FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Contact: Jerelyn Wilson
802-257-7300 ext. 102
jerelyn@BuildingGreen.com
Austin, TX, November 14, 2002. BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of the GreenSpec(R)
Directory and Environmental Building News, today announced its pick of the top-
ten new green building products. This first-ever award, announced at the U.S.
Green Building Council's International Green Building Conference in Austin,
Texas, recognizes the most exciting products added to the GreenSpec Directory
during the past year (though some products may have been on the market
longer).
The ten products chosen represent a wide range of materials, products, and
equipment that can help to reduce the environmental impacts of a building. "Our
goal in recognizing these products," notes GreenSpec coeditor Alex Wilson, "is to
call attention to the tremendous innovation and variety in green building
products coming onto the market." Selected products range from a unique low-
impact foundation system to a line of fiberglass insulation produced without
formaldehyde, and a high-efficiency electric hand dryer that dries hands in just
10 to 15 seconds.
Manufacturers are working hard to develop products that will satisfy green
criteria in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED(TM)) Rating System. "As more and more
municipalities, universities, and corporations insist on LEED ratings for new
buildings, manufacturers are stepping up to the plate," said Wilson. "I am
constantly amazed to see the innovative green products coming onto the
market," he added.
The 2002 GreenSpec Top-10 products are listed below in the order of their
appearance in the directory. Descriptions and contact information are provided
on the attached pages:
* L.I.F.T. Foundation System from Pin Foundations, Inc.
* FSC-Certified Tuff-Strand OSB from the Roy O. Martin Lumber Company
* WoodStalk Fiberboard and Underlayment from Dow BioProducts, Inc.
* Fiberglass Insulation from the Johns Manville Company
* Kalwall R-20 with Nanogel(TM) from Kalwall Corporation
* Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance from PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.
* Decato Office Partition Systems from Preform Manufacturing, Inc.
* XLerator Electric Hand Dryer from Excel Dryer, Inc.
* McDry Non-Water-Using Urinal from Duravit USA, Inc.
* WatterSaver Heat Pump Water Heater from ECR International, Inc.
GreenSpec is the leading national directory of green building products. The 1,650
products listed in the directory are selected by editors of Environmental Building
News (EBN) based on criteria developed over the past seven years.
Manufacturers do not pay to be listed in GreenSpec, and neither GreenSpec nor
Environmental Building News carries advertising; both are supported by users of
the information. "This policy of not accepting money from manufacturers
ensures that we will objectively review products for inclusion," said Wilson. A
new 3rd edition of the printed GreenSpec Directory has just been published. The
online version of GreenSpec, available as part of BuildingGreen's Premium Web
Content, has several additional features, including an ability to sort products by
relevance to LEED credits. Environmental Building News, founded ten years ago, is
the most widely respected publication in the green building field. For
information on either GreenSpec or EBN, visit www.BuildingGreen.com or call
800-861-0954.
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Top-10 Green Building Products from the GreenSpec(R)
Directory
Described below are the top-ten new green building products selected by the
editors of GreenSpec and Environmental Building News(TM). These are all products
that have been added to GreenSpec during the past twelve months, and they are
listed in the order of their appearance in the print directory. There is additional
information on these products in the online edition of GreenSpec, which is
available by subscription as part of Premium Web Content from BuildingGreen,
Inc. (www.BuildingGreen.com).
* L.I.F.T. Foundation System from Pin Foundations, Inc.
The Low Impact Foundation Technology (L.I.F.T.) is a unique foundation system
that can be installed with almost no excavation. Sections of foundation wall are
poured above-ground and "pinned" into the ground using heavy-duty steel pins
that extend deep enough to support the structure and prevent uplift. This same
basic technology has been used for about five years in supporting boardwalks in
ecologically fragile locations, such as wetlands, where excavation would cause
significant damage. The L.I.F.T. system is being used on a limited basis in the
Pacific Northwest, including as the foundation of a Habitat for Humanity home
completed this past summer.
Product and Media Contact:
Rick Gagliano, President
Pin Foundations, Inc.
