GREEN OR GREENWASHING?

Next week continues four straight weeks of new sustainable building coverage, in honor of Earth Day 2009, coming up on April 22.

After initiating its own National Green Building Standard as an alternative to LEED, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) has developed a "Green Approved" certification for building products, with the first certifications recently going to iLevel engineered wood products by Weyerhaeuser. Next week, Christine MacDonald, author of Green, Inc., takes a critical look at the NAHB's rating systems, and asks: Is this "greenwashing"? (Photo: NASA/ Visible Earth)

DESERT CAMPUS GROWS GREEN

In the desert of Mesa, Arizona, outside Phoenix, Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus is growing, with a green slant. Lake Flato Architects and RSP Architects designed a new 245,000-square-foot (22,800-square-meter) academic complex with perforated metal screens over simple concrete masonry construction, linked by shaded courtyards and walkways. Next week, writer Susan Smith takes a closer look at these facilities and the sustainable features that put LEED Gold certification within reach. (Photo: Courtesy RSP Architects)