ED+C has been reworking our website content to enhance our online presence and provide our readers with material that goes above and beyond what we have room for in print!
Visit www.EDCmag.com today to check out our new Blog, as well as the online-only Web Exclusives section.

We will continue to add up-to-date Breaking News items, as well as provide you with information pertaining to the green buildiing industry from across our roster of BNP Media sister publications.

For example, check out the following article from National Floor Trends:
Green Report: The Business End of Environmentally Friendly
Carpet makers are on a mission: they want to save the world. Minimizing their environmental footprint has become the new benchmark of forward-thinking corporate leadership in virtually every area of the flooring business. Those involved say it can be a costly, uphill struggle at times, but the evidence suggests consumers are responding. To view the entire article, click here. 

Or, this cover story from the March 2007 issue of Plumbing & Mechanical:
The Greening Of The Bathroom
There can be some conflict in the construction community about the cost-effectiveness of green building — creating a safer and cleaner indoor environment vs. the impact on the project schedule. A 2005 report by Air Quality Sciences Inc. says that a coordinated approach, planned for during the design phase and carried out through the life of the project, can alleviate this concern. To view the entire article, click here.

And while you're online at www.EDCmag.com, be sure to become a registered site user. It's free, and only takes a few minutes + will give you access to ED+C archives, as well as other great features like our blog. Besides, you might be one of the lucky registrants we randomly select to win valuable CD libraries or exclusive LEED Guides.

Until next time,

Joe Mayton
ED+C Associate Editor

Johnson Controls to Develop Methane Gas Recovery System for City of Little Rock
Milwaukee — The City of Little Rock, Ark., has signed a $7 million performance contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. to develop a methane gas recovery system for the city’s landfill and maintain the solution over the life of the contract. Once installation of the recovery system is complete, Little Rock expects to collect more than 90,000 MMBTUs of usable energy from landfill gas annually, which will then be made available for purchase by an area manufacturer. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.

Lord, Aeck & Sargent to Adopt 2030 Challenge
Atlanta — Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture, a sustainable, energy-efficient architectural design firm, has adopted The 2030 Challenge; an initiative that calls on the global building sector to immediately reduce energy usage by 50 percent in new buildings and major renovations in order to avoid hazardous climate change. Specifically, The 2030 Challenge sets several targets for the fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings, the ultimate goal being the design of carbon-neutral buildings, or buildings that use no fossil-fuel greenhouse gas-emitting energy to operate, by the year 2030. For more information, visit www.lordaecksargent.com.

Lennar Introduces Solar Electric Systems in all New Bay Area Homes
San Ramon, Calif. — Lennar Homebuilding announced that all new communities constructed in the greater San Francisco Bay market will be equipped with a roof integrated solar electric system from PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation, as a standard feature. For more information, visit www.lennar.com.

Daylighting System Manufacturer Nature’s Lighting Changes Name to Ciralight
Park City, Utah  — Nature’s Lighting has changed its name to Ciralight. Ciralight manufactures, sells, markets, installs and provides technical support for its SunTrackerOne Advanced Daylighting System. For more information, visit www.ciralight.com.

Skuttle Celebrates 90^th Anniversary
Marietta, Ohio — Throughout 2007, Skuttle Manufacturing Company is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The company manufactures whole-house humidifiers and other IAQ products. For more information, visit www.skuttle.com.

BOMA International Launches G.R.E.E.N. Website
Washington, D.C. — The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International launched The Green Resource Energy and Environment Network (G.R.E.E.N.), which offers commercial real estate professionals information on sustainability issues, ranging from BOMA's advocacy policy positions to state and local legislative initiatives to case studies to education offerings such as the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP). For more information, visit www.boma.org. 

USGBC Announces Plans to Purchase First Federally Sanctioned Tax Exempt “Green Bond”
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced plans to purchase one of the first federally sanctioned Green Bonds being sold on Wall Street. The bonds, insured by XL Capital, and rated AAA, are the first of $2 billion allocated by the U.S. Treasury to four large projects around the country. The pilot Green Bond program provides tax-exempt financing capacity for energy conserving and environmentally beneficial development projects such as the Destiny USA project, which will be a “retail city” powered entirely by renewable energy. For more information, visit www.destinyusa.com and www.usgbc.org.

