US Green Building Council Approves SMART© & California Gold Standards

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 ?- SMART© and California Gold Sustainable Product Standards were approved on May 4 as part of the LEED Green Building Rating System based on their compliance with 24 comprehensive sustainable product certification criteria (attached).

SMART© and California Gold assess products on a number of criteria throughout the global supply chain, such as use of safe and healthy materials based on life cycle assessment; material reuse, recycling, biobased organic products with EPA Best Management Practices; energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water reuse; wood chain of custody fighting illegal logging; and social equity.

"Perkins+Will made climate pollution reductions a Firm wide priority and we?re proud of our work with USGBC on SMART© & California Gold approval since over 80% of the credits for these Standards reduce climate pollution globally,? emphasized Phil Harrison, Perkins+Will CEO and Chairman, SMART© Building Product Committee. SMART© is an EMERGENCY STANDARD part of AIA?s 2015 Imperative to Stop Irreversible Dangerous Climate Change and it?s use effectively eliminates illegally logged wood and deforestation causing about 25% of climate change according to the Global Canopy Programme.

?USGBC?s action is a critical achievement for global sustainability,? says Ken Baker, Gensler Managing Principal in its Wash., DC Office and Chairman of the SMART© Textile Committee. ?The entire Gensler organization placed a very high priority on SMART adoption, and before joining Gensler as our Northwest Sustainability Director, Kirsten Ritchie played a fundamental role in both SMART© and California Gold development and approval.?

?AIA and The Interior Design Continuing Education Council approved Training cover SMART© & California Gold. Training is critical to large scale market implementation needed to fight irreversible dangerous climate change and USGBC?s key leadership role importantly provides credible certified product labels the market can trust,? according to Ginny Dyson, LEED AP, DMJM / Rottet, Vice Chair, SMART© Textile Committee.

Denny Darragh, CEO, Forbo Flooring, said ?Forbo is very pleased with this important USGBC approval and looks forward to working with project teams wishing to use Forbo?s Linoleum and Bulletin Board SMART© Platinum Certifications to achieve LEED points.?

Lou Newett, Knoll Inc. Environmental Director & SMART© Committee Vice Chair stated ?Knoll is in the process of certifying several products to SMART©, and believes this credible level playing field for comparing products will have a very positive market effect.?

Milliken played a leading role in SMART© and California Gold development and approval and its California Platinum Modular Tile was the only existing product receiving the State?s stringent certification. Milliken Global Business Manager Bob Baird emphasized that ?manufacturer competition over certification is intense but that?s great for business and global sustainability.?

MTS is a nonprofit public charity of leading environmental groups, companies, and governments with a goal to achieve 90% sustainable products market penetration by 2015. MTS programs greatly contributed to the 75% sustainable products growth rate over the past five years.

Contact:
Mike Italiano
Telephone: 202-338-3131
Fax: 202-338-2800
Email: MTS @ sustainableproducts.com
Web: http://MTS.sustainableproducts.com

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