognized for Environmental Achievements.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... LaGRANGE, GA -- The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Recycling Division recently honored Milliken & Co. with a Recognition Award for its overall environmental achievements, including development of the Earth Square[TM] carpet renewal...

Collins Pine Harvests 2 Billionth Board Foot.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... CHESTER, CA -- The Collins Pine Co. in Chester, CA, has harvested its 2 billionth board foot of timber from the 94,000 acre Collins Almanor Forest (CAF) in Plumas and Tehama counties. Harvesting activities in this northern Sierra forest began...

Willamette's Forests Pass Third Party SFI Audit.(Willamette Industries Inc., sustainable forestry initiative)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PORTLAND, OR -- Willamette Industries' forest lands in North Carolina and South Carolina have passed a third-party audit for sustainability. Completed in August 2000, the audit certifies that forest management activities in the company's...

Implementing Green Design.
January 1, 2001... With a little ingenuity, the spec writer can successfully produce a specification that addresses a green building project's design intent. Previously in this column we discussed the value of using The Construction Specifications...

Louisiana-Pacific and Ensyn to Develop Bark-Based Adhesives.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PORTLAND, OR AND BOSTON, MA -- The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Louisiana-Pacific and Ensyn Group Inc. to receive a $1.4 million grant to develop bark-based adhesives for use in the production of structural building materials,...

New Ford Plant Boasts Largest Industrial Green Roof.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... DEARBORN, MI -- According to Ford Motor Co. officials, a new Ford assembly plant under construction in Dearborn, MI, will feature the largest living roof on an industrial building anywhere in the world. The new plant, part of a $2-billion...

CollinsWoods[R] Millennium Award Winners Announced.
January 1, 2001... PORTLAND, OR -- The Collins Companies, the first privately owned forest products business in the US to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), recently announced the winners of the International CollinsWood Millennium awards. The...

SierraPine Expands SCS Environmental Certification.(Soil Conservation Society)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... ROSEVILLE, CA -- SierraPine Ltd. has earned environmental certification from SOS for using up to 100% recovered and recycled wood fiber in its production of particleboard and medium density fiberboard. "We see SCS certification of our...

Lowe's Announces Preference for Certified Wood.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... WASHINGTON, DC -- Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., recently announced that it will give preference to wood from certified, well-managed forests. It also said that it recognizes the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as today's highest...

MonierLifetile Partners with Habitat for Humanity.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... IRVINE, CA -- Thirty homes were built between September 8-15 in Americus and Plains, GA, for the 2000 Jimmy Carter Work Project, and concrete roof tile donated by MonierLifetile was used on 10 of those homes. The concrete roof tiles are...

South Carolina School District Recycles Old Ceiling Tiles.(Fort Mill)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... LANCASTER, PA -- Nearly 18 tons of old ceiling tiles from a Fort Mill, SC school will soon find new life as the school district becomes the first in the US to recycle its old acoustical ceiling panels rather than sending them to a landfill. ...

Johnson Controls Launches Energy System Management Program.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MILWAUKEE, WI -- Johnson Controls, Inc. has introduced a new Energy System Management (ESM) program designed to help non-residential building owners manage the total cost, quality and reliability of their power commodities and utility services....

DOE Releases Roadmap for High-Performance Buildings.(Department of Energy publishes High-Performance Commercial Buildings: A Technology Road map)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... WASHINGTON, DC -- The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released High-Performance Commercial Buildings: A Technology Road map -- a guide intended to help chart the future course of high-performance commercial buildings. The document proposes a...

Boston Suburb Installs High-Efficiency Appliances.(Maytag Corp. and United States. Department of Energy sponsor Boston Washer Study)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... READING, MA -- Residents of the Summit Terrace apartment complex in Reading, MA, recently replaced their conventional top-loading washers and dryers with new high-efficiency washers and dryers as part of a nationwide conservation program....

Business Leaders Establish Green Energy Partnership.(Green Power Market Development Group to work with World Resources Institute and Business for Social Responsibility)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2001... DENVER, Co -- Eleven major US businesses have announced that they are working with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to develop corporate markets for 1,000 megawatts of new "green" energy capacity...

ICFs Provide Energy Savings in Omaha Habitat Homes.(Reward Wall Systems Inc.'s insulating concrete forms)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... OMAHA, NE -- The Omaha Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Reward Wall Systems, Inc., teamed up in 2000 to build 17 Habitat homes in the Omaha area using Reward's insulating concrete forms (ICFs) for the exterior walls. ICFs combine the...

