Although it is not "new" news, I haven't commented on it before so today I want to tell you that in March, a month before I started this Save Energy blog, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute announced that Owens Corning was the first insulation manufacturer to qualify for their new GREENGUARD Product Emission Standard for Children and Schools. The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute developed the school certification in response to rising concern over illnesses such as asthma and respiratory illness that are sometimes associated with poor indoor air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half of U.S. schools have indoor air quality problems, which are blamed for reducing student's performance on mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation and memory. Owens Corning distributed a news release listing the products included in the certification.