Governors Arm Wrestling Match Over Energy Independence
Washington, D.C. — Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colo.), challenged Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.), to an arm wrestling match over creating a new generation of jobs in their state at the Apollo Summit, a gathering of business, environmental and labor leaders in Washington, D.C. Gov. Patrick, who spoke before Gov. Ritter, outlined Massachusetts’ goal to attract companies working to build a green economy.  For more information, visit www.apolloalliance.org. 

National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Buys Green Tags to Offset Impact of Events
Portland, Ore. — The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced that the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, organizer of the annual Academy Awards presentation, purchased BEF Green Tags to offset the carbon footprint of this year's Academy Awards telecast, Governor's Ball, Road to the Oscars Pre-Show, and the Red Carpet Event. The combined purchase of 178 Green Tags supports the generation of 178,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity from clean, renewable energy projects. For more information, visit www.greentagsusa.org. 

GE Plastics Supports Energy Conservation, Sustainable Design, Recyclability
Pittsfield, Mass. — As part of GE’s ecomagination initiative, GE Plastics is developing environmentally responsible engineered plastics specifically for the building and construction industry, including the company’s array of sheet products for energy-efficient roofing and glazing applications, and resin grades for lightweight, recyclable roofing. For more information, visit www.geplastics.com.

LSG, CRO, Inc., to Provide Energy Efficient LED Lighting Solutions
Dallas — Lighting Science Group Corporation (LSG), a provider of energy efficient lighting solutions, has partnered with Consolidated Restaurant Operations Inc. (CRO), an operator of more than 130 full-service and franchise casual-dining restaurants in 18 states, to supply and retrofit select CRO restaurants with its optimized digital lighting (ODL) LED products. The partnership calls for CRO to retrofit selected restaurant locations with applicable LSG products, and specifies that LSG LED light bulbs will be installed in all appropriate future facilities. CRO estimates that this partnership could potentially result in annual energy savings of 80 percent for lighting. For more information, visit www.lsgc.com and www.croinc.com.  

GE’s LED Business Announces Name Change
Cleveland — GE Consumer & Industrial announced that GELcore, LLC, will now operate as Lumination, LLC. Lumination expects to introduce white LED signage, commercial refrigeration, architectural and general illumination solutions in 2007, as well as a white LED emitter that targets high quality–of–light general illumination applications. For more information, visit www.led.com .    
   Additionally, through a grant provided by GE Consumer & Industrial, Thomas Edison House (729-731 East Washington Street, Louisville, Ky.) has installed new state-of-the-art museum lighting in commemoration of Thomas Edison's 160th birthday.

Sharp Shows Solar Industry and Community Leadership at “SOLA in NOLA”
New Orleans — Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group (SESG) held its annual customer meeting in New Orleans, kicking off the customer conference, “SOLA in NOLA,” with a “solar build” benefiting citizens in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans. Working with numerous local organizations and businesses, Sharp donated 10 1.5-kilowatt solar electric systems (a total of approximately 80 modules), which were installed on the homes of nine residents and a community center on February 28, 2007, and March 1, 2007, by Sharp's authorized contractors. For more information, visit www.solar.sharpusa.com. 

Crystal Flash Energy Recognized with Conservationist of the Year Award
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Crystal Flash Energy has been recognized by the Dwight Lydell Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America as its Conservationist of the Year for its efforts in alternative energy and fuels. The award recognizes individuals, companies, and groups that have made significant contributions to the natural resources of West Michigan. Crystal Flash Energy recently made a commitment to exclusively sell soy biodiesel products to its home heating fuel oil customers and its on-road and off-road vehicle operators, and is the first supplier in Michigan to offer a 5 percent biodiesel blend for home heating oil. For more information, visit www.crystalflash.com.

LP, Masco Contractor Services Sign Letter of Intent for LP to Become Sponsor of Environments for Living Program
Nashville — Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) and Masco Contractor Services (MCS) have signed a letter of intent for LP to become a sponsor of the Environments For Living program developed by MCS. This program integrates high-performance products and principles of Building Science to help builders build more energy efficient homes. For more information, visit www.eflhome.com or www.masco-csc.com.  

Yestermorrow Design/Build School Receives Environmental Award
Warren, Vt. —The Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vt., was awarded a 2005-2006 Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and Pollution Prevention.  The award, specifically for Environmental Excellence in Education and Outreach, recognizes Yestermorrow’s Certificate Program in Sustainable Building and Design. For more information, visit www.yestermorrow.org .