Green Materials

The Green Roundtable
and

Green Materials

The Green Roundtable is a Registered Provider with The American
Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned
on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for
AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are
available on request.

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing
professional education. As such, it does not include content that may
be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the
AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of
handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be
addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

AIA/CES

Learning Objectives

Answer the following questions:
- What is the imperative for ‘doing green’

- What makes a material green

- What are LEED’s requirements for materials

- What are some of the tools we can use to pick green
materials
- What other factors must be considered besides
‘greenness’
- Where are the suppliers

(copyright © Green Roundtable 2007)

Why do green….

4

Not A Pretty Picture
Up until now, we haven't designed and
built our environment in a manner that
sustains itself - that is aware of the far
reaching consequences of our actions
and decisions.

Because we haven’t been considering
the whole system. Green Building seeks
to address these issues in a
comprehensive way, looking at the bigger
picture.


What Do We Get From What We Build?
WHAT BUILDINGS USE:
35 to 40% of total primary energy use in U.S.
65.2% of total US electricity consumption
30% of the US wood & other raw materials
(3 billion tons /year)
12% of potable water in US

WHAT BUILDINGS CREATE:
 35-38% to US air pollution
 40% to US Co2 release
32 to 40% to the US municipal solid waste stream (136
million tons of C&D waste in US = ~2.8 lbs per person/ day)
Estimate by the US Green Building Council


Environmental Impacts of Buildings
INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ)
• Over 30% of buildings have poor indoor air quality,
• Often the air inside the average home is 10 times more polluted than
the outside air on the smoggiest of days,
• We spend 90% of our time indoors.

Marc Richmond

Considering Multiple Attributes


Green Product Selection
OFTEN CONFLICTING PRIORITIES
FEW SOLUTIONS ARE PERFECT…YET


New Perspective

What does it look like?
How much does it cost?
What is the quality?
How long is the lead time?
How does it function?
What is it made from?
How is it made?
Where is it manufactured?
How is it disposed of after
its useful life?
How does it function?
Does it off-gas?

A Solution:
Building Green

11

Overview of Criteria for Selection
Embodied Energy
•Initial & Recurring

Materials Efficiency
•Reuse & recycle, dimensional planning
•Material management

Resource Efficiency
•Recycled content
•Sourced locally

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
•During construction
•Initial occupancy and over time

Affordability
•Material & Installation cost
•Cost of alternatives


What is Embodied Energy?

The quantity of energy required to manufacture, and
supply to the point of use including:

• Extraction • Assembly
• Transportation • Installation
• Manufacturing • Some definitions also include:
Disassembly & Removal


Embodied Energy

How Does Embodied
Energy Compare With
Annual Operating
Energy?

For a typical office building:
embodied energy = 10 to 30
times the annual operating
energy

http://www.cmmt.csiro.au/brochures/tech/embodied/index.cfm


Resource Efficiency

Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content, including post-industrial
content with a preference for post-consumer content.
Natural, plentiful or renewable: harvested from sustainably managed sources and are
certified by an independent third party.
Resource efficient manufacturing process: including reducing energy consumption,
minimizing waste (recycled, recyclable and or source reduced product packaging), and
reducing greenhouse gases.

Locally available: found locally or regionally saving energy and
resources in transportation to the project site.
Salvaged, refurbished, or remanufactured: saving a material
from disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally
improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or
value of a product.
Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily
dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.
Recycled or recyclable product packaging:
Durable: longer lasting or are comparable to conventional
products with long life expectancies.


Recycled Content

Post-Consumer vs. Pre-Consumer
Material generated by end- (Post-industrial) material diverted
users of the product from the waste stream during the
manufacturing process. Excluded
are materials capable of being
reclaimed within the same process
that generated it.


Indoor Air Quality

Low or non-toxic: emit few or no carcinogens,
reproductive toxicants, or irritants as demonstrated
through appropriate testing.
Minimal chemical emissions: minimal emissions of
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Products that also
maximize resource and energy efficiency while reducing
chemical emissions.
Low-VOC assembly: Materials installed with minimal
VOC-producing compounds, or no-VOC mechanical
attachment methods and minimal hazards.
Moisture resistant: and inhibit the growth of biological
contaminants in buildings.
Healthfully maintained: require only simple, non-toxic, or
low-VOC methods of cleaning.
Systems or equipment: promote healthy IAQ by
identifying indoor air pollutants or enhancing the air quality.


