L.A. Housing Development Uses Vinyl Windows to Earn LEED Points
Rock Row, a small-scale townhouse development, includes the first homes in Los Angeles under $500,000 to be LEED certified. Architect Kevin Wronske used energy-efficient dual-pane vinyl windows to earn LEED points for the project, the U.S. Green Building Council’s endorsement for green design and sustainable construction methods.

Insulated Vinyl Siding Outperforms Fiber Cement in New Study
Recent studies sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) demonstrate that insulated vinyl siding contributes to savings in energy consumption, energy costs and CO2 emissions.

Designer Chooses Vinyl for Innovative Products
Designer Pierre Miremont, owner of Petaluma, Calif.-based Architectural Plastics, chooses PVC to solve problems ranging from broken Ethernet cards to unwelcome cat “spray.”

Revolutionary Seawall Material Protects Tampa General Hospital Waterfront
Issues impacting both the environment and the need for lasting structures spawned a new line of seawall products materials from vinyl to fiberglass. Using materials that don't leach into the water is an added benefit for many developers. These advances are also leading to structures that last longer and have more consistent design performances based on manufacturing expectations.

PVC Industry Trumpets Green Credentials
Replacing poor quality windows in Europe with energy-efficient PVC frames could save 8.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to an industry sponsored study released in Brussels last Wednesday. The study is intended to highlight the green credentials of PVC as a construction material amidst growing debate over the climate impacts of buildings. In 2004, the European commission concluded that the choice of material for efficient window frame was "of rather minor importance" compared with the overall design. EPPA, tel: +32 2 739 6384, plus study.

Fish Not Foul—PVC Piping Is Critical to Modern Mega-Aquariums
Visitors to the huge Ocean Voyager exhibit at Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium find a tank the length of a football field, containing 6.3 million gallons of salt water. They can see thousands of denizens of the open ocean, including whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. What they don’t see is the critical life support system that depends on 10 miles of PVC pipe.

PVC—Just What the Doctor Ordered
When is shelf liner not shelf liner? When it’s wrapped around a broken limb. At least that’s what orthopedic surgeon John Stanton of Clarksville, Tenn., discovered when he turned that humble PVC product into a cast liner that frees his patients to swim and shower in comfort.

Built for Comfort—Vinyl Furniture with a Difference
Upscale vinyl furniture that looks like wood and is molded into classic styles helps long-term care facilities seem less institutional and still meet the special requirements of the residents. Kwalu—a South Carolina company with South African roots and a Zulu name—is a leader in this niche market. Their manufacturing process begins by going against Rule One of extrusion—to mix the material properly.

TLC from PVC: Vinyl Cushions the Ride From Farm to Supermarket
A California company used vinyl sheeting to develop dunnage air bags, widely used by the trucking industry to protect its shipments.

LunaSea and PVC—Sounds Crazy But it Works
The lattice of PVC pipes rises 25 feet and looks something like a giant Tinkertoy—except that it’s on the ocean floor, and assembling it is far from child’s play. This is LunaSea, an in-water task training exercise for astronauts in NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program.

Thoroughly Purple PVC Pipe Keeps Recycled Water from Being Used for Drinking
EASTLAKE, Calif., Oct. 16, 2007 (VNS) – Seventeen stores at a local business center discovered this summer that recycled—not drinking-quality—water was flowing through their taps. The root cause was that the pipes carrying the water were not really purple, which is the designated color for pipes carrying recycled or reclaimed water.

Solar Energy Cells Meet PVC—A Brilliant Match
When you laminate photovoltaic cells to highly reflective PVC roofing membrane, you get an ecological one-two punch: Solar energy is harnessed to generate electricity, and unwanted heat is reflected away from buildings. This patented solar integrated roof system is topping buildings in California and in Europe.