Hanley Wood buys the Greenbuild show

Check out my fellow ABM co-worker Elizabeth Reid's interview with Hanley Wood CEO Peter Goldstone, on his company's plans to expand the U.S. Green Buildng Council's Greenbuild show:

"They've done a great job domestically, but we really hope to help them expand internationally as the green building movement becomes a global area of interest. We'll do at least three shows, perhaps three to five, in the next three years across different areas of the globe."

Trade group lobbies Senate for clean energy

Efficiency First, a trade advocacy non-profit, is asking the Senate for prompt action on the American Clean Energy & Security Act.

As new energy business leaders from across the country, we fully support the legislation’s goals: to create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy.

The trade association includes contractors, energy companies, and building product vendors including BASF and Panasonic.

Hat tip: California Building Performance Contractors Association

New association lobbies for greener building codes

A new alliance among home builders, manufacturers, and energy companies has formed the Building Energy Efficient Codes Network. The association is so new it does not seem to have a Web site, but here is an article about the new organization, and here are two other articles on BEECN and its agenda.
From the latter:

Basically, BEECN is lobbying for national legislation that would require a series of energy-efficiency improvements over 2006 International Energy Conservation Code: a 30% increase in energy efficiency for all new residential and commercial buildings starting in 2010, a 50% increase by 2014, and a net-zero-energy standard by 2030.

Web site offers green tax incentive info

Check out the Tax Incentives Assistance Project, a Web site put out by a partnership of non-profits. The top news item includes a link to informational fliers in PDF format -- the site urges businesses to put their own logos on the fliers and hand them out.

RCC joins USGBC

Royal Concrete Concepts, of West Palm Beach, Fla., has joined the U.S. Green Building Council, making it one of more than 15,000 affiliate-members. According to RCC,

RCC building products are designed and engineered to help project teams achieve LEED points, from both energy and environmental standpoints. In the educational sector, RCC's sustainable, economical and versatile method of construction can be applied to individual classrooms, additions or entire school complexes. The modular buildings are constructed at Royal Concrete's facilities and then assembled on site - complete with plumbing, wiring and interior design. Compared to traditional methods, fewer trucks are required to travel on site, site construction is minimized, safety is increased, and waste byproducts are reduced, saving time, money and the environment. The facilities are also energy-efficient and hurricane-resistant, making for more economical, safer learning environments.

But note that the choice of concrete as a greener option than other building materials is not at all certain.

Certified lumber product gains record high strength rating

LP Building Products has gained a record high strength rating for its LP SolidStart Laminated Strand Lumber product. According to an LP press release, the product has earned a 1.75E grade from APA – The Engineered Wood Association.

The engineered wood product, based on wood-strand technology, is created through a steam-injection press that cures adhesives for a strong bond and straight board with little swelling. As a result, the lumber product can be made in longer pieces than traditional lumber for faster installation and fewer callbacks, according to the company.

LP says that its environmentally efficient manufacturing process and the use of SFI-certified wood in LP SolidStart LSL gives builders points toward certification with some green building programs, including NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, Green Point Rated, Built Green Built Better and Earth Craft House. The company did not mention the more rigorous LEED certification, which generally requires a more strict certification that than afforded by the SFI program.

According to Melissa Warren, product manager for LP's Engineered Wood Product business

The strength of LP SolidStart LSL means that builders can use this one product throughout the home, including garage door headers and floor beams, to reduce build-up time as well as provide longer spans and greater design flexibility.

Affordable housing org goes green in the Great White North

Habitat for Humanity Canada is teaming up with RenewAbility Energy to install energy-efficient hot water heaters in new homes built by the Canadian branch of the affordable housing organization in 2009. The system works by using outgoing hot waste water to heat incoming cold water. According to the company, the system can reduce energy costs by 20 percent to 40 percent.

Here's a video on the system:

Bronx development marks milestone

The non-profit Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. celebrated the opening of a new milestone last week -- the largest affordable Energy Star certified building in the country, called Intervale Green. The non-profit says that the Bronx, N.Y., multi-family housing project is "thirty-three percent more energy-efficient than a standard building." The organization also has an online press kit available. The complex was built with eco-friendly materials and features energy-efficient appliances.

