7/25/2011

Green Certifications are blooming like the flowers!  We will be taking the next couple of weeks to mention the green certifications, especially for products, that we find the most useful and accurate.  The first is the GreenGuard Certification.

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) was founded in 2001 with the mission of improving human health and quality of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing people’s exposure to chemicals and other pollutants. In keeping with that mission, GEI certifies products and materials for low chemical emissions and provides a free resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.  GreenGuard is referenced in many green building certification programs like LEED, and it is a valuable third party testing organization to consult when determining the best materials to use.  We routinely use GreenGuard as our source of information for low-emitting furniture.  For more information, visit the GreenGuard Website.

8/8/2011

Green Certifications are blooming like the flowers!  We will be taking the next couple of weeks to mention the green certifications, especially for products, that we find the most useful and accurate.  The second is Green Seal Certification.

Green Seal is a non-profit organization that uses science-based programs to help consumers, purchasers and companies to make more informed decisions on material purchases, creating a more sustainable world by promoting a sustainable economy.  Green Seal was formed in 1989 when there were no other environmental certification programs in the US.  Green Seal's reputation has been built on their environmental leadership, adherence to scientific testing and consistency.  Green Seal's material standards are referenced in many other green building programs, including LEED.  Green Seal has developed many standards for green products and services such as household cleaning products, paints and coatings, construction mateirals and equipment,  printing and writing paper and institutional cleaning products.  Find Green Seal-compliant products and services by using their searchable data base on the Green Seal website.

8/22/2011

Green Certifications are blooming like the flowers!  We will be taking the next couple of weeks to mention the green certifications, especially for products, that we find the most useful and accurate.  The third is Green Globes Certification.

"Green Globes is North America’s first web-enabled, fully interactive green building assessment tool that allows building professionals and owners to augment their design, in the case of new construction, or incorporate sustainability operations, in the case of existing buildings, and rate the building’s proposed or actual sustainability performance. The system features allow building owners and managers to have first-hand knowledge at any given time how their building is scoring. If a building achieves at least 35% of the total number of 1,000 points, it qualifies for certification. Upon ordering the certification, a third-party Assessor appointed by the GBI begins to work with the owner and team during the assessment period which culminates in an on-site audit of the building."

Green Globes emphasis on auditing the actual performance of the building, lower documentation and certification costs and flexibility with different building types make it a good alternative to LEED depending on budget, building type or size and team interest in audited performance.