GreenClips.238 04.14.04 PUBLICIZE YOUR CONFERENCE OR EVENT IN GREENCLIPS Reach 10,000+ GreenClips readers by placing a sponsored announcement. Email chrishammer@greenclips.com for details. Scroll down to our Sponsors section to learn about two upcoming conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CENTER FOR GREEN BUILDING RESEARCH PROPOSED BY EPRI & LBNL The Electric Power Research Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently announced their plan for a Center for Green Building Research. The Center would be managed by EPRI, with LBNL directing the research. The organizers are seeking funding from federal and state agencies and private sponsors for an initial five-year research agenda with a budget of $5 million to $7 million. The Center's proposed inaugural study would compare 20 green buildings to a control group of 20 conventional buildings in terms of energy use, indoor environmental quality, occupant satisfaction and health, transportation impacts, and costs. The organizers hope this research will provide data to make the case for green building and to identify ways in which programs such as LEED can be improved. A website should be online shortly; in the meantime, contact Annette Rohr at aroh@epri.com. Environmental Building News, Apr 2004, p 4, by Nadav Malin. GREENPEACE SPONSORS PVC-FREE HOUSE; VINYL INDUSTRY CRIES FOUL When the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity affiliate recently teamed with Greenpeace and a group of green builders from the Healthy Building Network to build a home free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), PVC producers cried foul. The PVC makers have been actively involved with Habitat for Humanity, and in Louisiana alone have sponsored and helped build 16 homes in communities where PVC producers such as CertainTeed Corp., Dow Chemical Co., Formosa Plastics, and Pioneer Chlor-Alkali Co. are located. Louisiana is home to some of the world's largest producers of PVC. According to Beverly Smiley, executive director of Solutions Through Science, an organization sponsored by Louisiana PVC producers, emissions from PVC plants have been cut by 90 percent in the past 25 years, and PVC producers account for less than one percent of the dioxins emitted into the atmosphere. Greenpeace is a harsh critic of PVC companies, said Rick Hind, director of the Greenpeace toxics campaign. Pollution attributed to PVC producers and other chemical plants was the reason for sponsoring the PVC-free house. Jim Pate, executive director of the New Orleans Habitat affiliate, saw no reason not to accept Greenpeace's help. Pate sees the Greenpeace sponsorship as a test to see whether "using safe and affordable and environmental-friendly products were feasible and financially realistic" for the Habitat home. The house came in under the $55,000 price cap set by Habitat. New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8 Apr 2004, by Greg Thomas. [More: http://www.healthybuilding.net/pvc/news.html; http://www.stsla.org] SEATTLE LAUNCHES WEBSITE FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN In recognition of April as "Earth Month," the city of Seattle has launched "Implement," a new sustainable-design website aimed at architects, designers, developers, project managers, and building owners and operators. The site, http://www.seattle.gov/implement, is designed to help make sustainable-design decisions based on energy consumption and costs. The site ranks strategies for increasing the energy and water efficiency of different building types, including offices, fire stations and tenant improvements. More building types are planned. The recommendations are based on the Seattle regional climate. Each strategy has first cost and annual operating cost information. The tool also contains best practice information, case studies and links. Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 5 Apr 2004. HAWORTH'S WHEAT BOARD FURNITURE The US Green Building Council recently tapped Michigan's Haworth Inc. to outfit its Washington, D.C., headquarters. The council chose Haworth's newest systems furniture, Moxie, and Haworth and its SMED subsidiary used wheat board instead of medium-density fiber board and particleboard to build some of the furniture. The wheat board is made by a North Dakota company, PrimeBoard Inc., which turns agricultural waste—including wheat straw and sunflower seed hulls—into sheets like those used in the USGBC furniture. In West Michigan, many major office furniture makers use the PrimeBoard products, and have taken other steps to move toward creating green products and buildings. For example, the 600,000-square-foot, $25 million Steelcase Inc. wood plant, which opened in 2001, was the first manufacturing facility in the world to earn a LEED rating from the USGBC. Steelcase switched to a water-based finishing system for its wood furniture that has reduced toxic emission by 380 tons, or 70 percent a year. The Grand Rapids Press, 7 Apr 2004, by Rob Kirkbride. [More: http://www.haworth.com, http://www.primeboard.com] GREEN SOFAS, FROM FRAME TO FABRIC Buying a new sofa? Conventional upholstered furniture may be made with old-growth wood