8607 58th Avenue NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98332
253-858-8809
www.pinfoundations.com
* FSC-Certified Tuff-Strand OSB from the Roy O. Martin Lumber Company
The Roy O. Martin Lumber Company's Tuff-Strand oriented strand board (OSB)
is the first such product to be certified according to standards developed by the
Forest Stewardship Council. To receive this certification, the company had to go
through an extensive third-party review of its forestry practices on its
timberlands in Louisiana. In addition to offering FSC-certified OSB, the Roy O.
Martin Lumber Company also offers FSC-certified softwood plywood, concrete
forms, hardwood lumber, and utility poles.
Product and Media Contact:
John Rogalski
ROMEX World Trade Company, LLC
Marketing & Sales Division for Roy O. Martin Lumber Company
P.O. Box 1110
Alexandria, LA 71309
800-299-5174, 318-445-1973
john.rogalski@martco.com
www.martco.com
* WoodStalk Fiberboard and Underlayment from Dow BioProducts, Inc.
WoodStalk is a fiberboard product made from wheat straw. It is available in
various thicknesses for use in cabinets, shelving, furniture, and underlayment.
Not only is the product made from a waste agricultural material (straw), but
formaldehyde is not used in its manufacture. (Conventional particleboard and
medium-density fiberboard [MDF] are made with urea-formaldehyde binder
and can emit formaldehyde gas.) When WoodStalk is used in place of Lauan
plywood as a resilient flooring underlayment, the world's rainforests are
protected.
Product Contact:
Dow BioProducts, Ltd.
11 Woodstalk Way
P.O. Box 328
Elie, Manitoba R0H 0H0 Canada
979-238-5329
www.dow-bioproducts.com
Media Contact:
Giovanni Sgro
Sawyer Riley Compton
3423 Piedmont Road, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30305
404-479-2230
* Fiberglass Insulation from the Johns Manville Company
In early 2002, the Johns Manville Company modified their manufacturing
process for fiberglass insulation to eliminate the industry-standard phenol-
formaldehyde binder that is used to hold the glass fibers together. The
reformulated fiberglass uses an acrylic binder. Johns Manville also offers the
highest guaranteed post-consumer recycled content of any fiberglass insulation
(18%), with a guaranteed total recycled content of 25%.
Product Contact:
Johns Manville Corp.
P.O. Box 5108
Denver, CO 80217
800-654-3103, 303-978-2000
www.jm.com
Media Contact:
Leigh McGough
Linhart McClain Finlon Public Relations
2340 Blake Street
Denver, CO 80205
303-383-4606 (direct), 303-620-9044
lmcgough@mcclainfinlon.com
* Kalwall R-20 with Nanogel(TM) from Kalwall Corporation
Kalwall manufactures translucent glazing systems that are widely used in
commercial buildings for daylighting. Until recently, their highest-performance
product was a 70 mm panel with fiberglass insulation that insulated to R-10 and
transmitted up to 9% visible light. This year the company is introducing Kalwall
R-20, a 70 mm glazing system that provides double the insulation value and
transmits up to 20% of visible light. This is achieved by filling the glazing unit
with a granular silica aerogel from Cabot Corporation called Nanogel(TM). This
system, priced comparably to high-performance glass glazing systems, could
revolutionize daylighting in certain commercial applications.
Product and Media Contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation
1111 Candia Road
P.O. Box 237
Manchester, NH 03105
800-258-9777, 603-627-3861
www.kalwall.com
Tech Contact for Nanogel:
Jim Litrun
Cabot Corporation
157 Concord Road
Billerica, MA 01821
978-670-8018
james_litrun@cabot.corp.com
www.cabot-corp.com/nanogel
* Pure Performance Zero-VOC Paint from PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.
Pure Performance, in the Pittsburgh Paints line of interior paints, is the latest
zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) product to enter the market. While most
low-VOC paints today use acrylic or vinyl acetate resins, Pure Performance uses
a newer vinyl acetate ethylene resin. The company claims equal performance to
the second-to-the-top Wallhide line it replaces, and there is no cost premium.
This is the first paint to be certified under a new Green Seal standard for paints.
