SICK-BUILDING STUDY POINTS TO FUNGI
Texas Tech researchers say two types of fungi are a significant cause of sick- building syndrome. The British journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine will publish their study in its September edition. The condition known as sick-building syndrome arose in the early 1980s when, to save energy, architects began to design buildings with windows that don't open. Lack of ventilation, the researchers say, has allowed fungi to flourish and make some buildings "sick". Their study of 48 school buildings found the fungi penicillium and stachybotrys common to them all. Texas Tech microbiologist David Straus says the study should help identify whether buildings where people complain of headaches, watery eyes, and respiratory problems have sick- building syndrome and help to determine when corrective steps have fixed the problem. "Once the fungi [are] eliminated from the air by increasing ventilation and eliminating standing water, the symptoms stop," says Straus. "At first we thought penicillium might be the only fungus involved, but that wouldn't explain some of the neurological symptoms some people reported, like dizziness and double vision," Straus says. "We found that those symptoms are toxic reactions to stachybotrys, which is an entirely different kind of beast." Stachybotrys is a deadly fungus thought to be responsible for the 1989 deaths of six children in Cleveland. Though Straus' team of researchers didn't detect enough stachybotrys in the school buildings they studied to pose a mortal threat, its involvement concerns them. A World Health Organization spokesman says other studies are focusing on carpet glue or binding chemical used to install floors as possible causes of sick-building syndrome. - The Dallas Morning News, 26 Aug 98, by Associated Press.

GORE EMBRACES SMART GROWTH
Opening a White House campaign against overdevelopment early this month, Vice President Gore called for "smart, green growth" that protects America's farms and environment while promoting economic development, civic involvement, and livable communities. The outward sprawl of American metropolitan areas has consumed 1.5 million acres of farmland each year since 1960, federal figures show. Gore told urban policy analysts gathered at the Brookings Institution that, to help curb the sprawl, the US government will spend more than $17 million to buy 53,000 acres of farmland. The money is part of $35 million provided under farm legislation passed in 1996 aimed at helping states preserve farmland. The federal government, Gore said, will also reexamine its policies to see if any encourage runaway sprawl by, for example, subsidizing sewer line extensions far into undeveloped areas rather than upgrading them in developed areas. Meanwhile, a new Sierra Club report titled The Dark Side of the American Dream lists the 20 cities most endangered by sprawl. [Watch <http://www.sierraclub.org> for a posting of the report.] - The Washington Post, 3 Sep 98, p A17, by Judith Havemann, and USA Today, 9 Sep 98, p 3A, by Haya El Nasser.

SUSTAINABILITY MEETS NEW URBANISM AT COFFEE CREEK
Coffee Creek, a 640-acre traditional neighborhood development in Chesterton, Indiana, will test whether a real estate project can embrace the tenets of sustainability and New Urbanism simultaneously. Sustainable approaches focus on reducing environmental impact by cutting energy and water use and by using recycled and renewable building materials. New Urbanism is more concerned with restoring human scale and sense of place by creating traditional neighborhoods. Ultimately 1,200 housing units and more than a million square feet of commercial space, Coffee Creek's pedestrian-friendly, connective layout of streets and blocks will support continued development of historic Chesterton. Coffee Creek is the first traditional neighborhood development planned by William McDonough & Partners, known as innovators in environmentally sensitive design. "I don't see sustainability and New Urbanism always going hand in hand," says Kevin Warren of Nipsco Industries, the project's financial backer and owner of Northern Indiana Public Service Company, a power utility. "There clearly are cases where a compromise must be struck." Along a creek dividing the town center is a 240-acre natural park and constructed wetlands that will help control stormwater runoff and treat wastewater. The tradeoff in preserving much more than the 17 acres of unbuildable wetland for environmental aims is that the town center won't be as accessible to pedestrians in neighborhoods on the other side of the creek as a New Urbanist might like. But architecturally, Warren doesn't see energy- efficient features affecting exterior styles since many of these innovations are in the guts of the building. Others like ventilation windows are traditional features that will fit in fine. - In Business, Jul-Aug 98, p 26, by Robert Steuteville.

