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A new generation of products made with recycled materials are featured at SURFACES 2010.
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Remodelers, electricians, and other pros need to think twice before tossing fluorescent light bulbs in the trash.
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Discover tactics that are guaranteed to work and won’t break the bank.
Ten eco-friendly building products that bring new choices and solutions for addressing water and resource conservation, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and site design.
A tight building envelope, water-smart features, and solar power hightlight the contemporary Wash Park Green.
Energy-efficient low-voltage systems can add value to the home's backyard staple.
EarthCraft suggests products from Nichiha, Cool Roof, LP TechShield, and more.
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Allocation of Recovery Act funds includes advancement of building systems research and development of efficient new homes.
Lighting designer recommends "subtle" lighting, touts benefits of CFLs and LEDs.
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American Clay study to test customer claims that its eco-friendly clay finish also saves energy.
Chicago’s Margot and Harold Schiff apartment complex demonstrates that green building can be affordable, too.
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$70 million of grant money earmarked for lead-based-paint abatement in houses.
Interior designers at Brentwood Custom Homes know what's good for their customers—and for the planet—even if those homeowners have never heard of it.
The Carlisle Development Group announced the opening of phases I and II for Tallman Pines, a 200-apartment affordable housing development in Deerfield Beach.
Natural and VOC-free paints are gaining ground as Earth-friendly options that deliver comparable performance to conventional coatings.
Just a year ago, Marty Bursky never had conversations with his clients about which type of energy-efficient fixture, if any, they should use in their exterior lighting. "Up until very recently," says the president of Cleveland Lighting One, a lighting showroom, dealer, and installer in the Cleveland area, "99 percent of consumers didn't pay attention. They didn't care."
As recently as a year ago, Epcon Communities was not specifying hardwood flooring in its home market of Columbus, Ohio. The builder of slab-on-grade, ranch condominiums in the $180,000 to $250,000 price range installed carpet and vinyl surfaces in its homes, says Craig Thomas, vice president of development and construction for the Dublin, Ohio-based developer.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new work practice standards for remodelers of older homes in an effort to reduce lead paint exposure, particularly among children. Set to take effect in April 2010, the new standards will extend to builders, painters, plumbers, and electricians working in all rental housing built before 1978, as well as in older non-rental homes inhabited by children under age six or pregnant women. The standards will apply to any renovation, repair, or painting contract involving the disturbance of more than 6 square feet of lead paint in an interior room or 20 square feet of lead paint on an exterior wall.
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After nearly two years of development, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the finalized Energy Star criteria for solid-state, general-purpose luminaires. The criteria for the voluntary energy efficiency labeling program will be effective starting September 30, 2008, contingent upon finalization of related standards and test procedures. DOE has played an integral role in the development of the Energy Star specifications for residential, commercial, industrial and outdoor solid-state lighting applications of all types, as well as for innovative solid-state lighting applications and products. The Energy Star Requirements for Solid-State Luminaires can be downloaded in PDF format at
A new light is about to break on the horizon of residential illumination: light emitting diodes, or LEDs. LEDs have been used for years in indicator, electronic readout, and signage applications, as well as in the theater industry. More recently, LEDs are increasingly used as architectural accents in high-end homes. But in the not-so-distant future, LED technology will conquer general home lighting, according to industry experts.