green construction

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California OKs Nation's Greenest Building Code

New rules on plumbing, waste go into effect next year

(Newser) - A California commission has approved rules designed to make the state's new buildings some of the greenest in the country. The building code, known as Calgreen, requires among other things that builders use high-tech plumbing, recycle half their overall waste, and use low-pollutant paints and floorings. The rules go into...

Surging Whiskey Sales Inspire Eco-Distillery

Demand for whiskey hits an all-time high

(Newser) - Worldwide demand for whiskey has prompted Scotland to start building a new eco-friendly distillery, the Guardian reports. The huge, industrial-scale plant will emit only 15% of the usual CO2 and recycle all of its water; its leftover liquids will be used to generate heat. "The important point is that...

McMansions Make Way for Green Pads
McMansions Make Way for Green Pads

McMansions Make Way for Green Pads

Smaller homes built to strict LEED specs are all the rage

(Newser) - When it comes to building green, a LEED rating is the ultimate cachet-- but they're tough to get, the New York Times reports. And homes approved by the Leadership in Energy and Evironmental Design council tend to be small and pricey, with one platinum-certified four-bedroom house in California on the...

Blue Collars, Green Ties
 Blue Collars, Green Ties 
OPINION

Blue Collars, Green Ties

Necessity unites job-seeking unions, tree-hugging environmentalists

(Newser) - In Pennsylvania, the New Republic's Dayo Olopade finds an effort to unite working-class union types with the liberal elite that could long outlive Barack Obama's heyday: the search for green-collar jobs. Stelworkers have long viewed environmentalists skeptically, but both groups have a stake in finding a "new industrial policy...

'Domestic Terrorism' Hits Wash.
'Domestic Terrorism' Hits Wash.

'Domestic Terrorism' Hits Wash.

Radical environmentalists suspected after sign is found at scene of fire

(Newser) - Fire destroyed three multimillion-dollar show homes near Seattle today, and explosives found inside led officials to give the cause as "domestic terrorism," the Post-Intelligencer reports. No one was injured in the fires, which seriously damaged two other houses. A radical environmentalist group apparently left a spray-painted sign criticizing...

New LA Buildings Going Green
New LA Buildings
Going Green

New LA Buildings Going Green

Planners pass tough new rules that critics grouse will boost prices

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Planning Commission has approved an ambitious package of rules that would require new buildings to cut energy use by 15%. Measures include wiring buildings for solar energy, installing water-saving appliances, and using recycled materials in construction, the Los Angeles Times reports. The regulations would reduce energy use...

Real, Fake TV Moguls to Star at Solar Conference

Turner, Hagman will keynote industry event

(Newser) - The 2007 gathering of the solar industry this week in Long Beach, Calif., will feature plenty of new technology demonstrations, hot VC action, and speeches, CNET reports. Hotly anticipated talks include those by media mogul and environmental activist Ted Turner and actor Larry Hagman, famous for his roles in "...

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