ECO MEMBRANE EASES REHAB
Architect Thomas Herzog has inventively used a translucent membrane to rehabilitate a 1930s industrial steel and glass shed in Munich called the Deckelhalle as a design studio for the Trade Fair and Design arm of Siemens. The 1,400 sq m Deckelhalle had no insulation, only basic heating, cast-iron window frames with single glazing, and too much depth in plan for daylight to reach the center of the floor. Siemens sought an energy-saving and ecologically enlightened design proposal with a progressive corporate image. Constraints on exterior appearance required Herzog to leave the original skin untouched except for a new glass roof light and ventilation louvers at the roof ridge and eaves. Inside, new operable windows screen the eye-level band of existing exterior glazing. Above, between the new window lintels and the roof ridge, a translucent membrane hangs from the steel rafters on guy cables, gently enclosing the space like a giant amoeba but revealing the original steel frame and windows behind. Acting as a new interior skin, the tent-like curtaining (K-value 1.8 W/m2/degK) reduces the volume of heated space and insulates by trapping air between membrane and structure. The membrane, constructed by Koch Hightex, is recyclable and biodegradable. - Architectural Review, Aug 98, p 24, by Layla Dawson.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT TORCHIERES ARRIVE
Popular halogen-lamped torchieres account for one of every ten light fixtures sold in the US but draw 300 to 500 watts of power. Now there's an energy efficient alternative - compact fluorescent lamp torchieres from at least six manufacturers are coming to market this fall. Some of the new uplighting floor lamps are priced in the $29 to $39 range - remarkably close to the price of their halogen counterparts - though some of the lower-priced CFL models lack the multiple light levels or performance characteristics needed to earn the US government's Energy Star label. A number of the new Energy Star torchieres will feature General Electric's long-awaited 67-watt 2-D lamp. Some units will be fully dimmable. Utilities in California, the Pacific Northwest, and parts of Wisconsin offer purchase incentives of $10 to $15 each for Energy Star torchieres that match the typical light output of halogens (3,500 lumens or more). Can't find Energy Star torchieres in your local store? Order them directly from <http://www.LightSite.net> where for qualifying Northern Californians the utility rebate is automatically deducted from the price. - Home Energy, Sep-Oct 98, p 5, by Chris Calwell.

ORGANIC COTTON DIRECTORY
The Organic Trade Association's Fiber Council has published an Organic Cotton Directory of more than 125 companies and their products. The guide lists organic cotton growers, brokers, mills, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers, and gives facts and figures on the organic cotton market. The OTA says acreage estimates for the 1998 organic cotton crop are up 11 percent from last year to more than 10,000 acres and notes the corresponding drop in agricultural chemicals and pesticides applied to the total cotton crop. To order the $18 guide from the OTA, phone 413 774 7511 or email <ofc@igc.org>. - The Green Business Letter, Sep 98, p 4.

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http://www.socalgas.com/erc Get the answers you need to benefit from electric deregulation. Electric deregulation has been a California reality since March, but it's still shrouded in confusion. The Energy Resource Center's Evaluating Electric Deregulation Opportunities seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23 will give you the opportunity to engage in an interactive discussion of your options instead of merely listening to a prepared lecture. Your questions will be solicited before the event and given to speakers so that the presentation will reflect the needs of participants. The ERC is located at 9240 E. Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA, 90241-5388. To register for the $50 seminar (Seminar #2853), call 800 427 6584 and press option one, or dial direct to 562 803 7500.

CALIFORNIA INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) offers contractors information on recycling and reusing materials from construction and demolition (C&D) job sites and how it can save them money. The Construction & Demolition Recycling Program fact sheet summarizes CIWMB programs that can help contractors in C&D recycling efforts. It lists other available fact sheets such as Asphalt Pavement Recycling, Drywall Recycling, Recycled Latex Paint, Why Use Recycled Plastic Lumber? and more. Also available is California C&D Recyclers, a list of approximately 500 sites in the state, sorted by county, that receive construction and/or demolition materials for recycling or reuse. To obtain any of these publications, call 916 255 2149 or visit <http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/mrt/cnstdemo/>.