Nov 30, 2009 Author: Stacy Glass
At Greenbuild 2009, we saw great progress in the development of software and labeling programs that just a year ago were good ideas needing implementation. While many rating systems have made great progress, they risk alienating small, entrepreneurial manufacturers due to fees and associated costs. Some interesting players to watch include:
Healthy Building Network’s Pharos Lens
What it is: A comprehensive online materials evaluation tool.
What we like:
-The vision – 16 attributes that cover 3 broad categories (Health, Environment, and Social).
-Starting point – the first 4 attributes rated cover toxicity and health issues at different stages of production and use. A gap in other rating systems.
-100 products have been rated, 100 more are in the pipeline.
-Next step – next year at this time, they expect to launch the attributes related to Social issues related to sustainability – an area that no other system is addressing at this time.
Considerations: This is a marathon project that will take years to fully realize the vision but this organization has the stamina to get it done. Vote with your $’s – if you like it, support it with a $75 membership. Pharos does not charge manufacturers to participate and they provide feedback to manufacturers at no cost so they have the information they need to continually improve their processes.
ecoScoreCard
What it is: An online database driven engine that facilitates specifying and documenting green products against the USGBC’s LEED rating systems.
What we like:
-Easy - you choose a product from the database (down to the exact sku), enter the quantity, and price and the software will tell you exactly which LEED credits it will contribute to and how much. It even knows where the product is manufactured and will indicate if it contributes to the regionally sourced credit.
-Reporting – the report is exactly what you need for LEED documentation. This will make specification and documentation a breeze.
Considerations: With 27 manufacturers currently in the database (heavy on flooring options from the big guys), it isn’t broad enough to provide comparisons between products. Cost may limit participation from smaller manufacturers.
The Athena Institute’s EcoCalculator
What it is: a database of Life Cycle Assessment information for common building assemblies.
What we like:
-Comprehensive - Hundreds of building assemblies
-The sources – ATHENA Impact Estimator for buildings and the US Life Cycle Inventory Database are quickly becoming the standard in building LCA
-Track record – used in the Green Globes rating system for years, recently adopted for use in the USGBC’s LCA pilot credit.
Considerations: LCA is a complicated, multi-diciplinary science. Event the best LCA tools have gaps and biases in the data that can distort results, overemphasize some impacts while totally hiding other ones. Using a tool that provides the user with a score may guide the user away from a good understanding of the full environmental health impacts and can lead to materials decisions that do not actually reflect the user's goals.
Except for Pharos, all other systems require manufacturers to pay for certification, inclusion, or LCA. This business model will skew databases toward the largest manufactures and therefore the industry will have a bias against small, entrepreneurial manufacturers.
We look forward to seeing how these tools continue to develop.
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Nov 13, 2009 Author: Stacy Glass
With 28,000 attendees and over 1000 exhibitors at Greenbuild in Phoenix, there was much to be seen at this year's show. We had our work cut out for us making it through the crowds to see all of the exhibitors in two days, but we did it. We saw many new products that excited us, including the latest offererings from our manufacturers who exhibited there, who are continually improving and expanding their offerings. Here are some of the highlights of what is coming from them in 2010:
TorZo Surfaces
- Edge banding! These strong, durable, and sustainable sheet goods are great for tabletops, desks, cabinets, etc. With edge banding coming out for the entire line, not only will the finished product be more beautiful, but the fabrication will be more cost effective.
- ½” Seeta (sunflower seed hull) boards that are more dense (fewer voids) and less expensive than the standard ¾” sheets – a great option for this unique look.
- We got a sneak preview of some new bio-based boards currently in development. They are top secret now, but stay tuned for new unique looks from this line of surfaces.
Bonded Logic /UltraTouch
- Duct insulation and Pipe wrap: Finally! You no longer need to wrap your duct work and pipe in fiberglass. This foil laminated, r-8, cotton fiber insulation has 85% recycled rapidly-renewable cotton fibers. The duct insulation will come in 12” wide, 2” thick, and 15’ long bundles. The pipe wrap is 3” wide, ½” thick, and 50’ long.
Coverings, Etc.
- Bio-Aluminum: 100% recycled aluminum from salvaged aircraft carriers. 100% recyclable and Cradle to Cradle certified. A great new option for high-traffic flooring and high-end wall treatments.
As samples and pricing become available, we will announce these new products through our monthly newsletter and on our website.
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Nov 13, 2009 Author: Stacy Glass
CaraGreen recently exhibited at NeoCon East in Baltimore, MD, which brought together the hottest designers in one of the hottest building markets in the country. Here are our favorite discoveries from the show:
- Pecha Kucha (pronounced Peh-cha ka-cha) if you haven’t tried it, you must! A fun, fast-paced creative exchange that I can only describe as some crazy combination of speed dating and karaoke. Seriously… each presenter (anyone can present) shows 20 images for 20 seconds each then you get the next presenter. This was fun, inspiring and a great way to get to know other people, their work, and inspirations.
