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Flame Retardant Used in Polystyrene to be Banned by EU

HBCD is used in all polystyrene building insulation--both extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS).

by Alex Wilson

The European Union announced last week that it is banning HBCD (hexabromocyclododecane), the brominated flame retardant used in polystyrene building insulation. The ban will take effect by mid-2015 and be implemented through the European Union's REACH program (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals).

Direct-Gain Passive Solar

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Direct-gain passive-solar design was used extensively at the Cob Hill CoHousing project in Hartland, Vermont. A majority of the windows face south, with overhangs and window blinds that help block unwanted sun in the summer. Photo: Alex Wilson.

A Guide to the Key LEED BD&C v2009 Addenda - NC, CS, Schools

Here is a review of key LEED 2009 addenda to date. The following covers BD&C systems: NC, CS, and Schools.

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Update! See our ongoing coverage of LEED Interpretations and addenda here.

Trombe Walls

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A Trombe wall retrofit workshop that I was leading in the late-1970s in New Mexico. To this simple frame, a layer of glazing was added, and sunlight would heat up the dark-painted wall. Photo: Alex Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

Last week I wrote about sunspaces and how they can be used to deliver passive solar heat to our homes.

LEED to Award Points for Non-LEED Credentials

Last month USGBC issued a memo opening a new path to LEED points for professionals with green building credentials other than the LEED AP (LEED Accredited Professional) credential.

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Last month USGBC issued IDc2 (IOc2 in EBOM), the new path is part of IDc1: Innovation in Design.

Reducing the Carbon Emissions of Products Through the 2030 Challenge

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The 2030 Challenge for Products aims to reduce the embodied carbon of building materials 50% by 2030. Graphic: Architecture 2030. Click on image to enlarge.

All right, it's not a product. But the 2030 Challenge for Products, announced today by Ed Mazria's organization, Architecture 2030, BuildingGreen, and others, promises to make a lot of products a lot greener.

New Plaintiffs Join Amended LEED Lawsuit

Filed February 7th, 2011, the amended complaint has been boiled down to a claim of false advertising, and is no longer a class-action suit.

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From LEEDuser's sister publication Environmental Building News:

A federal lawsuit filed in October 2010 against the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and other defendants, focusing on allegedly fraudulent claims of the LEED rating system, has been amended. Filed February 7th, 2011, the amended complaint has been boiled down to a claim of false advertising, and is no longer a class-action suit.

Sunspaces - Solar Heat and a Place to Grow Plants

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A solar greenhouse workshop from the late-1970s. Photo: Alex Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

Way back in the late 1970s, I worked for the New Mexico Solar Energy Association in Santa Fe. I ran the Workshop Program, leading a crew of three or four like-mined idealists teaching mostly low-income New Mexicans about solar energy through hands-on construction workshops.

LEED 2012 Points—or, How we'll eventually get points

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This screen capture from the webinar shows how each piece of the matrix is filled in in the Assessment Tool. Here, you can see the three associators (relative efficacy, benefit duration, and benefit control) and their respective options.

The USGBC recently hosted an “Introduction to LEED Rating System Weightings Process” webcast detailing how point allocations for credits in the next version of LEED, a.k.a. LEED 2012, will be determined.

Martha Stewart GreenHouse: Trendsetter or Outlier?

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Each year, Builder Magazine teams up with a homebuilder to roll out a cutting-edge "concept home" at the International Builders' Show. While last year's strictly virtual concept home was advertised as "the most innovative home never built," some critics think the 2011 "GreenHouse" might as well not have been built either.

Greening the Pink Panther: Owens Corning's New EcoTouch Fiberglas

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Owens Corning's new EcoTouch Fiberglas insulation is made with a non-formaldehyde, plant-based binder. Photo: Owens Corning. Click on image to enlarge.

Owens Corning, whose pink fiberglass insulation has been around for more than 70 years, whose shade of pink is trademarked, and whose Pink Panther has become almost synonymous with insulation, has begun a top-to-bottom transformation of its fiberglass insulation.

Heating with Oil or Gas: What's to Like?

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Along with heating with wood at home, we rely on heating oil, burning it in this Buderus boiler. Photo: Alex Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

I think it's safe to say that nobody likes to burn oil.

What's the Greenest Option for Home Heating?

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Heating with wood pellets, such as with this freestanding Quadrafire Mt. Vernon pellet stove at our own house, can be the greenest option, since wood pellets are a renewable heating fuel. Photo: Alex Wilson. Click on image to enlarge.

I've always gotten a lot of questions from friends, neighbors, and casual acquaintances about energy issues, and those questions picked up dramatically when I started writing this column two-and-a-half years ago.

Green Building Product Certifications Report Errata and Update

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Our new report, Green Building Product Certifications: Getting What You Need, covers every relevant certification in the field. But of course, as we all know, things keep changing. To ensure you have correct and current information, this errata covers all updates, corrections, and clarifications that we know of to date.

Solar Decathlon to Relocate: Will the 'Solar Village' Move to the 'Burbs?

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When my husband and I attended the first Solar Decathlon in 2002 with our one-year-old and his newborn brother, we (and our massive double stroller) traveled downtown on the subway.