WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council released its annual list of the Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system, ranking states in terms of square feet of LEED space per state resident. The per-capita list highlights states throughout the country that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation. “Every story about a green building is a story about people,”  said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “USGBC’s annual recognition of the Top 10 States for LEED goes beyond gross square feet or number … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health jointly issued a hazard alert about protecting workers from significant crystalline silica exposure during manufacturing, finishing and installing natural and manufactured stone countertops. The hazard alert follows reports of 46 workers in Spain and 25 workers in Israel who developed silicosis — an incurable, progressively disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease — as a result of exposure to crystalline silica in their work manufacturing stone countertops. Ten of the workers in Israel required lung transplants as a result … Read more