On a table at the office of Sustainable Design Solutions (SDS), a Vashon design-build firm, the cover of the current issue of Dwell magazine speaks volumes: “Green Goes Mainstream."

It used to be that “green" design suited a small segment of the population, but as technology has improved, prices have gone down and people have become more aware of the necessity of making changes, it is now, as partner Evan Snowden says, “The real deal."

SDS is committed to “green" or sustainable design and building, but it is also committed to the needs of its clients, according to Snowden. “Sustainability means something different to every person," he says. “If housing is not comfortable, it will not be successful. Sustainability has to come back and ask you, ‘How do you really want to live?'"

The first thing Snowden and his partner in the firm Gib Dammann do in figuring out how people want to live, they say, is listen.

McGraw-Hill Construction to Publish California Constructor for AGC ...

NEW YORK, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Construction has entered into an agreement with the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of California to publish California Constructor, a monthly magazine for its members.

This agreement expands the collaboration between McGraw-Hill Construction and the AGC of California. McGraw Hill Construction and AGC of California formed an alliance in 2003 which provided the AGC of California members substantial savings for all McGraw-Hill Construction project news products, including the McGraw-Hill Construction Network®, Network for products, and its online bid management module.

According to Norbert W. Young, Jr., president of McGraw-Hill Construction, "The expanded alliance will leverage the core competencies of each organization and will enable AGC of California to devote more time and resources on issues important to the state's construction industry."

"We are pleased to partner with McGraw-Hill Construction to increase AGC's visibility.