Kitchen & Bath Sustainable

Whew, in the flurry of post-Greenbuild activity, I neglected to let you know that the NAHB is now accepting applications for the 2009 National Green Building Awards!

Apologies! Click “read the rest” to read the whole press release.

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What’s more green than a grassroots effort? How about a green grassroots effort?

Listening to the needs and wants of your clientele has always been a central part of the design business–put this to work as you move forward with your plans for implementing sustainability, as well.  One firm did and here’s the result:

This page, The GREEN Corner, was launched on the Sorensen Design Group in response to the expressed growing interest in sustainability among the firm’s client base, according to executive v.p. Steve Sorensen.

Efforts like this one allow Sorensen and his firm the opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and positions the firm as experts in the field–all just by publicizing things the firm is already doing.

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Check out the newest addition to the blogroll: the Green Collar Jobs Blog, a really great site featuring green job boards, links to green career books, event notices and more. Check out their links section by scrolling down and looking on the righthand side of the homepage.

Welcome to Greenbuild, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, Massachusetts, November 18-20, 2008.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu tells the crowd: “You Americans are wonderful–and crazy! You are the craziest nation I have ever seen! But you are extraordinary and do things that other nations would not dare to dream of. Like what you are doing here.”

The LEED certified project gallery flashed shots of projects with LEED certification status and details about what earned each that status.

One of dozens of recycling stations scattered around the BCEC. Each one was manned with a volunteer (see pleasant-looking fellow in green tee shirt) who was there to sort what-was-formerly-known-as-garbage among the three containers seen here. Above, a plasma screen flashes information about conference and educational sessions.

The Upstate New York chapter had a fun map where members could pin where in the state they were working on LEED candidate projects.

A shot of part of the show floor with a couple of names familiar to us kitchen & bath folks, but with a much different format. As one rep from a competitor fixtures company said, “Looks a lot different than K/BIS–look at Kohler! I mean, their booth is still the biggest, but what a difference.”

I replied, “Seriously! Where are the fire-breathers? The acrobats and belly dancers?”

Ah well, only 159 days until K/BIS. That’s right. I said it. (58 until IBS, but who’s counting?)

See? I’m not the only one looking ahead. Next year, Greenbuild will be in Phoenix, which will be great, because the likelihood of 15 degree windchill is significantly less in Phoenix than it is in Boston. (No complaints though; while I was away it lightly snowed at home in New York)

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• The keynotes are available to stream live here.  Definitely, definitely, definitely check out the closing plenary with E.O. Wilson which I, myself, just finished watching.
• For those of you who deal on the commercial side of the business, you might find this interesting: LEED for retail is now open for comments from the industry.  Check that out here. (Fair warning: it’s in PDF format)

Want to get caught up on the changes in LEED for 2009?  You can watch the update streaming live here.  Broadcast begins at 1 pm today, Thursday, November 20.

Enjoy!  If you miss it, or can’t make it, I’ll have the full rundown in the changes for next year available right here next week!

My final day of Greenbuild has been a rousing success already, and I haven’t even been on the exhibit floor yet!

• Made a contact who’s going to give me the low-down on the new CARB regulations next week.  Get ready for everything you ever wanted to know about California air regs, but were too afraid to ask.
• Had a bang-up interview with the VP of Underwriters Laboratory about the soft launch of the company’s new environmental certifications program.  UL’s new program is going to be a one-stop shopping for manufacturers looking to conform to green standards and get a third-party seal of approval to take to market.  Very cool stuff.  More on that tonight.
• The AIA’s “Walk the Walk” program has a presence here; they’re fully launched now beyond their statement of purpose. For more info, go here–going to stop by and learn all about it, so more on that to come, as well.
• There’s insulation here made of sand.  I thought spray-foam was ingenious, so I’m totally bowled over by this.  This isn’t directly related to kitchens or baths, but as insulation is often the cheapest and easiest way to improve a home’s energy efficiency, this is a basic building block to get acquainted with. And, of course, there’s an organization just dying to tell you all about it: the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association.

The long-awaited photos will be up tonight.  Hope you’re all having a great show, and remember, if you’re not attending but want to stay connected, you can get a variety of content on Greenbuild365, including the opportunity to watch the remainder of speeches, as well as the closing keynote tomorrow, streaming live on your computer.  More info to come later.

Stay green and stay tuned!

This really is a time of change!  The press release under the cut arrived in my inbox and the announcement is timely, given that it comes during the USGBC’s biggest event of the year…

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• I just got a noseful of paint from AFM Safecoat–they’ve got a completely plant-based line of paints launching by the end of 2008.  They’re completely non-toxic as well as being low-VOC.  The can of paint smelled like flaxseed oil, which was pleasant.
• TOTO’s Neorest continues to surprise. It opens when you step near it and a nightlight goes on, eliminating the need to turn on the overhead light.  There’s a white noise function for those who are shy with their bodily functions–it’s the alternative to repeatedly flushing the toilet. After the business is completed, it has the same cleansing functions as the Washlet: bidet-style spray and air-drying, making toilet paper a thing of the past. Will Smith’s a fan.
• Big ups to the USGBC!  Not only is the show easy to navigate, but the conference schedule is posted clearly everywhere!
• IceStone’s a presence this year–a tiny booth, but the Brooklyn company is getting a lot of attention.  A representative showed me a number of kitchen and bath projects using the recycled glass materials that were just terrific.  More on that soon.
• Delta’s got some new 1.5 gpm faucets and showerheads on the horizon.  Definitely check out the bridge-style faucet in oil-rubbed bronze (one of the more distinctive oil-rubbed bronzes out there, I think).

More to come, including snapshots from around Greenbuild, later on.  More updates soon!

Salutations from the center of Sustainability! Your humble green editor here, reporting live from Greenbuild Boston!

This morning saw the delivery of keynote addresses by Boston Mayor Thomas Mennino, President and CEO of the United States Green Building Council Rick Fedrizzi, and the main event, a speech by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Full report on the speeches to come, but it suffices to say that those three speakers managed to keep this little reporter awake at an early hour.

Early attendance estimates put the show at around 30,000–which is definitely bigger than last year. Fedrizzi says that just yesterday, an additional 2,000 attendees signed up here at the convention center.

Fedrizzi called this “a definitive moment in time” and indeed, it seems to be. With the projection of record-setting attendance and more exhibitors than any Greenbuild in the past, green=growth doesn’t seem to be an empty tagline.

I’ll have photos and more news (from the event, from manufacturers and more!) to come soon. And if you’re at Greenbuild, keep me updated with what you’re seeing.

Stay tuned, and stay green!