Monday, July 4th, 2011
Certified products keep indoors healthy
Chemicals are absorbed into our bodies in three ways: inhalation, through the skin and ingestion. With indoor air two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and with people spending 90% of their time indoors, Lung Associations, the World Health Organization and Environmental Agencies view indoor air pollution as one of the greatest risks to human health.
By Hugh Perry
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Tags: Certified products, Design for the Environment, environmental labelling, Global EcoLabelling Network, GREEN CLEANING SOLUTIONS, Green Sea, GreenGuard, heat recovery ventilators, Indoor Air Quality Certification Program, indoor environmental quality, Low-Emitting Materials, Preserving indoor air quality, volatile organic compounds
Posted in SAB Homes | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Flooring
InterfaceFLOR carpet tile is manufactured under its EcoMetrics system that monitors manufacturing waste reduction, renewable energy, carbon emissions, water and energy usage, and the percentage of recycled and bio-based materials in its products.
by Jim Taggart
The ‘take, make and waste’ system upon which most of our industries were founded is the legacy of a time when resources seemed limitless; there were fewer people to consume them, and our material needs were less.
Today our perception has changed and our industries are adjusting to a new reality. Some lead, some follow and some drag their feet - and in this regard the flooring industry is no different from any other. (more…)
Tags: anti-microbial, Athena Institute, Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, bio-based materials, Building decommissioning, carbon emissions, Colin Campbell Company, cork, cork dust, Cradle to Cradle, Dinoflex, EcoCalculator, EcoMetrics, EcoTimber, energy usage, FloorScore, Forbo, Green Building Initiative, green design, Green Globes, GreenGuard, Greenworks, healthcare facilities, high performance application, InterfaceFLOR, Jim Taggart, life cycle, life cycle considerations, Linoleum, make and waste, Marmoleum, Material processing, materials transport, Moso, naturally anti-static, nylon fibre, Petrochemical, Portugal, product specifiers, rapidly renewable content; German Federal Environmental, Ray Anderson, renewable energy, Resilient Floor Covering Institute, Resource extraction, rubber flooring, Scientific Certification Systems, Shaw Contract Group, solidified linseed oil, take, Tarkett, volatile organic compounds, waste reduction, wood dust flour, Zhejiang province
Posted in Product Focus | No Comments »
Saturday, July 28th, 2007
Major industry player takes a stand for sustainable design

Explicit expression of concrete, steel and glass in the south elevation illustrates the company’s primary focus on construction. The Centennial Learning Centre becomes the new front door to an existing campus of company buildings.
by Tom Sutherland
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A corporate headquarters must be more than simply shelter from the storm. Ideally, it is a living, breathing advertisement conveying the image, values and philosophy of its owner to the world. (more…)
Tags: capture of rainwater, Carlyle + Associates, cast in place, cast-in-place reinforced concrete, cistern tank, CO2 monitoring, Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, demand-controlled ventilation, distance learning employee-training facility, dual flush toilets, energy efficiency, Energy modeling, energy-efficient building envelope, envelope membrane, flagship facility, green revolution, green roofs, High efficiency boilers, high performance glazing, high thermal mass, high-performance building, high-performance lighting, HVAC, indoor air quality management, Integrated Design Process, interior temperatures, Landscape Architect, LEED Gold Certification, low volume drip irrigation system, low- emissivity glass, MNECB, occupancy sensors, PCL, rainwater-fed irrigation, recycled content, reduced hot water demand, reduction in potable water, reflecting excess solar heat, solar chimney, summer pre-cooling, sustainable, ultra-low-flow solar powered faucets, underground air intake system, volatile organic compounds, waterless urinals, white 'energy star' compliant roofs, winter pre-heating
Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »