Greenwashing Construction: LEED Certification Helps Avoid ‘Building Makeovers’

Officially, greenwashing is disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. The Web site corpwatch.com calls it “the phenomenon of socially and environmentally destructive corporations attempting to preserve and expand their markets by posing as friends of the environment. it is environmental whitewash. Hogwash.” Greenwashing – as depicted in ads where environmentally negligent companies portray themselves through pictures of lush forests and furry animals – has also been described as “eco-porn.” The building industry, at least, is emerging from this conundrum, thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. It is the first widely accepted standard for what makes a building truly green and consists of a grab-bag of environmental measures a builder can implement, from air quality to recycled content to energy use. Follow the link.
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Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl: A National Analysis of Physical Activity, Obesity and Chronic Disease

Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl: A National (US) Analysis of Physical Activity, Obesity and Chronic Disease By Barbara McCann, Smart Growth America You can’t blame it all on North American fast food… This is a striking report, available online, which draws very real connections between urban development patterns and levels of human obesity and health problems. The US-based report found that “people living in counties marked by sprawling development are likely to walk less and weigh more than people who live in less sprawling counties…(and) more likely to suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure).” Click on the link below to view the whole report. Click here to learn more about Smart Growth America.
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Call for Papers: Conference of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science and Technology

Call for Papers: Conference of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science and Technology. The Conference will be held June 10-13, 2004 in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, with the theme “Let’s Get Growing”. Please see the website for further details. Abstract submissions are due December 15, 2003 .
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