Or is it? There is a lot in the news lately about whether this whole Green Movement is based on a hoax or not.  My take on that as far as Green Building goes is, “What does it matter?”  Sustainable development makes sense all the time, not just because it’s a fad or that its popularity has resulted from government policies and concern about Climate Change.

Building more energy efficient housing saves consumers money through lower utility bills and extends existing energy supplies.  Using re-manufactured products or products from forests with sustainable replenishment policies also extends the life of valuable resources.

Reducing product waste helps extend the life of existing landfills in population centers with growing communities.

So building Green saves money, is smart and contrary to what Kermit says, “It is easy being Green”

Blog Written by:Wesley Scott
wes@archwaysandceilings.com
www.archwaysandceilings.com

This week I decided to post a video blog on a “Awesome Product.” I found it saves Builders, Framers, And Drywall Companies a lot of Material cost, as well as labor that wasn’t needed. This Product is a one of a kind, and I wish all builders would use this product in place of “Traditional Methods.”  It makes the Drywall Contractors job, much easier when “Archways and Ceilings,” product is installed. I have also looked into the “Green,” aspects of this product.

You can click on the picture above for a link to video blog:

or

Click direct link below to see ”Video,” Below:

Greener Framing Practices

After you have seen Video go to This website to see more information on this product.

Link to Archways and Ceilings website: Must Cut and Paste Link

www.archwaysandceilings.com

Tru-Stile has again showed why they are a leader in the MDF and Wood door industry with their new announcment. TruStile is pleased to announce an improvement to their stain-grade wood door construction that will enable them to offer FSC certified wood doors by late 2009. This will make TruStile your single-source provider for premium, stile and rail “Green” doors in both MDF and most stain-grade wood species.

As of Monday, July 6th, they began transitioning their stile and rail core “TruSpec” material to an advanced and FSC certified LVL (laminated veneer lumber) made of douglas fir. In addition to being FSC certified, the new LVL core outperforms their current TruSpec core. Their wood door panels will continue to be constructed with an MDF core to prevent panel shrinkage and cracking.

After a substantial engineering review and thorough product testing, they are confident that the new LVL core material will make their premium, furniture-grade wood doors even better. The new LVL has been proven to be an extremely effective material for leading exterior window and door manufacturers like Andersen Windows and Kolbe & Kolbe as well.

Photo credit: forestproductivity.net

Looking for a great product that also helps the environment?  You must be thinking wood.  No?  Well maybe you should.  Being green doesn’t mean you have to build a cold ultra modern house.  One of BMC’s sheetgood vendors, Sierra Pacific, points out common misconceptions about the resourcefulness of wood. 

Trees provide the only 100% renewable, recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable building product we have. Trees can be planted and grown in an endless cycle using the sun as their energy source.  Here are more reasons why wood is so environmentally friendly:

• In part because of economic incentives to replant, the total volume of wood in U.S. forests is actually 25% greater than in 1952.  Today, 37% more wood fiber is grown than is harvested in the United States.

• During the long growing period, trees grown for harvesting help clean the air.  During photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

• Wood biodegrades naturally.  When it burns or slowly decomposes, it enriches the soil.

Using wood products is not counterproductive but be sure you know where it is coming from.  The most recognized independent certification in wood products, FSC, assures that the best practices are used.  While BMC offers many FSC products, “only 5% of the world’s productive forests are FSC certified.  With over 13,500 certificates (July 2009), the number of companies along the forest product supply chain committing to FSC certification peaked at 50% in 2008.” 

Hopefully, you are one of those educated consumers that can increase this number.  Buying FSC certified wood products creates a demand for responsible forestry which is more than just a feel good stamp.  It ensures biodiversity, protects endangered forests, and makes them more viable for the future.  So think outside the box, and look inside the forest.

Self-contained Vacuum System

Consider full chain of custody when designing green.  No matter what lengths the manufacturer takes to produce an earth friendly product, the many hands of custody can be just as crucial.  Fancy certifications can be useless when they travel halfway across the world or are shipped to a high-exposure distributor.  The residential construction industry in Dallas is struggling to meet growing demands for green because it’s fairly new here.  Many distrubutors use good practices but have not seen justification to audit for certification.  Will we get there?  Yes.  But for the time being you should expect to pay for it. 

• No environmental exposure policy, certified by the State of  Texas
• 100% of manufacturing waste is recycled to local businesses
• More efficient CNC router replaces 12 traditional shapers
• Computerized line machine is 20% more efficient than previous machine
• Pursuing high efficiency lighting that would use 40% less energy
• Fleet of cab-over trucks replaced flat bed, using 30% less fuel
• Manufacturing glues and seals are non-toxic, water-based
• Delivery/dispatch tracking system minimizes vehicle travel distances
• Damaged and incorrect orders are resold to public or salvage
• High yield machining reducing mill waste
• Usable trim leftover at jobsite is credited back and resold
• Finger-joint trim has no added Formaldehyde
• MDF and flexible trim has low VOC and no Mercury content