Bill Walsh | February 24, 2006
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital drew blood from the umbilical cords of 300 newborns and reported this month that ninety-nine percent of the babies were born with trace levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, usually called PFOA or C-8. [1] This industrial chemical was, until very recently, a critical component in the manufacture of certain fabric a...
Margie Kelly | February 07, 2006
A new report finds that the "new car smell" contains dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds, including phthalates, which are used to soften plastics, particularly PVC. According to a new report issued by the Michigan-based Ecology Center, Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars & the Need for Safe Alternatives, [1] cars expose p...
James Vallette | January 23, 2006
In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, HBN launched GreenRelief to initiate and assist efforts that emphasize environmental and social justice when rebuilding communities and restoring the natural environment. HBN investigator Jim Vallette has traveled to the Gulf States region repeatedly to assess the opportunities and barriers affecting gree...
Bill Walsh | January 05, 2006
December, 2005 witnessed two important transitions that will have far reaching impacts on the green building world in 2006 and beyond. We begin 2006 by acknowledging two scientists who have made important contributions to the green building movement. In Memoriam: Rick Maas, Ph.D. According to news reports, Nigel Howard -- alive and well, thankfully...
Bill Walsh | December 21, 2005
PVC phase-outs by leading U.S. corporate brands are now a familiar landmark on the road to corporate sustainability. On December 7, 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported that "Microsoft Corp. is curbing its use of a popular plastic known as PVC amid growing health and environmental concerns ... the latest company to distance itself from polyv...
Bill Walsh | November 17, 2005
Last week, the Healthy Building Network (HBN) attended Greenbuild, the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual conference and exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia. HBN Founder Bill Walsh spoke on a panel entitled "Ethics and Green Building," and our annual Healthy Building Leadership Awards reception honored six long-time environmental j...
Bill Walsh | November 03, 2005
Like New Orleans, Greenbuild is a one-of-a-kind experience. The crowds are teeming, the culture is inviting, the optimism is infectious, and the good times roll with a confidence bordering on indifference to the surrounding forces that could swamp it all. The USGBC's ambitious initiative to host a series of Greenbuild mini-charettes in order to...
Bill Walsh | October 10, 2005
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has asked architect Andres Duany of the Congress for the New Urbanism to organize a design forum to plan the rebuilding of the Mississippi Gulf Coast communities. Elected and other key public officials and stakeholders are being invited to participate in this process to be held October 11-18 in Biloxi's Isle o...
Bill Walsh | September 21, 2005
On Thursday August 4, 2005 the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors unanimously approved new bylaws that allow trade associations to become members of the organization, reversing last year's "No" vote on the same question.[1] USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi championed what he called "a his...
Bill Walsh | September 13, 2005
