Kitchen & Bath Sustainable » Greenbuild

Green Wish List, 2009

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:35:08 +0000

As the year comes to a close, and K&B Sustainable celebrates six months of life, it seems appropriate to take a look back as we prioritize for ‘09. What did we learn in 2008 that will shape 2009? What goals did we set that we did not accomplish and why did we fail to achieve them? What kind of green presence will we see at IBS and K/BIS in the new year? What am I going to do with this Richlite ball I got at the Greenbuild?

These questions and more have defined my work for 2008, and the search for answers (especially about this great ball of Richlite) will be the driving force for 2009.

K&B Sustainable’s Green Wish List, 2009

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Greenbuild: Pictorial Edition!

admin — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:04:46 +0000

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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Greenbuild wrap-up #1: a sample of USGBC goodies

admin — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:56:16 +0000

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)

Quick Update: LEED

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:23:48 +0000

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!

Green in the Afternoon

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:18:51 +0000

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!

“A Definitive Moment in Time”

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:55:39 +0000

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!

On The Eve of Greenbuild 2008, Planning to Liveblog

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:21:07 +0000

Good evening, Greenies. I’m leaving tomorrow for Greenbuild so expect a flurry of excited reports from the field.

The green party is going to be all over the city, and if you need help, check out the green schedulers available to you here. The USGBC throws an organized shindig, that’s for sure.

Safe travels, everyone, and check back for photos and updates beginning November 19!

In Advance of Greenbuild

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:30:41 +0000

The schedule is filling up and the plans are being set: Greenbuild is nearly here!

It’s like an Environmentalist holiday!p>

Plenty of events have been scheduled to coincide with the Greenbuild calendar of events, but here’s one I thought was particularly interesting, especially for those of you who aren’t making the trip to Boston this year. The slate of speakers will cover a range of topics integral to green design–bonus: you can earn 1.0 free AIA learning unit. Take a peek, and if you “attend,” do let me know what you think!

Green Products WEBCAST — November 18

The 2008 BD+C Green Product Webcast will focus on fundamental issues surrounding the evaluation, specification and procurement of green products, including the environmental, social and financial considerations of building products and their related LEED goals and metrics. This program is broken into three key segments, each covering critical elements of green products, including:

Material and process selection - including energy use, renewable and sustainable material selection, and life cycle analysis.

Indoor air quality - which covers human health concerns, sources of indoor air pollution, new guidelines for building design, low-emitting product selection, and construction sequencing.

Moisture management procedures – describing such topics as the health and financial impact of mold growth, moisture sources, and third-party review of site, systems and materials selection.

Featured speakers:

Dr. Marilyn Black, founder of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), of Marietta, GA, a non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program SM.JoAnn Brookes, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Associate and Project Architect with HOK in St. Louis, Missouri.

Taylor Gonsoulin, P.E., CIAQP, LEED®AP, General Manager, Building Consulting Group of Air Quality Sciences, Inc. of Marietta, GA.

To register, click here.

Looking Past Wall Street to Greenbuild 2008

admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:43:28 +0000

This letter from Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of the United States Green Building Council, just came into my inbox and I thought it was well worth sharing–a little green pep talk for a long Friday afternoon.

On a sidenote: Greenbuild’s coming up and I’ll be representing Kitchen & Bath Design News this year. It’s the first time we’re covering the show and I know it’ll be a sustainability crash course. Are any of you headed to Boston for the event? What are you most looking forward to? What should I be looking forward to? Let me know your thoughts on the letter, Greenbuild, and whatever else is going on in your neck of the woods in the comments.

Dear USGBC Constituents:

In recent weeks, a wave of fear and pessimism propagated by the world financial crisis has stolen the headlines, gripped the nation, and challenged our movement. In conversation after conversation, people are asking what will happen to the green building movement if our community is plunged into a recession.

And I have an answer for them. The greed that led the world economy into crisis will not defeat our commitment to good work. Fear will not dominate our agenda. And our commitment to change - even in the face of so great a challenge - will not waver.

Change doesn’t wait on Washington. And it doesn’t depend on Wall Street. Change comes from within. The green building movement has been demonstrating that fact for more than 15 years. Before there was a single government green building policy, before the business community stood up and took notice, before there was a LEED - there was you. Thousands upon thousands of committed individuals dedicated to doing better by doing good. You’ve built this movement. You’re building sustainable communities. And every single one of us has a contribution to make towards pulling our country out of this crisis.

We cannot lose sight of our mission. It is within reach.

How? It’s time for the green building movement to deploy the expertise and capacity we’ve built in new construction to green what we’ve already got. Ninety-nine percent of achieving our mission is wrapped up in our existing homes and buildings. It will save money. It will save energy. It will help save our climate. And directly relevant to today’s economic environment, it will create good, green, local jobs. As just one example, USGBC estimates that a 100% commitment to greening existing commercial buildings alone would create more than 1.5 million new opportunities for employment for out of work Americans.

In four weeks, we will meet together at Greenbuild. And when you get to Boston, we will celebrate everything that your individual commitments have accomplished so far. We’ll enjoy the fellowship of more than 20,000 friends and colleagues who share our vision for a sustainable future. And we will keep moving forward, together. I’ll see you there.

With gratitude,

S. Rick Fedrizzi
CEO, President and Founding Chair,
USGBC