LeedUser

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Growing Greener

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Over 18 years and more than 160 issues of Environmental Building News, I've written quite a few articles — I hesitate to think about how many — but out of all of those, I think I had more fun and learned more in writing my most recent than ever before.

Thoughts on Nuclear Power – Part 2

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Last week I described why some environmentalists have shifted their position and now support nuclear power, and I described how we might be able to store nuclear waste more safely and cheaply than in the Yucca Mountain facility. So what's wrong with nuclear power? Why not move full-steam-ahead with this much more climate-friendly power generation option?

A LEED-certified building walks into a bar...

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What's so funny about green building? Email me and let me know, or comment below. Here's my latest contribution to the genre of green building jokes:

A LEED-certified building walks into a bar around closing time. It orders a drink, throws it back, and leaves. The next night, it comes in again, asks the bartender for a shot, throws it back, and leaves.

2,000 Bikes at the Inauguration

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The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), a Washington D.C. bicycle advocacy organization, along with America Bikes, the D.C.

Thoughts on Nuclear Power

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The reactor at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont..

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Thoughts on Nuclear Power

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The reactor at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont..

Continuing in the recent thread of examining various power generation technologies, this week I'll weigh in on nuclear power. I do this against my wife's better judgment, and perhaps out of concern that my columns haven't been generating enough controversy.

Building materials industry lobbying in 2008

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Isn't lobbying in Washington something that less-reputable industries do -- tobacco, casinos, and other "heavy hitters"? Doing some research on OpenSecrets.org, I was interested to learn the extent to which the building materials and equipment industry engaged in lobbying in 2008. The industry paid lobbyists a total of $11,676,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Here's the breakdown, by company.

State-of-the-art learning facility in Merritt, British Columbia

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The new home of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), also known as Eagle's Perch Campus, offers state-of-the-art learning spaces. NIVT aims to address community needs such as wellness, governance, and land and economic development. NVIT was designed to exceed the ASHRAE energy-efficiency standards by 35% by taking advantage of an efficient envelope, solar control, thermal mass, and natural ventilation.

Renovation of a Civil War-era building on the National Register of Historic Places

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The Friends Committee on National Legislation Headquarters is a small office building serving one of Washington, D.C.'s largest peace lobby organizations. The project--the renovation of and addition to a Civil War-era building on the National Register of Historic Places--was designed to promote Quaker ideals, including a mission to "seek an Earth restored." Read the full 12-page case study

BuildingGreen Bulletin: Interior Paints and More New Products — GreenSpec News Updates

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Twice each month, BuildingGreen publishes an email news bulletin with current news and product information briefs. Sign up here — it's free. We will never share or sell your email address, and you may unsubscribe at any time.

Read the current bulletin

Use Less Stuff — The ULS Report

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The ULS Report ("Use Less Stuff") started off as a primitive bimonthly web publication in 1994. Five years on, in 1999, it decreased frequency to quarterly.

Should the Plastic Bag Be Saved?

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I've traveled outside of North America only once in my life, and that was to Ireland in 2002. That was the year they switched from the Irish Pound to the Euro, and it was when they put a tax on plastic bags. We dopey tourists didn't know anything about that plastic bag thing before we got there. The deal, in theory, was this: If you wanted a plastic bag when you went to the store, you had to pay for it.

How Window Screens Affect Winter Fuel Use in Heating Climates

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The Midcoast Green Collaborative is a Maine-based public nonprofit with the wide mission of socially responsible economic growth for their region. There's also an associated good blog with a high percentage of building-based posts — lots of nice, accessible, generally bite-sized, hands-on observational science.

Brattleboro's Historic Landfill Gas System

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In last week's column I examined a fairly unusual local power source: the Northfield Mountain pumped hydropower system, which is used for "storing" electricity--by pumping water uphill. This week we'll take a look at a very different power-generation system that's even closer to home: the landfill gas power plant at the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) facility on Ferry Road.

UFO suspected in mystery wind turbine mangling

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whir... whir... whir.. whir... CLUNK! It finally worked... after decades of catching nothing but birds and bats, while making a small amount of electricity as a byproduct, the international effort to catch a UFO netted its first victim. A wind turbine in England lost one of its rotors last week in a nighttime incident with no clear cause, on the same night that locals observed unusual lights. Too bad we misunderestimated the aliens... there is no sign of a downed spacecraft, and they apparently made off with the broken rotor, which can't be found. Meanwhile, George W.