Wood-frame homes are more environmentally friendly than those constructed of steel or concrete, according to a new study by 15 U.S. universities and research institutes. Additionally, the researchers, known as the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials, or CORRIM, concluded that most of the energy required to build an average home is consumed during the manufacture of building materials – not during actual construction. “These are landmark findings,” said... more
For decades the prevailing assumption has been that a fossil-fuel-based economy would be constrained by oil, gas and coal depletion. Logical enough. But global warming has turned that paradigm on its head: It now appears that the atmosphere’s ability to assimilate fossil-fuel wastes will be the limiting factor. The question is no longer how much oil, gas and coal we have, but how much we can afford to burn. A number of institutions and organizations, including Sweden’s Beijer Institute,... more
