Environmental Design + Construction - August 2008 - (Page 70)

WELCOME TO INDOOR AIR QUALITY A SPECIAL SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY GREENGUARD AND ED+C. BY JOSH JACOBS, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, GREENGUARD ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE. G REENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), founded in 2001, is an industry-independent, nonprofit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program. The institute’s mission is to protect human health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable standards for building materials, interior products, electronic equipment, indoor environments and buildings. GREENGUARD-certified products must meet stringent, third-party standards for low chemical emissions based on established health standards, and undergo rigorous testing and verification processes on a regular basis. GREENGUARD certification is broadly recognized and accepted by a number of green building programs, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Rating System, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Guidelines, Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), United Kingdom Green Building Council (UKGBC), Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) and numerous local U.S. authorities that recognize GREENGUARD in their own green building codes. GEI is also written into the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Best Practices Manual, as GEI is internationally recognized for evaluating product emissions and certifying building materials, furnishings, finishes and cleaning products and processes that meet stringent indoor air quality criteria defined by GEI. FrameGuard mold-resistant wood, which is GREENGUARD certified for Indoor Air Quality, won a 2007 NAHB Green Building Award. The coating gives wood resistance to termites and fungal decay, as well as to mold. Drystack Ledgestone, pictured here in the Mist color selection, is one of more than 25 Cultured Stone textures that is GREENGUARD certified. Owens Corning Masonry Products, LLC, is the first manufactured stone veneer maker to qualify for the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified product certification. GEI OFFERS THREE DIFFERENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS: • GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified — a program for low-emitting interior building materials, furnishings and finish systems; • GREENGUARD Children and SchoolsSM — a program for low-emitting interior building materials, furnishings — and finish systems used in educational, daycare and K-12 environments — requires products to meet the strictest standards; and • GREENGUARD Building Construction — a program for newly constructed multifamily and commercial properties that follow best practice guidelines for preventing mold during the design, construction and ongoing operations. GEI has also recently added the GREENGUARD Microbial Resistance Listing Program as a one-year listing based on ASTM 6329. Last month, GEI added a Formaldehyde Emission Reduction Technology category to its certification programs. Unlike other GEI certification programs, this category certifies a manufacturers’ process/technology, rather than a product. Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC is the first company in this category. To achieve this certification, the company’s Caire Technology met the required standard of reducing formaldehyde levels by 80 percent or more from a product during the manufacturing process. GEI certifies more than 170,000 products and serves 25 product industries. In the past year, GEI had a 57 percent increase in manufacturers, bringing the total of participating manufacturers to 135; 36 of which are certified by the GREENGUARD Children and Schools Program. GEI is also excited to have recently started to certify products in the following industries: electronic equipment, nursery furniture and formaldehyde reduction technology. GREENGUARD offers a free online product guide for manufacturers, architects, designers, consumers and everyone interested in locating GREENGUARD-certified products. In 2007 the product guide had more than 345,000 viewings. Not only that, but GREENGUARD product certificates, which are located on the product guide and can be used for verification and LEED submission, had more than 57,000 viewings in 2007. The GREENGUARD product guide can be found at www.greenguard.org. GREENGUARD Environment Institute has been thriving since its inception seven years ago and predicts continued growth and success for many years to come. + 69 AUGUST 2008 ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION http://www.usgbc.org http://www.edcmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Environmental Design + Construction - August 2008

Environmental Design & Construction- August 2008 Contents Editor's Note Web TOC Newsline New plus Notable Therapeutic Spaces On the Cover Surviving and Thriving A New Green Era of Luxury Special Section: Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certification Getting it Right Extra Credit Product Focus 21st Century Schools Marketplace plus Classifieds Advertiser's Index Of the Earth

Environmental Design + Construction - August 2008

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