GreenClips.43 03.13.96 NAHB RECOGNIZES ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDERS The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center has recognized eight builders with its first Energy Value Housing Awards. NAHB Research Center's partners in the award program are the US Department of Energy, Professional Builder magazine, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the NAHB Standing Committee On Energy. From both hot and cold climates, all the winners demonstrate a balanced and integrated approach to energy efficiency, says program analyst Christine Barbour of the NAHB Research Center. Judges evaluated entries on energy performance, practicality, land use and site planning, resource-efficient building, design, construction, marketing, customer relations, and innovation. The 1996 winning builders - Arkin Homes, McLean VA; Yorktown 1781 Developers, Boothwyn PA; Melvin and Sons, Contractors Inc., Lynn Haven FL; New Age Builders, Inc., Hampton Bay NY; BBH Enterprises, Inc., Carrollton TX; The Estridge Group, Carmel IN; Thayer Street Associates, Deerfield MA; SolarCo, Raleigh NC. Applications for the upcoming contest will be available in April and are due August 2. Contact the NAHB Research Center, 400 Prince Georges Blvd, Upper Marlboro MD 20772. - Professional Builder, February 1996, p. 54. CALTHORPE HELPS COMMUNITY COMBAT SPRAWL Broomfield, Colorado is a patchwork of land-use contradictions. Drive-through banks and car dealerships abut weathered 19th century farmsteads in this community of 30,000 northeast of Denver. To curb unrestrained suburban sprawl, preserve open space, reduce traffic, and revive the community's small town feel, Broomfield hired architect Peter Calthorpe to create a new master plan for development. One part of his plan calls for village centers with stores and other amenities within walking distance of residential areas. But weaving new urbanism ideas into an already-developed town like Broomfield is not easy. Planners face a complex setting of zoning laws, property rights, road engineering codes, economic realities, and basic human prejudices such as opposition to living near low-income housing. Along with the question of where to site affordable housing, the town balked at the housing density that Calthorpe suggested, preferring larger parcels for each home. – The Christian Science Monitor, March 11, 1996, p. 10, by Malcolm Howard. AIRPORT GLYCOL FACILITIES EASE WATER POLLUTION Airlines use glycol fluid to de ice planes in winter. Without treating it, many airports send glycol runoff to municipal sewage plants where the cold, irregular flows can damage sewer beds. Boston's Logan International Airport discharges untreated deicing runoff through storm drains to Boston Harbor, says its chief of environmental management Roberta F. Ellis. To better control runoff, airports are now considering new remote deicing pads and holding facilities that will slowly release it to treatment plants. Better yet, a $4-million deicing fluid facility at the new Denver airport recycles about 90 percent of the up to 1.2 million gallons used annually. A vacuum distillation system removes water and additives to produce pure glycol that industrial users are snapping up, says Richard B. Leahy of Denver-based Aircraft De-icing Services, Inc., the system's co-developer. - ENR, March4, 1996, p. 10, by William J. Angelo. AFPA SPURS WOOD RECYCLING Recyclers currently recover only about ten percent of the 13.7 million tons of wood waste generated each year in the US. The waste wood includes pallets, brush trimmings, construction cutoffs, tree residue, and demolition scrap. Now the American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA) is launching an effort to recycle more of it. With the US Agriculture Department's help, AFPA recently published a "National Wood Recycling Directory" listing more than 650 wood residue receiving centers. The companies listed turn wood waste into more than 60 products including car parts, adhesives, insulation, ethanol, fiberboard, furniture, toys, pet litter, potting soil, packing material, and paper. The directory is $5 prepaid from AFPA, 1119 19th St NW, Washington DC 20036, 202.463.2700. - The Green Business Letter, March 1996, p. 2. CRBT OFFERS BUILDING MATERIAL GUIDE Builder Steve Loken founded the Missoula, Montana-based organization called the Center for Resourceful Building Technology (CRBT) in 1990. CRBT is a clearinghouse for new building material ideas. Loken's own demonstration home features slate-like roofing made from recycled wood fiber and concrete, siding from recovered wood fiber and cement, and wall tile recycled from car windshields. His energy efficient house has a furnace, but it stays comfortable in winter with just ambient and solar heat. The Center publishes a 110-page "Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements" for $25 (plus $3 shipping and handling) from CRBT, Dept P, PO Box 100, Missoula MT 59806. -Parade Magazine, March 3, 1996, p. 4, by Seth Shulman.