GreenClips.231 01.14.04 STUDY RESULTS MAY HELP SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS IMPROVE LCA TOOLS An increasing number of lifecycle assessment (LCA) tools are available to help designers and others make design, production and purchasing decisions. So far, however, the development of these tools has been primarily guided by the developers' and environmental experts' own preferences and their intuition of what the users want. The results of a new study may help LCA method and tool developers to reconsider previous assumptions. The study surveyed 566 people who downloaded the free LCA software tool BEES 2.0, a program that includes actual environmental and economic performance data for 65 building products. The results suggest that a variety of software tools are needed to satisfy divergent user needs. Although users want more transparency, about half also want an easy-to-use tool and would accept built-in assumptions. Against expectation, respondents preferred impact assessment information on different levels (stressor, impact potential, effect, damage) for different types of impacts. Also, although many users look for aggregated information on impacts and costs, a majority do not trust that such an aggregation is valid or believe that there are trade-offs among impacts. Tool developers need to take this group seriously and may instead want to offer graphic presentations or use sensitivity analysis techniques. Further research should also study this group's decision-making principles to better understand their need for information and tools. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 7, No. 2, Spring 2003, p 79, by Patrick Hofstetter and Thomas M. Mettier. [View abstract or order paper: : http://mitpress.mit.edu/jie ] PROGRESS & ROADBLOCKS FOR APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY STANDARDS The Bush administration acted illegally when it rescinded an efficiency standard for air conditioners, said the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York, on Jan. 13. The rule, which applies to central air-conditioners for houses, was published by the Clinton administration during its last few days in office and was quickly was rescinded by the Bush administration. The court decision appears to put limits on the power of a new president to reverse policies of his predecessor. The Clinton administration standard requires that new air-conditioners be at least 30 percent more efficient than the least efficient model now legally for sale. The Bush administration would have required improvement of only 20 percent. Meanwhile, in California, a regulation freeze called by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will cause the state to miss a deadline to set guidelines for a law mandating water-efficient washing machines that could save billions of gallons of water a year. Water conservation advocates say the delays could jeopardize the state's attempts to gain a federal waiver allowing it to apply the water-use limits for washing machines, which go beyond federal appliance efficiency laws. Delays could keep the law from taking effect on Jan. 1, 2007, as originally intended. The state needs the waiver before the law can go into effect. The New York Times, 14 Jan 2004, p A12, by Matthew L. Wald (air conditioners), and Associated Press, 18 Dec 2003, by Anna Oberthur (washing machines). LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS DESIGN GARDENS TO RESTORE HUMAN BODY AND PSYCHE While cultures around the world have long recognized the palliative power of nature, landscape architects and their clients are now designing gardens to play a significant role in the healing process. A series of healing gardens on the Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury, Minnesota, designed by Damon Farber Associates of Minneapolis, are meant to increase sensory awareness, strengthen people's connection with nature, and provide a calming distraction from the stress of being ill or caring for someone who is sick. Once the gardens are complete, a leisurely stroll along the "healing trail" will provide soothing, restorative experiences. Studies have demonstrated that simply viewing nature can have positive physiological and psychological effects, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing brain activity that elevates a person's mood, slowing pulse and breathing rates, reducing muscle tension and expediting recovery from surgery. Research for the design of healing gardens begins with such questions as: How does the organization that owns and maintains the garden define healing? Who will use the garden? Why? What type of therapeutic or restorative activities will occur there? What are the desired physical and/or psychological outcomes? The University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing may soon be able to help professionals gather data about the actual effects of healing gardens, as it is raising funds to construct a healing garden for health-science education, patient care and research. Architecture Minnesota, Jan-Feb 2004, p 48, by Heather Beal. [More: http://www.csh.umn.edu/programs/HealingGarden/index.html ] NEW BIOTECH BUILDING FEATURES INNOVATIVE GREEN TECHNOLOGIES Biotech firm Genzyme's new corporate headquarters, a 12-story, 350,000-square-foot glassy surprise in redbrick Cambridge, Massachusetts, may become the country's largest building to receive a LEED platinum certification. Designed by Behnisch Behnisch & Partner, of Stuttgart and Los Angeles, the building's tremendous transparency allows in daylight in a highly controlled manner. Louvered skylights direct daylight into the central atrium, while rooftop heliostats -- motorized to move with the angle of the sun -- capture light and direct it into the skylight. An elaborate blind system is computer-programmed to bounce rays up to the ceiling, where ceiling tiles send them 30 feet farther into the building through glass interior walls. The lower blinds are programmed to open and shut; those controls can be manually overridden but auto settings kick back in later. This means that the building's transparency will be eliminated automatically at night to prevent light pollution. Despite all the moving parts, the Genzyme team expects that maintenance will not be a problem. Most of the motors used for light reflection, louver movement, and other adjustable features are low-voltage sealed units requiring very little maintenance. The blind mechanisms represent the greatest potential for higher maintenance, but the curtain walls are constructed to allow for this eventuality. The company will also use preventative maintenance software and stock replacement parts to help control costs. Metropolis, Jan 2004, p 84, by Kira L. Gould. [More: http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0104/gen/ ] TOP 10 GREEN PRODUCTS SELECTED BY BUILDINGGREEN BuildingGreen announced in December its second annual Top-10 green building products. They include (in no particular order) EnvironOxide pigment from Hoover Color Corp., a pigment recovered from abandoned coal-mine drainage that can be used in cement block, paint, wood stain, and other building materials. BioBase 501 soy-based foam insulation from BioBased Systems is a low-density, open-cell polyurethane spray-foam insulation derived in part from soybean oil. MemBrain "smart" vapor retarder made by Saint Gobain changes permeability according to relative humidity. American Pride latex paint from Southern Diversified Products is made largely of acrylated castor oil and contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Keim Mineral Systems' mineral silicate paints are permeable, nontoxic, noncombustible, durable and contain no VOCs. EnviroGT wall and corner guards made by InPro Corp. provide an alternative to conventional vinyl wall and corner guards. Case Systems laboratory casework is now made entirely from wheatstraw particleboard. Mirra office chair from Herman Miller Inc. uses a minimal number of components, each of which is labeled for disassembly and refurbishing or recycling. Hot Water D'MAND from Taco, Inc. is an electronically activated water-pumping system that quickly delivers hot water to fixtures. Finally, TOTO USA makes a sensor-activated faucet that uses a tiny hydropower generator to keep its battery charged. Environmental Building News, Dec. 2003, p 8, by Jessica Boehland. 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