Online training program for pro dealers signs two orgs

The Certified Green Dealer Program, an online training site for pro dealers and distributors, has signed on two new clients: the Construction Suppliers Association, serving dealers in Georgia and Alabama, and the Indiana Lumber and Builders' Supply Association. The folks running the program are also proud of their Web traffic.

Full disclosure: The Certified Green Dealer Program is run by LBM Journal, a competitor of my magazine, Home Channel News (I'm the managing editor).

USGBC lauds green homebuilders

The U.S. Green Building Council sent me an e-mail message featuring the winners of its first-ever Green Homebuilder’s Day, which was an event at the 2008 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Boston. There's a video link on this page, too. It included an awards ceremony, and while I would have linked to a list of winners, the only list I have came in the e-mail. Here they are:

Outstanding Multi-Family Project: Avesta Housing’s Pearl Place Development in Portland, Maine. Pearl Place provides 60 LEED-certified affordable housing rental units.

Innovative Project: Bazzani Associates for the innovative water efficiency efforts at its project at 4057 Ronalds Road in Dorr, Michigan.

Outstanding Custom Project (Single Family): Live Green, Live Smart's Sustainable House, built in Minnetonka, Minn. The project transformed an existing 1940s era single family home into a model of sustainability.

Outstanding Production Builder: Artistic Homes in New Mexico. The builder is committed to certifying 100 percent of its projects through LEED for Homes, and has already certified 89 projects to date.

Outstanding Affordable Project: Gish Apartments, built by First Community Housing in San Jose, Calif., a 35-unit, transit-oriented family apartment complex, with 13 of the units set aside for residents with developmental disabilities. Residents have access to a computer learning center and are provided with services tailored to support low income families, such as financial literacy training, computer literacy and after-school programs. 

Pilot Builder Award: Taggart Construction of Freeport, Maine, contributed greatly to the development of the LEED for Homes Pilot program. The firm's work included the first LEED for Homes project certified in the country. Additionally, Taggart Construction president Peter Taggart has been instrumental in promoting the LEED for Homes program, not only as a builder but also as a local advocate.

Outstanding Program Contribution: Habitat for Humanity International was recognized this year for its commitment to the LEED for Homes program. Along with its affiliates, Habitat has brought more than 40 affordable LEED certified homes to families nationwide. As of today, over 80 Habitat homes are registered for LEED certification.

New professional association launched

The new Institute of Green Professionals launched a Web site on Dec. 2. According to the site,

The Institute of Green Professionals (IGP) is an independent, professional, education, credentialing, research and philanthropic “social enterprise” organization for sustainable development professionals and academics.

The association is offering several categories of designations for members and associates, as well as courses in Sustainable Development Literacy; Sustainable Architecture; Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts; and more. The president is Grant Austin, an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Remodeling association launches green Web site

NARI has launched a new green remodeling site called, appropriately enough, NARI Green. Check it out at greenremodeling.org. Featured articles include Hiring a Green Building Professional, Let the Sun Shine In, and Green Remodeling 101.

Vinyl window and door recycling paper offered

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association's Vinyl Material Council and the Vinyl Institute have issued a white paper on recycling vinyl windows and doors.

The paper includes lots of facts on the green qualities of vinyl, the ease with which it is recycled, case studies, and an effort to put some funding behind encouraging post-consumer recycling. As one would expect, given the sources of the paper, there is nothing here about the disadvantages or challenges posed by vinyl use. But if you can edit out the propaganda and posturing, there is a lot of good info in this free report and the associated docs. Check it out.

NARI offers green remodeling tips

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry offers a range of green remodeling tips, seeing that it is Energy Awareness Month and all.

First tip, according to the remodeling association: Consult with a remodeler. Why am I not surprised? But there are some good tips in there too, like "using modifications such as energy-efficient appliances, programmable thermostats and airtight, low-emissivity windows." Check it out, and don't forget to ask your remodeler for an opinion.