The e-House: Michael McDonough's Most Excellent Adventure.(Interview)
January 1, 2001... e-House 2000, designed by renowned architect Michael McDonough, integrates both highly advanced, off-the-shelf products and purely experimental technologies --all of which exist on a sustainable platform. The first high-tech, web-based,...

What is EarthCraft House?(certifies environmental friendly homes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... When people ask what I do, I say I direct a green building program for the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute. Typically, they give me a puzzled expression and ask, "What is green building?" While...

A Day in the Life of an EarthCraft House Inspector.
January 1, 2001... Inspections, an integral part of the EarthCraft House program, both ensure that builders meet the program's guidelines and stimulate more high-performance, resource-efficient building. Five o'clock has come and gone. The last few...

Live Oak Builders Branches Out into New Program.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The attention to detail that Charlie and Stephen Rogers put into their homes makes Live Oak Builders one of the best in the EarthCraft House program. Charlie and Stephen Rogers say their approach to home building is to do the right thing....

If You Sell It, They Will Come.
January 1, 2001... As evidenced by the success of McStain Enterprises, selling green requires an innovative marketing strategy and an underlying dedication to environmental principles. Many of today's mainstream production homebuilders believe that...

The Revolution is Underfoot.
January 1, 2001... Raised floor systems are becoming more and more popular in office buildings due to their flexibility, energy efficiency and occupant comfort characteristics. With the Internet taking an increasingly important role in the way that office...

Green Roofs: Stormwater Management From the Top Down.
January 1, 2001... Green roofs are an innovative stormwater management solution that can improve the energy performance of buildings, air quality and the urban ecology. The US population is forecast to increase by 50% over the next 50 years [1] yet cities...

A Consensus Environmental Standard for Commercial Adhesives.
January 1, 2001... A new adhesives standard developed by Green Seal can provide guidance in selecting environmentally preferable products. Adhesives represent a modern and efficient method of joining materials and are widely used in the building and...

Tankless Water Heater.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... WAITSFIELD, VT -- Controlled Energy Corp. has developed the PowerStar, a new electric, whole-house tankless water heater. Water is heated only when needed so there is no standby heat loss, giving the unit an efficiency rating of .99, compared...

Composite Plywood Subfloor System.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... BROWNSVILLE, OR -- Advanced Wood Resources has introduced Comply, a five-ply, five-layer composite plywood subfloor system constructed of three layers of fir veneer and two layers of wood fiber blended with exterior-grade phenolic resin. The...

Radiant Heat Floor System.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... BROWNSVILLE, OR -- Warmboard offers a new radiant heat floor system that serves as both the subfloor and the heating system for a home. A solid-core, tongue-and-groove engineered 1 3/32-inch-thick panel in a standard 4x 8-foot size forms the...

Polyurethane Construction Adhesive.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... CLEVELAND, OH -- OSI Sealants, Inc. and Huber Engineered Woods have teamed up to create a new, longer-lasting bond for AdvanTech[R] Flooring. According to the manufacturer, PL[R] Premium polyurethane construction adhesive provides superior...

Insulating Wallcoverings.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... YORK, PA -- Proprietary testing on York Contract's vinyl wallcoverings has shown that walls are more efficient when covered with wallcovering than paint. According to York, use of the company's Type 2 vinyl wallcoverings significantly cuts...

Low-VOC Adhesive.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... CLEVELAND, OH -- The Garland Co., Inc., recently introduced Insul-Lock Insulation Adhesive, an environmentally friendly, Kevlar-reinforced, asphalt-modified urethane. The adhesive is formulated to ensure a lasting bond between insulation and...

Top-Selling ICF Home Plans.(insulating concrete form)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- American Polysteel has compiled Polysteel Home Plans 2000, a collection of residential home plans featuring 102 of the country's top-selling home designs adapted to the building specifications for Polysteel insulating...

Air Filters Online.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MEMPHIS, TN -- FiltersRx.com, Inc., has launched an e-commerce website to sell its replacement air filters. Bypassing traditional channels of distribution, the site cuts out the middleman and ships direct from the manufacturer. According to the...

Energy Savers Partnership Program.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... CHICAGO, IL -- Owens Corning and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have developed the Energy Savers Partnership Program to provide corporations and organizations with a pre-designed, customized energy efficiency campaign. This year the program...

Membrane Roof System.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... MIDLAND, MI -- A new brochure from The Dow Chemical Co. offers guidelines for plaza construction, detailing the Protected Membrane Roof (PMR) system developed and patented by the company more than 30 years ago. The brochure provides information...