GreenClips.180 11.21.01 LEED-RATED BUILDINGS ELIGIBLE FOR TAX CREDIT IN OREGON Effective October 8, 2001, businesses in Oregon can get a tax credit for buildings that achieve a silver rating or higher under the US Green Building Council's LEED Rating System. This credit, amounting to as much as $142,900 for a 10,000-square-foot Platinum-rated project, "should be enough to pay extra initial costs for design, modeling, and commissioning," says Mike O'Brien of Portland's Green Building Initiative. The state implemented this new tax credit by adding the LEED rating to a list of options that qualify under the state's existing Business Energy Tax Credit Program. More: http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARS_300/OAR_330/330_090.html. Environmental Building News, Nov 2001, p 3, by Nadav Malin. ECOLODGE DESIGN COMPETITION IN BAHAMAS BUILDS LOCAL EXPERTISE Last April, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism sponsored an Ecolodge Design Competition in collaboration with the Inter-America Development Bank. Architects from 12 of the top Bahamian firms submitted ecologically sensitive resort property designs in competition for prize money worth a total of US$45,000. The competition was designed to educate local architects in eco-sensitive design concepts. As the tourism industry expands, the Ministry seeks to ensure the long-term health of the natural resources that helped attract more than four million visitors to the Bahamas in 2000. "The concept for this competition evolved from requests by local and foreign resort investors wanting to contract suitable local architectural firms with expertise in ecolodge design," says Tommy Turnquest, Minister of Tourism. All competitors had to attend a workshop conducted by architects and landscape architects experienced in ecolodge design and site planning. A trade show with suppliers of environmentally responsible products was held at the same time. In July, first place and $20,000 were awarded to Jackson Burnside Limited for their design inspired by the thatched huts of the original inhabitants of Andros. The design's many features include the use of pine logs discarded by Androsian developers for structural material, composting toilets, and photovoltaic energy technology with deep-cycle batteries for energy storage. For more information email Adrian Archer at vedmonds@bsmg.com. Green Hotelier, Nov 2001, p 32. INTERFACE ENCOURAGES HOSPITALITY SUPPLIERS TO MOVE TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY Interface, Inc., whose corporate mission is to "first become a sustainable, then a restorative company," extends its sustainability standards to the criteria it uses to select its suppliers of goods and services. Before holding meetings and events at a hotel, Interface asks the venue to complete a "Green Hotel Questionnaire." The questionnaire asks over 50 questions in these areas: rooms/housekeeping procedures, back-of-house operations, landscaping and exterior maintenance procedures, recycling and use of recycled products, and food and beverage policies. For further information, email Pauline_Armstrong@en.interfaceinc.com. Green Hotelier, Nov 2001, p 25. NEW SOFTWARE FROM AUSTRALIA LOOKS AT CRADLE-TO-GRAVE IMPACTS The Australians have developed LCAid, a promising life-cycle assessment (LCA) tool for building designers. LCA assesses the environmental impacts over the entire life cycle of a product or building, including all inputs of raw materials, energy and water, and all outputs, such as waste and emissions to air, water and land. LCAid assists environmental decision making in the initial phase of building design and provides a benchmark of building performance. With LCAid, users can quickly provide input to the design process during a design charette, and the program allows for a fast assessment of the design solutions that the charette generates. LCAid can be linked to CAD files, can read model files from the extensive Boustead life-cycle inventories database, and has a template for data to be entered from other LCA packages. The program reports results in two ways: it compares the proposed design to a benchmark building, and it presents the environmental impacts of the design, thus identifying the life-cycle stages that make the greatest contribution to a building's overall environmental impacts. In the future the program will include a life-cycle cost module. For more information email carlie.eldridge@dpws.nsw.gov.au. Sustainable Building, Apr 2001, p 38, by Zig Peshos and Murray Hall. GREENER MATERIALS FIND A HOME IN ROOFING APPLICATIONS Materials traditionally used in residential roofing products are increasingly being replaced by more environmentally sound alternatives. In the US, almost 30 billion pounds of asphalt roofing shingles are dumped into landfills every year. Metal shingles, which are typically made from high-content recycled steel and cast iron, can be applied over existing asphalt, saving the cost of tear-off and dumping into landfills. MetalWorks and Zappone both make metal shingles with a high recycled content. Also, an alternative to conventional asphalt shingles is available from Ondura, which produces shingles that are 50 percent asphalt and 50 percent cellulose fiber from post-consumer wastepaper. Alternatives to wood shingles that were traditionally cut from old-growth western red cedar include shingles made from FSC-certified sustainably harvested eastern white cedar, available from Industries Maibec of Quebec. Also, Re-New Wood makes the Eco-Shake shingle from 100 percent recycled wood and plastic. Natural slate roofing is an excellent product from an environmental standpoint: it can last 70 to 100 years without maintenance and may be reused for new buildings. Recycled synthetic roof shingles that look like slate are also available: EcoStar produces Majestic slate and distributes a European product called EuroSLATE, while Crowe Building Products offers Authentic Roof 2000, a plastic and rubber slate product made with recycled materials. Canadian Architect, Oct 2001, p 25, Nyla Matuk. [More: http://www.metalworksroof.com; http://www.zappone.com; http://www.ondura.com; http://www.maibec.com/index_en.html; http://www.ecoshake.com; http://www.ecostarinc.com; http://www.authentic-roof.com] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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