New LEED for Homes Provider in Florida

E3 Building Sciences, a company that helps certify houses under the LEED for Homes standard, was named last week as one of only 36 LEED for Homes Providers in the United States. Check out E3's green building Web site:

Green building is more than a trend, and we believe that “green building” represents a fundamental shift in awareness with regard to high-performance buildings — both in the commercial and residential sectors. ... Whether you're an architect, engineer, builder, or future home owner, we can walk you through the process of certifying your project green.

Home center certified in Calif. green biz program

Friedman’s Home Improvement has been certified by the Sonoma Green Business Program for completing requirements to become a Sonoma County Green Business. The retailer's green efforts include passing audits that showed conservation of water, energy, and waste.

The photo above, courtesy of Friedman's, is from the certification ceremony. Pictured: Barry Friedman (Friedman’s Home Improvement), Ben Stone (Sonoma County Economic Development Board), and Jim Lynch (Sonoma Index-Tribune) .

North Pac, RoyOMartin in deal to distribute certified OSB

LBM distributor North Pacific has partnered with building products maker RoyOMartin to sell FSC-certified oriented strand board through North Pac's Napa, Calif., distribution center. A RoyOMartin spokeperson told me that all the company's certified OSB products will be available through to NorthPac customers. According to a press release:

These products contain no urea formaldehyde and are categorized as Low-Emitting Materials – Composite Wood under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. North Pacific’s distribution center will be stocking RoyOMartin’s FSC-certified Tuff Strand, StrucWall, StructWall XL and The Grid brands, ready for next-day delivery to dealers and distributors in the Northern California region. RoyOMartin’s fully-automated OSB mill is one of the largest in the world, and one of the only mills producing FSC-certified OSB.

Polished cement gains ground as eco-friendly floorcovering

The U.S. Green Building Council has ruled that FGS/PermaShine's industrial/commercial Polished Concrete Floor System can be counted toward LEED certification. Naturally, the Permashine folks are very happy about that:

"We have known the FGS/PermaShine Process represents a very sustainable floor system and this new Credit Interpretation Ruling by the USGBC adds further credibility to our claim that polished concrete is green," said Greg Schwietz, president of L Construction Chemicals, which makes the FGS/PermaShine family of products.

According to Permashine, the concrete floor is shiny, thus reducing lighting needs, and it also captures and releases heat, reducing peak energy needs by keeping temperature level throughout the day. Might be a good option for home channel retailers trying to get LEED certification for their stores.

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.