CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- National Gypsum Company, the second largest producer of gypsum wallboard in the U.S., went live this week with a "Green Site" that provides information on its plants, product content and certifications.

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- HID Laboratories has officially launched its SmartPod Luminaires, a lighting solution that mates IT with high-tech design and energy efficient performance, the firm says.

DALLAS, Texas -- Advocates for the U.S. cement industry and environmentalists are facing off in hearings this week as federal regulators call for comment on new rules to limit emissions from the energy-intensive kilns that are core to the business.

We all know how important it is to live in a green -- not to mention bullet-proof -- structure, so one would think that a progressive state like California would allow for the use of autoclaved aerated concrete. Not so. The situation is illustrative of the issues that accompany incorporating new materials into traditional building codes.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- It is imperative for society to move to solid-state lighting to save money in the built environment and lessen the impacts to the broader environment -- but in the U.S. it may take a policy change to force the nation to use more sustainable lighting, say Carnegie Mellon researchers.

Now more than ever, building professionals from owners to engineers are looking for ways to stay competitive in today's challenging times. The GreenBuildingsNY 2009 conference next week in New York City features discussions with industry leaders and a showcase of green products and services to help professionals get ahead of the pack.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- Serious Materials' new EcoRock drywall is the first product to have its environmental claims validated by UL Environment, a subsidiary of product safety tester Underwriters Laboratory.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A team of MBA students from the University of Michigan has won the $200,000 MIT Clean Energy Grand Prize for creating the startup Husk Insulation and its patented process to convert agricultural waste into thin, high-grade insulated panels.

CALHOUN, Ga. -- Mannington Commercial has launched an ambitious program to recover and recycle post-consumer vinyl composition tile as part of the firm's broader initiative to close the loop of its manufacturing process.

CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM -- Strict thresholds for reduction of carbon emissions, energy efficiency, decreased water consumption and use of more sustainable materials in new buildings take effect September 1 in Wales, whose Assembly Government adopted the first national green building standard in the U.K.

Waste upcycler TerraCycle has entered a partnership with Frito-Lay to turn trash from Doritos, Fritos and other snacks into tote bags, pencil cases and, eventually, building materials. Their first goal: Collect 5 million snack bags.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. -- The National Home Builders Association Research Center has awarded its Green Approved label to structural frame products from iLevel by Weyerhaeuser and Owens Corning's fiberglass insulation, duct products, foam insulation and masonry veneer products.

Green building law expert Shari Shapiro writes about a newcomer to the LEED family: LEED for Neighborhood Development -- and the specter some have raised about the new rating system