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Today my alma mater Southern Methodist University celebrates a new master’s degree program in sustainability and development. The degree covers sustainability-related topics from policy to design in both developed and developing worlds. SMU will kick off the endeavor mid-day Friday with London sustainability strategist Peter Bishop and the unveiling of a low-cost Pallet House prototype designed by I-Beam Design.
If you weren’t already busy enough keeping track of all the new LED bulbs hitting the market, here’s one more. This is a 60-watt equivalent, omnidirectional led lamp by Florida-based LEDnovation. The EnhanceLite A19 LED is designed and manufactured in the USA and has the following specifications: 810 lumens, 9.4 watts, 2700 Kelvin, 94 CRI, and a five-year warranty.
London and Dallas-based Accsys Technologies recently announced a new variant of the modified wood product Accoya, but this one is made with North American red alder. The company puts wood through a proprietary acetylation process in whichwood molecules that want to bond with water are replaced with more stable acetyl groups. This improves durability, hardness, water absorption, and dimensional stability.
When Don Lenzer and Bettina Volz started looking around for a builder in the New York area, they quickly realized that they couldn’t meet their budget requirements with conventional construction. The owners’ design firm, Stelle Architects, found Arizona-based ASUL (Adaptable System for Universal Living), who collaborated with the designer to provide an alternative construction methodology with a budget of $200 per square foot. This is the Lenzer/Volz residence in Amagansett, New York.
It seems like manufacturers are turning to third parties to validate environmental claims with increasing frequency lately. For example, I just learned that DuPont expanded their Corian Terra line of solid surfaces and five colors have at least 20% pre-consumer recycled resin content, according to Scientific Certification Systems. Several other colors have at least 13% and the rest have a minimum of 6% pre-consumer recycled resin content. In addition, all colors are GREENGUARD certified; they’re non-porous and do not promote the growth of mold, mildew, or bacteria, according to DuPont.
