The Outlook
December 2007

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W e l c o m e

As in years past, our December newsletter offers a chance to review Dovetail's reports, commentaries, and news from the past year.  We also offer a report this month that may just give you a little something to talk about with friends and family over the holidays!

We celebrate the end of another exciting and productive year at Dovetail. Our partnerships and capacities have continued to grow, with both Don Heise and Steve Bratkovich joining our team to expand our Eco-Affordable Housing and Responsible Materials Programs, and the establishment of the F.R.E.E Network as a Dovetail hosted environmental education resource.

We have been blessed by the generosity of our growing list of sponsors and individual donors. You have helped us make a real difference this year. Thank you!

If you appreciate what we are doing, please consider making a donation to Dovetail. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit and your donation is tax deductible.

Best Wishes for 2008!

- Jeff    - Katie   - Alison    - Jim   - Steve  - Don   - Matthew

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I n   T h i s   I s s u e:

R e p o r t s:

A Basic Materials Policy for the U.S - Badly Needed, Long Overdue

2007 Year-in-Review

N e w s:

Dovetail Partners Addresses Green Building at National Conference
More than 250 architects and builders attend session at Greenbuild

Kick-Off Meetings Held for 70-Mile Trail Project
More than 150 people provide input to the project

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D o v e t a i l   R e p o r t s

All reports are available online.

Making a List and Checking it Twice

With another national election on the horizon and another round of New Year's Resolutions looming, it is perhaps a perfect time to write up our wish list.   At the top of our national list should be the wish for a national raw materials policy and a comprehensive energy policy.   The U.S. currently has neither of these - even in the face of record net import dependence and rapid and profound change in competition for raw materials at a global scale. There is every indication that the strategic, economic, environmental, and social well-being of current and future generations literally hinges on such policies and their proactive implementation going forward.

Our report this month explores and re-caps some of the history of material and energy policies in the United States and offers some recommendations for action. Just as we release this report, Congress has passed a new energy policy that awaits being signed into law.  Perhaps this represents a start in the right direction.

- Jeff 

A Basic Materials Policy for the U.S. - Badly Needed, Long Overdue
Dr. Jim Bowyer
 

Rapidly rising industrial raw material consumption globally, and increasing U.S. import dependence on a vast array of critical resources warrant close attention and strategic thinking on the part of government and industry leaders alike.  

The most urgent material requiring attention is petroleum.   Development of a comprehensive national energy strategy that serves to markedly reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels must clearly be a top priority.  The strategic, financial, environmental, and social implications of continuing on our present course are so great that further delay in addressing energy issues is completely indefensible.

It is time not only for political leaders, but individual citizens as well, to engage in introspection and careful consideration of how you or your organization might play a part in reaching solutions.

http://www.dovetailinc.org/reports/pdf/DovetailMaterialsPolicy1207qm.pdf

2007 Year-In-Review

Dovetail Commentaries:

• Some Do's and Don'ts in Picking Green Products
• The Future is Here!
• To be green or not to be green
• Sustainable Forests: Are we there yet?
• The Real Meaning of Team
• What Do Consumer Demands Have to Do with the "Green" Market?

Dovetail Reports:

• The Great Lakes Region: A Forest Certification Hub
• Vinyl Siding: At Least It's Maintenance Free, Isn't It?
• Group Certification: An Opportunity to Engage More Family Forests
• An Assessment of the Potential for Bioenergy and Biochemicals Production from Forest-Derived Biomass in Minnesota
• Challenging Green Building Standards
• "Certified Once, Accepted Everywhere"
• What's New in Eco-Affordable Housing?
• Solid Wood Products:Green Materials or the Bane of Environmental Sustainability?
• Is the Wood in Your Product Line of Legal Origin?
• The FSC Controlled Wood Standard
• TIMOs & REITs
• Materials Selection in Framing: Is Steel Framing a Good Environmental Choice?
• Forest Certification Update: The Sustainable Forestry Initiative
• Global Warming: Why Reducing Fossil Fuel Use is Essential
• Forest Certification in the Tropics: Is the glass half full or half empty?
• Forest Certification &; Ecological Classification Systems
• Forest Certification & Mutual Recognition
• Reinventing the Hardwood Industry One Company at a Time
  
  

To access Dovetail's Publications, click here.

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D o v e t a i l   N e w s


Dovetail Partners Addresses Green Building at National Conference
More than 250 architects and builders attend session at Greenbuild

Minneapolis, Minn. (12/4/07) – Green building is a growing trend in the United States. Concerns over energy prices, real estate values, and corporate responsibility have moved green building into the mainstream. “The growing interest in green building creates exciting opportunities as well as some challenging questions,” says Alison Lindburg, Director of Dovetail's Eco-Affordable Housing Program and a presenter at Greenbuild.

http://www.dovetailinc.org/DovetailNewsGreenbuild2007.html

Kick-Off Meetings Held for 70-Mile Trail Project
More than 150 people provide input to the project

Aitkin, MN (12/4/07) – More than 150 people attended two kick-off meetings held November 27th and 28th for the 70-Mile Trail project. The project includes approximately 70 miles of new ATV/OHM recreational trail segments to be located in Aitkin and Itasca Counties. The project was proposed by the Land Departments in Aitkin and Itasca Counties and is supported with state funding through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

http://www.dovetailinc.org/70MileTrailNews12042007.html

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