Sierra Club to help build green homes for injured vets

The Sierra Club is partnering with Homes for Our Troops to include eco-friendly materials and processes when making new houses for severely injured vets. The partnership includes a grant from the Sierra Club Foundation of up to $1 million over the next three years. According to a press release,

The grant will be used to explore new technologies and products designed with environmental and energy conservation concerns in mind, include a higher degree of green building into its homes, and fully participate in the Energy Star Program and the LEED Program that was recently established by the US Green Building Council. These energy efficient homes will provide long-term economic and environmental benefits to these veterans and their families.

KCMA opens certification to cabinet suppliers

The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association has announced that it will now allow non-cabinet-manufacturers to be certified under its Environmental Stewardship Program. The program, in operation since 2006, will allow companies that supply product to cabinet makers to join the program and be certified. According to the association press release,

In order to become ESP certified, cabinet manufacturers and suppliers must meet requirements in the categories of air quality, product resource management, process resource management, environmental stewardship and community relations. This holistic approach to environmental certification examines the manufacturing process from the raw materials supplied all the way to the end product, versus other certification programs that only look at the product.

New organization forms for green pro dealers

A new association has been formed by a group of pro dealers, called the "Green Suppliers' Council." I found out about it through a press release from Alexandria, Va.-based Smitty's Building Supply, a founding member, but Smitty's does not mention the organization on the company Web site. According to the Smitty's press release, the organization is "a nationwide network of building material dealers formed to promote and facilitate green building in the residential construction market."

I also found this news report about another founding member, Central Valley Builders Supply, based in St. Helena, Calif.

Dr. Google also misdirected me to a Web site for the Build It Green Suppliers Council, which, while potentially interesting to readers of this blog, is NOT related to the new "Green Suppliers' Council."

And I noted with interest that the nascent association is being organized by Greg Brooks, of the The Building Supply Channel. Small world that this $407.2 billion industry is, Greg and I used to work together on Pro Dealer magazine, a publication we split off from Home Channel News a decade or so ago and then folded back into the mother book five or so years later. That's a photo of Greg from the HCN archives. I asked Greg about his organization, and I mentioned the Build It Green Suppliers Council, and he said:

This is different from Build It Green; they're a northern California non-profit that operates just in that region. This group is composed of non-competing independent dealers from all over the United States; the objective is to share info and strategies among executives, to help our members establish a leadership position in green building in their respective markets.

I'll post a link to Greg's Green Suppliers Council as soon as I get one (I'm guessing the Web site is still under construction, maybe).

Wal-Mart agrees to clean up its wood supply chain

From our sister publication, Retailing Today, here's a story on how Wal-Mart has partnered with the Global Forest and Trade Network to phase out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its supply chain, relying more heavily on certified chain-of-custody product. Money quote:

Within one year, Wal-Mart will complete an assessment of where its wood furniture is coming from and whether the wood is legal and well-managed. Once the assessment is completed, Wal-Mart has committed to eliminating wood from illegal and unknown sources within five years. The company will also eliminate wood from forests that are of critical importance due to their environmental, socio-economic, biodiversity or landscape values and that aren’t well-managed.

American building materials companies also partnering with the Global Forest and Trade Network include BlueLinx, Domtar, and Cryntel.

Major appliances are trending greener

According to this $50 report from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, major appliances are getting more and more water and energy efficient.

Refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers account for a 43% combined decrease in energy consumption since 2000. From a global climate change perspective, the energy savings realized in 2007 shipments of refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers would offset the CO2 emissions of more than 698 million gallons of gasoline consumed or the annual CO2 emissions from 1.3 coal fired power plants.

Clothes washer energy consumption has decreased by 63% since 2000 while tub capacity has grown by 8%. Dishwasher energy consumption has dropped nearly 30% and water consumption has declined 29% since 2000. Refrigerator energy consumption has also decreased 30% since 2000 and efficiency, measured by a unit’s energy factor has increased 39%. The average refrigerator sold today consumes less energy than a 60-watt light bulb left on 24 hours a day.

USGBC takes to the Hill

Here's an interesting report from Greensage on the May 15 testimony by the U.S. Green Building Council on the importance of environmentally friendly construction. Here's a PDF of the USGBC's take on the testimony.