diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index 9a454a186ea..b6a21acc79e 100755
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -12,6 +12,19 @@
 import time
 import subprocess
 
+
+def popen(args, stdin=None, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE):
+        copy = os.environ.copy()
+        return subprocess.Popen(args, env=copy, stdin=stdin, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr)
+
+
+def execute(args):
+    p = popen(args, stdout=sys.stdout, stderr=sys.stderr)
+    rc = p.wait()
+    if rc != 0:
+        sys.exit(rc)
+
+
 def notification(msg, prio):
     """
     Provides UI notification.
@@ -22,8 +35,7 @@ def notification(msg, prio):
         return
 
     try:
-        p = subprocess.Popen(["growlnotify","-t","OMERO Build Status","-p",str(prio)],\
-            stdin=subprocess.PIPE,stdout=subprocess.PIPE,stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+        p = popen(["growlnotify","-t","OMERO Build Status","-p",str(prio)], stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
         p.communicate(msg)
         rc = p.wait()
         if rc != 0:
@@ -100,21 +112,18 @@ def choose_omero_version():
         omero_build = "-%s" % omero_build
 
     command = [ find_java(), "omero","-q","version" ]
+    err = ""
     try:
-        p = subprocess.Popen(command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
-        omero_version,err = p.communicate()
+        p = popen(command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+        omero_version, err = p.communicate()
         omero_version = omero_version.split()[1]
         return [ "-Domero.version=%s%s" % (omero_version, omero_build) ]
     except:
         print "Error getting version for OMERO_BUILD=%s" % omero_build
-        print err
+        if err:
+            print err
         sys.exit(rc)
 
-def execute(args):
-    rc = subprocess.call(args)
-    if rc != 0:
-	sys.exit(rc)
-
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     #