or with polyurethane foam cushions that outgas polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which have been linked to thyroid imbalances that can damage the brain. Many upholstery fabrics are treated with stain-resistant or fire-retardant products that have added formaldehyde. Greener products include frames made of FSC-certified sustainably harvested wood. Metal brackets or water-based glues can replace toxic glues. Exposed wood on legs and arms can be finished with natural oil or wax. Instead of polyurethane foam cushions, look for cushions made from natural latex derived from rubber trees. For softer pillows, consider lightweight kapok stuffing (sometimes called Java cotton), a natural fiber from trees. For fabric covers, consider natural-fiber textiles that are not treated with formaldehyde, such as hemp, wool or a wool/cotton blend. Ideally, covers should be removable for easy cleaning. Expect to pay between $3,000 and $7,000 for a green sofa. Retail sources for green sofas: http://www.beanproducts.com; http://www.ecosofa.com; http://www.furnature.com; http://ayogalife.com Natural Home, May/June 2004, p 25, by Melissa B. Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: ARMSTRONG CEILING SYSTEMS http://www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article10790.html Armstrong offers an expanding portfolio of sustainable ceiling products. Through the Ceiling Recycling Program, an industry first and only one of its kind, old tiles are shipped to an Armstrong plant, not a landfill; 17 million square feet recycled to date. BUILDINGGREEN, INC. Build Your Expertise with BuildingGreen Suite, a revolutionary green building tool from the people who bring you Environmental Building News. Clear, powerful information presented online—at your fingertips. More information at http://www.BuildingGreen.com/go/suite ENGINEERING GREEN BUILDINGS CONFERENCE http://www.hpac.com/products/egb.htm The first-ever national green building conference for engineers featuring leading experts providing intensive/interactive sessions on green-building design for new construction, renovation and O&M. July 20-23, 2004; Cleveland, Ohio. EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM Greening the government, one purchase at a time. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp FIRST ANNUAL TETON GREEN BUILDING CONFERENCE http://www.tetongreenbuilding.com/ Please join developers, planners, builders and architects June 2-4 at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park to learn from national experts about the LEED standard, building science, methods and materials for colder climates. This first annual event is sponsored by AIA-Wyoming, USGBC-Colorado Chapter, and Vail Resorts Development Company. GREEN BUILDING SERVICES http://www.greenbuildingservices.com Green Building Services offers environmental design and energy efficient consulting services to help you design, build and market high-performance commercial buildings, through design charrettes, energy analyses and the entire LEED certification process. WSU ENERGY PROGRAM http://www.energy.wsu.edu Providing objective research, information and solutions. Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program in Olympia, Washington. Subscribe to GreenClips and other mailing lists on energy and the environment at http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GREENCLIPS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! Twice a month GreenClips is distributed electronically to over 10,000 readers interested in sustainable building design. But we can't do it without the financial support of our sponsors and members. If you find GreenClips valuable, please consider becoming a sponsor or voluntary member. Email chrishammer@greenclips.com for details. ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: Sustainable design consultant Chris Hammer publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps her clients with environmentally responsible approaches to urban planning and development, and to building design, construction, and operation. GreenClips is edited by Jennifer Roberts, author of "Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes for a Healthier Planet" (http://www.goodgreenhomes.com). To CONTACT THE PUBLISHER: Email chrishammer@greenclips.com or call 415.928.7941. BACK ISSUES Two Internet sites host GreenClips archives for reference and research: http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/greenclips/visit.html (keyword search) http://www.greenclips.com (browse contents) REDISTRIBUTION Please do not redistribute or post copies of GreenClips regularly. Encourage readers who receive GreenClips from you to subscribe directly. Continuing sponsorship depends on accurate reader counts. SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE To subscribe via e-mail send a blank message to subscribe-greenclips@listserv.energy.wsu.edu To unsubscribe via e-mail send a blank message to unsubscribe-greenclips@listserv.energy.wsu.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copyright 2003 Sustainable Design Resources. All rights reserved. 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