A New Paradigm:

The Cradle-to-Cradle Lifecycle
See McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_home.htm


Cradle to Grave: Linear flow

Materials
extraction/ Mfg/
harvesting Processing End Use Disposal


Cradle to Cradle: Cyclical

End Use

Demolition/
Re-Manufacture/
Removal/
Re-Processing
Collection


LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,
LEED (not LEEDs)


The LEED Credit Categories
Sustainable Sites

Water Efficiency

Energy & Atmosphere

Materials & Resources

Indoor Environmental Quality

Innovation & Design Process


LEED Credits Impacted by Material Selection

Depending on specifics of the project > 25 credits can be impacted by
material and product selection. (This is almost at or above LEED
certification status)

Site Credit 7- Heat Island Effect (2 Points)
Water Efficiency Credit 3- Water Use Reduction (2 Points)
Energy & Atmosphere Energy Credit 2- Renewable Energy (1-3 Points)
Energy & Atmosphere Energy Credit 1- Optimize Energy Performance (1-10 Points)
Materials & Resources Credits 1-7 – Next Slide (13 points)
IEQ Credit 1- Permanent CO2 monitoring system (1 point)
IEQ Credit 4 -Low-emitting materials (4 Points)
IEQ Credit 5- Indoor Chemical & Pollutant Source Control (1 Point)
IEQ Credit 6- Controllability of Systems (2 Points)
IEQ Credit 7 -Thermal Comfort (1 Point)


LEED Credits - Materials & Resources 13 points
MR Pr 1 Storage and Collection of Recyclables Req

MR C 1.1 Bldg Reuse, Maintain 75% of Existing Shell 1
MR C 1.2 Bldg Reuse, Maintain 95% of Shell 1
MR C 1.3 Bldg Reuse, Maintain 95% of Shell and 50% Interior Non-Structural 1
MR C 2.1 Construction Waste Management, Divert 50% 1
MR C 2.2 Construction Waste Management, Divert 75% 1
MR C 3.1 Materials Reuse, Specify 5% 1
MR C 3.2 Materials Reuse, Specify 10% 1
MR C 4.1 Recycled Content, Specify 10% (post consumer + ½ post industrial) 1
MR C 4.2 Recycled Content, Specify 20% (post consumer + ½ post industrial) 1
MR C 5.1 Regional Materials, 10% Extracted, Processed, & Manufactured 1
Regionally
MR C 5.2 Regional Materials, 20% Extracted, Processed, & Manufactured 1
Regionally
MR C 6 Rapidly Renewable Materials 1
MR C 7 Certified Wood 1

Choosing Green Materials

56

General Methodology:

• Define what makes a product green

• Identify ‘best in class’ product characteristics

• Don’t forget to factor in performance & durability
characteristics

• Verify green claims using 3rd party resources

• Identify your most important selection criteria

• Compare products side-by-side

• Get additional guidance from suppliers
57

Some Things We May Want To Write Off:

• Vinyl-based products

• Products containing heavy metals and arsenic

• Products containing halogenated fire-retardants

• Products that emit excessive amounts of
formaldehyde

• Appliances that contain HCFC’s and do not meet the
standards referenced by LEED


BEWARE OF…

GREENWASHING

3rd Party Resources for Judging Products

• Online green product databases (e.g. GreenSpec)

• Certification organizations (GreenSeal, FSC, etc.)

• LCA software tools (BEES, PHAROS, etc.)

• Manufacturer Material Safety Data Sheets

• Other online databases like NIH hazardous materials
database


Online Resources

• Environmental Building News/ Greenspec-
http://www.buildinggreen.com)


Product Certification

• GreenSeal (www.greenseal.org)
• Scientific Certification Systems
(www.scscertified.com)
• GreenGuard (www.greenguard.org)
• Green Label (http://www.carpet-rug.org/) (2nd party)

• Forest Stewardship Council (http://www.fscus.org/)

• Cradle-to-Cradle


Considerations for
Choosing & Using Best-in-Class
(a brief sampling)


Concrete

• At least 3-5% fly ash, recycled content and regional
•Consult structural engineer for specific amount,
can be as high as 40%

• Components are regionally extracted: sand, water,
aggregate, fly ash

• Recycled and regional aggregate

• Represents a large percentage of construction
budget


Steel

• Can easily have over 90% recycled content, mostly
post-consumer
• Select a local manufacturer who gets their scrap
from a local recycling facility

• LEED default assumptions: 25% post-consumer
recycled content

• Represents a large
percentage of
construction budget


Gypsum

• Can easily have over 90% post-industrial recycled
content
• Regional facilities with products containing recycled
content:
•National Gypsum - Shippingport, PA
•USG – Aliquippa, PA and Gypsum, OH

• Synthetic Gypsum is made using waste from coal
plants


Synthetic Gypsum

Synthetic (FGD) Gypsum


Glazing

• Hard to find regional products in the northeast

• Recycled content in glazing is hard to find

• Look for recycled content in framing

• PPG Industries Solarban has post-industrial
recycled content and Cradle-to-Cradle certification
• Avoid vinyl framing

• Use appropriate Tvis and U-values for location and
design


Furniture

• GreenGaurd certification
• Cradle-to-Cradle certification
• Rapidly Renewable material
• Recycled content
• Regional materials
• Low emitting materials
• Recyclable at the end of their useful life
• The market for nice reused furniture is growing


Acoustical Ceiling Tile

• Rapidly Renewable material
• Recycled content
• Regional materials
• Low emitting materials
• Recyclable at the end of their useful life

Products:
• USG
• Armstrong
• Ultima HRC, Optima, Cirrus Profile
• Recycled content and reclamation program
• Steel and Aluminum suspension systems w/
recycled content


