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BuildingEcology.com -- Hal Levin, Editor
Information you can trust on Indoor Air Quality and Sustainable Buildings
We are about to launch our new web site with a whole new look and feel.. .It will have a lot more resources, frequent free updates, subscription options for our regular newsletter, all in all, the very best information on the latest and most important events and research on sustainability and indoor environmental quality. Check again soon for the most independent analysis of global developments in IAQ and sustainable buildings. Send us your feedback and your requests for topics you would like to see discussed in future issues.

BuildingEcology.com provides the most useful and reliable feature articles and the best sources on the web for up-to-date information on Indoor Air Quality and Sustainable Buildings.

NEWS FLASH:
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has adopted a rule that will lower the maximum VOC content of paint thinners from 300 grams per liter to 25 grams per liter. This will have an enormous impact on the VOC content of paints used indoors. Read our comment and the press release.

FEATURE:
California Greenhouse Gas Tool for Buildings
California's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) tool for California is now available on the web -GHG Tool for Buildings in California. The tool is publicly available and free for download.

This is a major step forward, the first tool that provides time- and weather-resolved GHG emissions calculations. It is based on a dispatch model,* that is a model of how the grid inventory would be over time through the year 2020. Since electricity demand and consumption as well as grid performance are highly dependent on weather and time of day or week, an annual average value for GHG emissions at a location or a portion of the regional or sub-regional electric grid is not accurate. read more....

FEATURE:
IAQ and plants The idea that plants clean indoor air is part of a sad, long-running saga fed by bad science, commercial interests, and wishful thinking. I published an article in the Indoor Air Bulletin on the subject in 1992 (available here) that provides more details.

Take home messages:
1.   Don't use plants to improve IAQ. They don't. If anything, they pose risks to good IAQ.
2.   There is no credible scientific evidence that plants improve IAQ. The planting media has been hypothesized to be responsible for pollutant removal in some studies. The planting media alone can be expected to contribute to a limited reduction in some airborne chemical concentrations.
3.   Most advocates of indoor plant use have been funded by or are themselves providers of plants or supporting systems.
4.   If plants are used indoors for aesthetic reasons, there should be extra care to avoid moisture problems or problems with fertilizers and pesticides, all known sources of indoor air quality and health problems. read more...

	NEWS FLASH! Southern California Air Quality Management District Adopts Rule to Substantially Reduce VOC Emissions From Paint Thinners and Consumer Products Free!
	Calculating Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings Free!
	California Greenhouse Gas Tool for Buildings Free!
	News Flash - Healthy Buildings 2009 Abstracts Deadline Extended to February 6, 2009 Free!
	*Can House Plants Solve IAQ Problems? - Hal Levin* Free!**
	*Cement Sequesters CO₂: Wouldn’t it be lovely? - Hal Levin* Free!**
	*Major Study Shows: Outdoor Air Quality Matters: Ozone, Filters, and SBS - Hal Levin* Free!**
	*Let's pick the biggest, lowest-hanging fruit! - Hal Levin* Free!**
	*Indoor Climate and Climate Change: Exploring Connections - Hal Levin* Free!**

The most reliable and comprehensive Indoor Air Quality information source on the web. Publications, presentations, and other information. Links to the most reliable web sites and useful information on indoor environmental quality, IAQ, and sustainable building practices. No subscription is necessary.

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For more than 40 years we have helped hundreds of organizations on 5 continents create environmentally-responsible, healthy buildings. We focus on "Building Ecology" -- the relationships and connections between buildings, occupants, and the larger environment -- emphasizing indoor environmental quality and sustainability.

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