Are energy benchmarking rules useful?

Energy benchmarking laws are gaining interest across the U.S., with Minneapolis instituting energy disclosure laws earlier this year and Boston weighing similar legislation. An environmental economist at Harvard questionsthe value of disclosure laws in the absence of empirical data.

McGuyer Homebuilders expands commitment to LEED

McGuyer Homebuilders Inc., a leading production homebuilder in Texas, will pursue LEED for Homes certification for all houses built under its Wilshire Homes brand in the San Antonio market.

Living roof goes back to school

Nueva High School, to be built in San Mateo, California, is aiming for LEED Gold, and is part of an 80-acre “pedestrian village” in which all construction is expected to follow LEED standards.

Panasonic Eco Solutions completes solar canopy

Panasonic Eco Solutions North America, has completed the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) parking lot canopy at the new Agoura Hills, California headquarters for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

EPA reveals chemicals used in thousands of products

Information on 7,674 chemicals manufactured or imported by more than 1,500 U.S. companies has been published in the first reporting cycle since the EPA reformed its Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) program in 2011. The database may be a powerful tool for product research along with material safety data sheets because of new EPA reporting rules about chemical use.

Two new resources help implement LEED-ND

The USGBC and the Land Use Law Center at Pace Law School have developed two documents to help local governments “zone in” sustainability measures that are often “zoned out” by existing codes, potentially allowing them to achieve certification under the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system: the “Technical Guidance Manual for Sustainable Neighborhoods” and “The Neighborhood Development Floating Zone.”

A park above large SF Bay mass transit hub

The roof of San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center, a transit hub for eleven different public transit modes, will feature a green public park with native-plant gardens, footpaths, cafes, an amphitheater, playgrounds, and a fountain running most of the structure’s 4-block length.

Florida bill a 'backlash' against LEED rules

A pending bill in Florida would loosen rules adopted in 2008 and allow state agencies to choose on a project-by-project basis which green-building standards to use when constructing new offices. The bill may help the state'stree growers win green-building certification for their lumber.

Architects help Rust Belt city recast itself as green hub

The Rust Belt city of Buffalo, N.Y., is recasting itself as a home for high-tech industry and green infrastructure. Central to this makeover is a new home for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at University of Buffalo, which is tracking LEED Gold and helping fulfill the school's commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality by 2030.

Chicago mayor says government must lead in green building

Richard M. Daley, the former mayor of Chicago, says the government must take the lead in efforts to create sustainable, green cities, decrying the current lack of an overarching framework to provide nationwide support to green construction and calling for greater cooperation and coordination between federal and local governments in such undertakings.