Be Wise! Be Healthy!
Be in the know about Sustainable Living and Green Building, Products & Experts
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September 2007
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by Elaine Ireland
A new era is upon us and the tipping point is here. All kinds of building projects, but particularly schools, have been at the forefront. In this issue are several stories that are likely effecting, or will effect, your kids. They include: CHPS schools help achieve higher student performance, a California bond allocates $100 million for green K-12 schools, and an award program, the Green Cleaning Award. (read on) |
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Schools are at the forefront of the tipping point toward greener, healthier buildings — and kids!
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General Features |
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by Alan S. Glassman
First of a series of articles about what should be of interest to anyone involved in the building professions. The relevance of geometry itself may be obvious to those responsible for the planning, design and construction of our buildings and infrastructure. But did you know it involves the Language of Numbers and Symbols? (read on) |
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by Angela Molenaar
On the occasion of the 112th birthday of one of the 20th century's most prescient futurists and global thinkers, comes the first annual challenge to catalyze the vanguard of a global design revolution. With $100,000 prize to support the development and implementation of a solution with significant potential to solve the world's most pressing problems in the shortest possible time while enhancing the Earth's ecological integrity. (read on) |
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Global Warming |
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By Dana Childs
The demand for energy is forecast to rise 20 times in the next 10 years alone. The U.S. nuclear industry has reputedly billions of decommissioning dollars to spend on public opinion to develop a favorable public face for building more plants. In an effort to bring our readers and consumers of energy a rounded education into the benefits or deficits of a new round of nuclear energy, we offer this and many more infomercials from both sides of the issue. (read on) |
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“A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
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Health & Toxins |
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| In one of the California Air Resources Board's largest-ever penalty cases, Sierra Pacific Industries, a lumber company headquartered in Redding, Calif. recently paid $13 million to settle allegations of air quality violations at four of the company's Sierra foothills sites. (read on) |
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Cleaner Transportation |
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Courtesy George Beeler, NCARB
The Napa Valley Unified School District will become one of eight school districts in the U.S. - and the first in California - to operate a new plug-in hybrid electric school bus. The new bus will help offset increasing fuel costs for the district, with the potential to double fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by up to 90%. (read on) |
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| The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released an assessment that finds that widespread use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential for improved ambient air quality. (read on) |
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Building & Construction |
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| Over the last year, California's leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions gained international attention - and proved to be a catalyst for new policy initiatives at the federal level. The state's leadership in the green schools movement is no less dramatic. (read on) |
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| In a city that's already home to some of the country's greenest buildings, it should come as no surprise that students studying architecture there will soon focus on bringing sustainability into building design. Starting this fall, Columbia College Chicago, a private arts and media college, will incorporate the principles of low-impact, sustainable architecture into its Masters of Fine Arts programs in Architectural Studies and Interior Architecture. (read on) |
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| Traditional wood framing for a 2,000 square foot home requires cutting 40 trees. A newer technology utilizes steel from 8 recycled cars for panelized steel framing solutions for both residential and commercial construction. Sophisticated software, state-of-the-art technology dramatically reduces the manual operations that have plagued the success of the steel framing industry and allows for visionary leadership in the emerging market of sustainable construction. (read on) |
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| Study shows there is no significant difference in average costs for green buildings as compared to non-green buildings. Many project teams are building green buildings with little or no added cost, and with budgets well within the cost range of non-green buildings with similar programs. (read on) |
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| Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, an innovative Northern California homebuilder is adopting an aggressive regional strategy to standardize solar energy into its building practices. The first community where BP solar electric systems will be featured is in the City of Brentwood, California, where Pinn Brothers has started construction on 455 single family homes. (read on) |
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| Sonoma Mountain Village, a planned community where you can live, work, relax and play while reducing your ecological footprint on the planet, was accepted into the pilot program for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Developments (LEED-ND) by the U. S. Green Building Council and its partners, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council. (read on) |
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| Developers who have built green affordable housing in some of the country's hottest housing markets gathered to discuss successes and lessons learned from incorporating green building principles in their projects. (read on) |
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| The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has rolled out a nationwide pilot program to encourage owners of multifamily Section 8 properties to rehabilitate and operate their buildings using “green building” principles that embody a combination of sustainability, energy efficiency, recycled materials, indoor air quality, and incorporate the healthy housing approach pioneered by HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative. (read on) |
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Lifestyle - What You Can Do |
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| Janitorial product manufacturers, distributors and service providers for educational institutions are invited to enter the first Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities. The Green Cleaning Network, Healthy Schools Campaign and American School & University magazine launched the contest to recognize outstanding green cleaning programs. The programs could include administrative and janitorial staff, outside contractors, vendors, and community and advocacy groups. (read on) |
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By Ariel Dekovic
In the late moments of the twentieth century, power use in California was reaching a crisis point. Rolling blackouts were becoming the norm, and energy rates skyrocketed. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) was born out of this energy crisis. Support for CHPS continues to grow in California and throughout the United States. California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are all adapting CHPS for their schools. (read on) |
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Crate & Barrel, Pier 1 Imports Top List of Best Retailers Selling FSC-Certified Outdoor Wood Furniture Products — Consumers looking to green up their patios with sustainable garden furniture have more products to choose from, but still face challenges finding them in stores, according to a new report of major outdoor furniture retailers issued by the National Wildlife Federation.
(read on) |
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GreenSage Guide to Living Green |
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By Elaine Ireland
Now that most people are aware of the dangers of lead, we can shift from saying 'Get the Lead Out' to 'Get the Gas Out!' — VOC kind of gas that is. Formaldehyde, one of the most pervasive, is a great place to start. In California, the Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted regulations to reduce formaldehyde emissions, particularly composite wood products — particleboard, hardwood plywood and MDF (medium density fiberboard). (read on) |
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Green Products |
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| As part of an ongoing effort at measuring and reducing its environmental impact, Maharam has achieved Greenguard ® and Greenguard Children & SchoolsSM certification for over 400 patterns in its collection. Maharam is currently the only textile company with both certifications. (read on) |
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| A recent ruling by the U.S. Green Building Council allows projects to earn extra LEED credit by using products that have California Gold or SMART certification. That helps users of InterfaceFLOR carpet backed with GlasBacRE. (read on) |
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Green Economics |
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By Nick Hodge
There is no way to mitigate climate change without heavy and constant investment in clean and efficient technologies. And that's what the folks at Green Chip pride themselves on — finding companies that stand to make the most money while providing solutions to very real and proven problems. (read on) |
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Eyes on the Lawmakers |
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Courtesy the AIA
In view of the collapse of the Minneapolis bridge over the Mississippi, it seems a few people just had to die to make infrastructure a priority. Finally, now the Senate Environment and Public Works has approved legislation supported by the AIA and 15 other design, construction, engineering, and transportation organizations to improve the nation's infrastructure. (read on) |
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Humor |
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THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT! Never heard creation explained this way before !!! |
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Green Experts Profile |
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Green Product Profile |
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What? A Company That Cares What You Think? |
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Calendar of events |
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Dozens of Green Events Around the World to Participate in |
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Where Every Issue is a Green Issue
