SelectingGreen Building Materials

Selecting Green Building Materials

Presented by Charlie PopeckPresident, Green Ideas

• Lifelong Construction Industry Professional• Journeyman Carpenter• California General Contractor• Construction Engineering and Management• MBA Business / Marketing• CSI Construction Document Technologist• LEED-NC Accredited Professional (V2.0, 2.1, 2.2)• LEED-EB Accredited Professional (V2.0)

Professional Background

• A successful environmental building consultancy that provides:– Expert green building education – LEED project management services to owners and project teams

engaged in developing and operating buildings to meet USGBC’s LEED building standard

• Managing more than 70 LEED registered projects totaling more than 28 MSF

• More than 30 LEED certified projects!• Implementing more than 2 MW

of RE systems and utility DSM programs• Focused 100% on sustainability! First Project: 1995 – The APS

Environmental Showcase HomeScottsdale, Arizona

Green Ideas

Health & Well-Being

Environmental Preservation & Rehabilitation

Conservation of Materials

PRODUCTS IMPACT

many overlaps

and synergies

How does it impact indoor

environments?

How does the use of product benefit

the environment?

What it is made of and where does it come

from?

THINK

many overlaps

and synergies

WHO MADE IT?• Long-Term Environmental Record• Do they Greenwash?• Social Equity• Community Support and Involvement• Operations Activities

Complex issues that are challenging to address in the building process

• Carbon Footprint (Embodied Energy)• Recycled Content & Recyclability• Reclaimed Material• Rapidly Renewable Content• Responsible Wood• Construction Waste Reduction / Resource Efficiency• Regional Sourcing• Durability / Operation & Maintenance Reduction• Biodegradability• Health and well-being

MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Embodied energy = amount of energy to:• Extract raw materials• Manufacture/process/assemble• Transport• Disassemble and Dispose

The carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emissions associated with that energy.

EMBODIED ENERGY

DISCUSSION: Compare embodied energy of a reclaimed wood floor vs. teak wood floor. What products have high embodied energy?

• Recycled Content = Percentage by weight of material made from post or pre-consumer waste

• Recyclable only means product can be recycled- Programs should be established

• Recyclable does not mean product contains Recycled Content

The Mobius Loop or recycling symbol can be used for recycled or recyclable products

RECYCLED CONTENT & RECYCLABILITY

Raw Materials Extracted

Product Sent to Landfill

Consumer Uses

Product

Manufacturing & Packaging of

Product

Post Industrial Waste From

Manufacturing

Different Manufacturing Operation

Waste Reduction does not constitute recycling

Post-Industrial (pre-consumer) recycling

occurs when industrial scraps are used to create a

new, different material

Material Separation & Processing

Post-Consumer recycling occurs when end-of-life

materials are rerouted into a new product, rather than

to a landfill

POST vs. PRE-CONSUMER

Fly ash byproduct can be used in concrete applications

Processed into decorative countertops

Post

-Indu

stria

lPo

st-C

onsu

mer

POST vs. PRE-CONSUMER

Paperstone contains 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Content

3 Form is targeting to be a 0 waste facility 100% Post Consumer Recycled Content or 40% Post Industrial Recycled Content Full Circle Program works directly with

indigenous artisans Take-back program Contributes to daylight and views of a building

80% Less Energy to Produce 80% Post-Industrial Recycled Content Can be used as a pH additive for soils or can be

returned to the production of EcoRock 10 out of 10 ASTM D3273 rating showing zero

mold growth Cradle to Cradle (Gold) & Greenguard Less dust from installation process

• Difference between reclaimed and recycled?• Reprocessing, regrinding = recycling• Refurbishing, refinishing, repurposing = reclaiming• Think sweat equity instead of machine made

RECLAIMED MATERIAL

RAPIDLY RENEWABLE MATERIAL

• “Harvested” within 10 year lifecycle• Can be anything that grows• Most commonly used for finishes and flooring

DISCUSSION:Think outside of the box…what are some opportunities for “rapidly renewable” material?

What is a likely synergy for many rapidly renewable materials?

Bamboo as a

hardwood flooring

alternative

Linoleum from rapidly renewable and

recycled sources

RAPIDLY RENEWABLE MATERIAL

Wool Carpet

Agricultural byproducts like buckwheat hulls and cotton burrs used as a bulking substrate

Fungal mycelium (like the roots of mushrooms) to bond this substrate together

Growth is deactivated to eliminate spores

RESPONSIBLE WOODWood that is:• harvested in a manner that the forest/plantation is consistently

healthy and productive• from forest that can provide natural habitat

Wood that is not:• illegally harvested• harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights• from forests being converted to plantations

FSC Forest After Harvest

• FSC label is the most credible link between production and consumption of forest products

• FSC is a certification system with internationally recognized standards

• FSC is nationally represented in more than 50 countries around the world

FSC CERTIFICATION

Take time to consider:• Packaging?• Option for prefabrication?• How much waste is produced

during installation?• Is waste easy to recycle?• Do they have take-back

programs?

CONSTRUCTION WASTE REDUCTION

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY• Reducing material use without impacting

quality• Steel studs that use webbing or mesh

instead of solid sheets• Structural materials that double as a finish• Specifying fewer building products!

REGIONAL SOURCING• Manufactured and possibly extracted

regionally / locally• Reduces transportation impacts • Supports local economies• Greater stakeholder involvement with

manufacturing processes• LEED uses a 500 mile radius

DURABILITY/O&M REDUCTION

• Conserves water, energy and raw materials over life of product

• Prolongs replacement and associated impacts (waste)

• Improve indoor air quality

DISCUSSION:How does a low maintenance product improve indoor air quality?Should embodied energy/carbon footprint calculation include durability and maintenance requirements?

Made from 100% Post Industrial Recycled Glass or Porcelain

No sealing or waxing Simple cleaning and

maintenance

BIODEGRADABILITY• Breaks down in landfill (not compost bin) in a

“reasonable” timeframe.

• Daylighting and Views• Ventilation• Humidity &Temperature• Controllability of Systems• Indoor Pollutants Control/Reduction• Operational Maintenance

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

• Acute vs. Chronic Toxicity • MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity • PBT – Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxins• SBS – Sick Building Syndrome

TERMS TO UNDERSTAND

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)• Formaldehyde• BFRs: Bromiated Flame Retardants. Examples include:• HBCD: Hexabromocyclododecane• PBDE: Polybrominated Diphenyl• TBBPA: Tetrabromobisphenol A • DOP: Dioctyl Phthalate – Plasticizer used in PVC• PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride

CHEMICALS TO AVOID

Increase the amount of daylight by using active sun tracking

Tracking system powered by independent solar panels

Reduced energy use (lighting accounts for 30-35% of electricity use in the commercial sector)

Increased worker productivity

Studies link classroom daylighting to higher test scores

NFRC Approved Energy Star Rated Sound Transmission Class Rating up to 45 Options for Frames with recycled aluminum (10-

20%) or FSC Certified Wood Increased Ventilation Reduce Building Footprint

Herman Miller International Headquarters

• Distraction • Self-Certification• Lack of Proof• Vague Claims• Irrelevant Claims

UNDERSTANDING GREENWASHING

DISTRACTION

SELF CERTIFICATION

LACK OF PROOF• “Energy Efficient”• “Low VOC”

VAGUE CLAIMS

CFC’s have been banned for 30 years

IRRELEVANCE

HELPING YOUR CLIENTS

• What are their needs/goals:• Energy / Water efficiency• Increased productivity• Consumer recognition• Reduced Operations and Maintenance• Environmental preservation• Government compliance • Aesthetics

LEED Accreditation