Product and Media Contact:
Karen Welsh
PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.
One PPG Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15272
800-441-9695, 412-434-3131
kwelsh@ppg.com
www.ppgaf.com
* Decato Office Partition Systems from Preform Manufacturing, Inc.
The German company Preform Manufacturing offers a wide range of office
partition systems that are manufactured from environmentally responsible
materials. Their Classic Panel and Decato systems utilize such core materials
made from a unique foamed flue-gas gypsum product, 100% recycled-content
foamed glass, and a high-recycled content cellulosic honeycomb material. The
company also uses natural textiles and is experimenting with other biobased
materials, including a proprietary resin material. All components are PVC-free,
and all finishes are nontoxic. While currently manufactured in Germany, the
company expects to establish U.S. manufacturing within the next several years.
Product and Media Contact:
Eugene Lisa
Preform Manufacturing, Inc.
P.O. Box 1598
Goldenrod (Orlando), FL 32733
407-673-7474
sales@preformpanels.com
www.preformpanels.com
* XLerator Electric Hand Dryer from Excel Dryer, Inc.
Electric hand dryers have long had advantages over use of paper towels in
commercial restrooms, but there has been low acceptance due largely to the
length of time required to dry hands. The new XLerator hand dryer made by
Excel Dryer, Inc. offers much faster hand drying by providing a high-velocity
fan. Much of the drying is actually accomplished by blowing water droplets off
the hands. As a result, the typical drying time is just 12 to 15 seconds (versus 30
to 45 seconds for conventional electric dryers). Along with saving a great deal of
money in operating costs, compared with paper towels or a standard dryer, the
XLerator performs much better from a life-cycle assessment standpoint.
Including the energy to produce paper towels, the XLerator uses just 10% as
much energy per hand-drying use as virgin paper towels and 17% as much when
recycled paper towels are used, according to research compiled by Environmental
Building News.
Product and Media Contact:
Nancy Gagnon
Excel Dryer, Inc.
357 Chestnut Street
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
413-525-4531
admin@exceldryer.com
www.exceldryer.com
* McDry Non-Water-Using Urinal from Duravit USA, Inc.
Non-water-using urinals were first introduced in 1992 by the Waterless
Company of Del Mar, California. In 2002, two additional products have become
available that should help speed the acceptance of this water-saving option. The
latest such introduction is the McDry urinal from the German company Duravit.
It has a sleek design and, unlike the other products on the market, does not have
a trap cartridge needing periodic replacement. Like other non-water-using
urinals, the McDry relies on a lighter-than-urine liquid that forms the trap to
prevent odors. This liquid has to be replenished on a regular basis. The McDry
also requires approximately monthly flushing with water to remove deposits.
Because this is a new product, there is very little performance information
available. It has not yet been reviewed in Environmental Building News.
Product and Media Contact:
Tim Schroeder
Duravit USA
1750 Breckinridge Parkway, Suite 500
Duluth, GA 30096
888-387-2848, 770-931-3575
www.duravit.com
* WatterSaver Heat Pump Water Heater from ECR International, Inc.
The newly introduced WatterSaver is the first heat-pump water heater that is
designed as a drop-in replacement for a standard electric water heater. The 50-
gallon unit extracts heat from the indoor air to heat water using about half the
energy of an electric-resistance water heater. During operation, the WatterSaver
consumes about 500 watts of electricity and produces 3,500 Btus per hour of
cooling, which in a warm climate is free air conditioning. Compared with earlier
heat-pump water heaters, this model is quieter (about the same noise level as a
refrigerator), and its airflow requirements are modest (about 200 cubic feet of air
per minute). A non-ozone-depleting refrigerant, R-134a, is used in the product.
Although the product was tested fairly extensively by Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, there is very little experience with it in buildings, so we don't know
what the long-term performance will be.
Product Contact:
ECR International, Inc.
85 Middle Road
Dunkirk, NY 14048
716-366-5500
www.ecrinternational.com
Media Contact:
Maggie Reed-Lutz
ECR International
2201 Dwyer Avenue
Utica, NY 13501
315-797-1310
magree@ecrinternational.com
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