- The FIT chair by Kimball - The combination of simplicity, high tech textiles, and comfort provided the perfect pit stop after a long day on the Expo floor.
- The people! Excellent turnout with an estimated 8,000 attendees from top firms with lots of interesting projects in progress.
- Durat’s mini-block tub in granny-smith apple green with 30% recycled plastic, 100% recyclable, and completely irresistible!
- DIRTT (stands for ‘Doing it Right This Time’)Environmental Solutions --LOVE the name! But besides that, they have a new film that turns any wall into a dry-erase marker board. No more glossy white boards, the clear film lets you write on even the most precious veneered wall.
- Interlam Sculpted Panels – funky woven things (). The only thing that would make these unique panel better would be to green-up the MDF base panels with recycled wood and no-added formaldehyde glues.
This is just a sampling, we’ll definitely be back next year for more!
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Oct 23, 2009 Author: Carrie Moore
Goodberry's Creamery at Cameron Village in Raleigh, NC has integrated sustainable building practices and materials into its new store design with the help of local Raleigh architects Bret Page and Andy Osterlund.
Goodberry's goal for this store was to educate customers about their frozen custard, which has always been made from just a few natural ingredients. So, using natural building materials in the construction was an easy decision. In one of their first meetings, the Goodberry’s owner showed the team a painting of a dairy farm that hung in their office. The painting had an avant-garde style and highlighted their key ingredients. We wanted to bring that style and those highlights into the store.
Goodberry’s suggested bamboo floors early on, for their rapidly renewable nature and modern aesthetic. The service counter and table tops, where Meld ecoX is installed, also available through CaraGreen, needed to be durable, cleanable, and have a solid, cool, stone feel. Goodberry’s signature custard is their “Concrete” mixed with your choice of topping. Meld concrete was archetypical. They loved the color, the weight, and that it was pre-cast locally with recycled aggregate.
Lighting in the store was carefully considered; electric lighting in the store is efficient, compact fluorescents help to maintain the color of daylight, and LEDs create fun, bright color highlights while using minimal energy. Other sustainable features include the restrooms, which have automatic faucets for convenience and to conserve water. And, Goodberry’s custom-made custard equipment was even modified to be more energy efficient!
This project sets a great example for the future of Cameron Village and for restaurants that would like to integrate more sustainability into their spaces.
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Oct 16, 2009 Author: Stacy Glass
Whenever possible, we visit our manufacturers facilities so that we can become educated and verify claims. In this case, in September, I traveled to Helsinki Finland and then hopped on bus to Turku where I met up with the team from Durat for a lesson in manufacturing, design, and the art in recycling.
Ulla Tuominen is the artist behind the beautiful colors and shapes that make Durat’s product line so unique. I was able to spend a day with Ulla and see the world through her eyes. First, we toured the manufacturing facility. I learned that the specks in Durat are the recycled content and the ending number of the color code indicates the type of recycled content – clear, white, black, large, small, multicolored, etc. Durat has partnerships with various manufacturers in Finland and neighboring Sweden to collect their waste plastics. The waste material is processed at the manufacturing facility where it goes through a process of being cleaned, stripped of any extraneous materials, and ground into the granular material.
Then, to the color lab. Where little samples of any color you can possibly imagine lie everywhere you look. Some colors are standard, others inspired by a clients vision – such as #810 where the client requested the color of a ‘granny smith apple’. When the wild colors combine with the recycled materials, the possibilities seem endless. Some of the projects that were being fabricated the day that I visited included a ‘granny smith apple’ colored tub, a dozen custom vanities with integrated sinks that were going into an office building, and free-standing Torni (Tower in English) sinks.
While I have long admired the material and designs of Durat, observing the manufacturing process inspired me to think about the potential for large scale custom projects such as hotels, office buildings, dorms, etc.
We drove from the manufacturing facility in Rymättylä to the Helsinki showroom located in the Design District in the center of the city. An area full of design and antique shops, fashion stores, museums, art galleries, restaurants and showrooms. In a restored warehouse, Durat’s showroom blends seamlessly with Artek, founded by the visionary modern architect (and Finnish design legend) Alvar Aalto. Taking recycling to new heights, I learned that Artek bought back original and vintage Aalto stools and chairs from schools, libraries and individuals and has resold them under the label 2nd Cycle. These 2nd Cycle gems were resold with their worn character intact, no refinishing.
Between the Artek and Durat showrooms the art of recycling took many functional, modern, and inspiring forms.
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