LEED commercial projects reach one billion square feet

I guess Kermit the Frog was wrong...it's easy to be green after all.
The footprint of commercial projects certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System recently surpassed one billion square feet worldwide, and an additional six billion square feet of projects are registered and working toward certification.
“This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build and operate buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Not only does green building contribute to saving energy, water and money, it also creates green jobs that will grow and energize our economy.”
Since it was first introduced to the marketplace in 2000, more than 36,000 commercial projects and 38,000 single-family homes have participated in LEED.

Give the gift of wood next Valentine’s Day

OK, so I’m a day late and a dollar short for Valentine’s Day 2010. However, you can give your partner the gift of wood next year.
A marketing savvy Vermont woodworker has created The Naked Table Project, a Valentine’s weekend couple’s retreat that makes a contemporary heirloom-quality family table, designed by Charles Shackleton.
Six months before the event, 80 to 100-year-old sugar maple trees are harvested from a local sustainable forest. The wood is logged, sawn, dried and machined by various local artisans. Assisted by several ShackletonThomas furniture makers, 15 couples spend their first day assembling, smoothing and finishing the tables.
The weekend also includes a nature hike through the woods with a professional forester to see the actual source of the lumber and to indentify a replacement seedling tree. The GPS coordinates of each tree are recorded and attached to the base of the signed and numbered Naked Table. The weekend ends with a feast around the completed tables. All the tables are lined up to create a 75-foot-long table adorned with locally grown foods.
All tables come with a certificate stating the origins of the wood and a list of the chain of people who helped create the table.

Sustainable cabinetry options grow

While the environment and sustainability have taken a backseat to the economy and a potential global plague on the evening news, when it comes time to buy cabinetry or furniture consumers want green options. And manufacturers are listening.
Superior Woodcraft, a custom cabinet manufacturer announced all its products and processes have been certified by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s (KCMA) Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). The ESP promotes the use of lumber from recognized forestry programs, such as the Forest Stewardship Council, and low formaldehyde-emitting wood products. Other features of the program include rewards to manufacturers who implement educational and community outreach programs, and the requirement that companies annually review environmental practices.
Certification is just the latest step in Superior Woodcraft’s environmental efforts, in 2004 the cabinetmaker partnered with the KCMA and The National Arbor Day Foundation to help plant 50,000 trees. The company partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 2005 to support the Hardwood Forestry Fund by planting more than 19,000 trees in the Susquehannock State Forest.

Casegoods companies build on sustainable practices

La-Z-Boy casegoods companies American Drew and Lea Industries have achieved Sustainable by Design registration.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance’s Sustainable by Design program aims to create a culture of conservation and environmental stewardship with sustainable business practices, according to the association.
“… American Drew and Lea Industries have realized a 12 percent reduction in electrical energy used over the past two years,” said Stephanie St. Pierre, environmental and safety manager for the two companies.
The companies also are reducing water use, resulting in a savings of 3 percent, or 300,000 gallons, in the first year. Also, 140 tons of solid waste was diverted from landfills to a recycling center during the past year.
As part of the program’s audit, the companies established several goals, including:
*Supply chain management
*Energy conservation, water conservation, recycling and solid/hazardous waste minimization
*Use of low-VOC/low-HAP coatings, certified lumber, low-emitting UF resins
Kincaid Furniture, also part of the La-Z-Boy casegoods division, previously passed the sustainability audit and Hammary is slated to complete the program later this month.