LEDs are light-emitting diodes. Many experts look to LEDs as the future of lighting. Unlike compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), metal halide, and induction lamps, LEDs do not contain mercury, which is a toxic metal and disposal concern.

Welcome to our new blog dedicated to the issues of water, water efficiency, and water policy.

When we talk about the environment and environmentally responsible building, it’s almost always energy that takes the spotlight, with water pretty far down the list. But it’s not hard to see just how much of a back seat driver water can be:

The company began shipping Sustainable Insulation? on a limited basis in California and western Canada at the beginning of March this year and will expand the distribution over time.

Much attention is focused on efficient lighting--from CFLs and LEDs to advanced controls. But for daytime lighting you can avoid electricity use altogether--with daylighting. Most daylighting is provided with windows or skylights (roof windows that are installed in the plane of the roof). For a lot of applications, there's another, easier option: tubular skylights.

The following email from USGBC was just forwarded to me by a LEED-CS project team administator. I thought it was worth sharing for anyone who might not have seen it.

TO:  All Registered non-certified LEED-CS v2.0 projects 

Be aware of the following update to the submittal documentation for LEED-CS v2.0 EAc1.

Last month, I heard my first presentation on the Green Globes rating system. I felt like the Bishop of Canterbury hearing Henry the VIII tell me about this new "Church of England" he was planning to roll out. That is, I was suspicious, but interested to get the low-down on how it works with a real open mind, so that I might know what the future may or may not hold. I have to say, I find some of the innovations to be really good. Namely, a flexible tool that does what LEED’s high touted, but never delivered bookshelf model was supposed to do (or so I thought).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a key part of the federal economic stimulus program, extended a 30% federal tax credit for certain home energy upgrades through 2010.

Americans spend a lot of energy drying clothes.

It's been a long time coming (since November 2007), but USGBC today opened a second public comment period for LEED for Healthcare!

Sixty-two credits and prerequisites, and almost all have changes, though most are minor and are about aligning LEED for Healthcare with the LEED 2009 rating systems. Some of the more significant ones are:

We've just released a neat new report on what it costs to achieve specific LEED credits. Based on the current LEED-NC 2009 rating system, "The Cost of LEED" draws on the experience of veteran cost estimators to provide prices for specific measures a project team would consider. The report helps a team understand the implications of LEED on the cost of its own particular project, with lists of "standard" approaches compared to "high performance" options, along with cost premiums for those options.

False-flush is a fairly common occurrence with sensor-activated toilet and urinal flushometers. I've had toilets flush three times before I've even used them!

I was active in the solar energy movement back in the late 1970s and early '80s, when, indeed, a whole lot of ugly solar homes were built.