Lumber
• Forest Stewardship Council, FSC wood
(www.fsc.org)
• Sourced or salvaged locally
• Naturally decay-resistant:
Ipe – naturally fire resistant, strong, dense
hardwood, doesn’t need to be sealed
• Avoid use of tropical hardwoods
• Use low-VOC clear finishes (e.g. water-soluble
polyurethane) from companies like AFM Safecoat
• Use natural finishes like salad bowl oil (unscented),
mineral oil, beeswax (waxes may contain petroleum
distillates)
• Use advanced framing to minimize lumber use; use
efficient planning to minimize waste

Engineered lumber/ composites
(sheet goods, plywood)
• Recycled or rapidly renewable fibers (FSC,
GreanSeal, SCS, etc.)
• Made w/ low-VOC, formaldehyde-free adhesives
• Moisture & mold resistant
• Use exterior grades of plywood or MDF (medium-
density fiberboard); they contain phenol-formaldehyde
binders rather than formaldehyde-based resin binders,
which are generally safer; favor plywood over OSB
• Look for SCS and FSC certification


Paints

• Low or no VOC; low odor
• Good coverage (minimal coats)
• Easy touch-up (e.g. good color matching w/ old vs.
new)
• Do not pose a disposal
hazard


Paints

• Make sure paints are Green Seal or Scientific
Certification Systems certified (www.greenseal.org;
www.scscertified.com)
• Brands:
- Sherwin-Williams Harmony
- Benjamin Moore Aura (& Ecospec)
- Pittsburg Pure Performance
- AFM Safecoat (www.afmsafecoat.com)
- The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company
(www.milkpaint.com)
- Livos plant paints
(http://www.floorings.com/livos.html)
- Yolo Colorhouse (See bettencourtwood.com)


Adhesives/ Sealants

• Low or no VOC
• UV resistant
• Flexible (or not, depending upon application!)
• Freeze-tolerant
• Easy clean-up
• Do not pose a disposal hazard
• Look for Green Seal or Scientific Certification
Systems certified (www.greenseal.org;
www.scscertified.com)

• Water-soluble varieties generally safer

Carpeting and Flooring

• Formaldehyde-free

• Rapidly renewable – cork, natural rubber, bamboo,
marmoleum (natural linoleum, Forbo)
• Recycled materials – rubber, carpet
• Simplified installation (e.g. doesn’t require adhesive)
• Easy sectional replacement (e.g. carpet tiles)

• Requires minimal maintenance (cleaning,
refinishing)
• PVC free
• Look for Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label
designation for carpets (http://www.carpet-rug.org/)

Insulation

• Formaldehyde free (e.g. binders in fiberglass batts)

• High recycled content (fiberglass, cellulose, denim)

• HCFC-free blowing agents (foam board)

• High thermal insulating characteristics! Good
resistance to air infiltration (these may trump other
factors if it can reduce embodied energy of structure
enough)

• Moisture/ mold resistant

• Low flame-spread/ non-combustible


Insulation

• Look for formaldehyde-free fiberglass products- e.g.
Johns Mansville (contained in some fiberglass batt
binders)

• Icynene spray foam one of more benign options

• Newer soy-based foams may be good choice too
(see www.biobased.net)
• Denim insulation, a rapidly renewable material
(Bonded Logic, Ultra Touch)


Counters

• Rapidly renewable or recycled materials
• Cradle-to-Cradle certification (Icestone)
• Mechanically fastened and don’t require finishing
• Minimal off-gassing from adhesives/ binders
• Avoid laminated particleboard (e.g. Formica) unless
on formaldehyde-free substrate & bonded with low-
VOC contact adhesive
• Formaldehyde-free substrates: Wheatboard,
Agriboard (see Bettencourtwood.com)
• Natural stone & recycled glass might be good options


Roofing

• Made from rapidly renewable or recycled materials

• High-reflectance (improves longevity, minimizes heat
island effect, keeps building cooler in summer)

• Green Roof
• Recycled materials, like faux slate shingles made
from recycled rubber

• Metal roofs (like standing seam) may be sustainable
due to their durability, but they may have a high
embodied energy


Some roofing options

• Ecostar- www.ecostarinc.com

• Authentic Roof- www.authentic-roof.com

• Interlock- www.interlockroofing.com

• Naturals- www.naturalsroofing.com

• Note: Some of these given high marks based on
durability more so than recycled content


Additional guidelines for material efficiency

• Employ advanced framing techniques in wood-
framed structures

• Use structure as finish

• Keep it small

• Use re-used/ salvaged/ surplus materials whenever
possible

• Use locally harvested/ extracted materials whenever
possible


Some Pitfalls in Spec’ing Green Materials

• Uninformed & resistant code and municipal officials

• Products that ‘go away’

• Sourcing materials in a developing market

• Spec materials in Division 1, and product specific
division


General Resources
GRT: www.greenroundtable.org
Building Green: www.buildinggreen.com
Energy Star: www.energystar.gov
Charles River Watershed: www.crwa.org
US Green Building Council: www.usgbc.org
Renewable Energy: www.nrel.gov
US DOE: www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/
EPA: www.epa.gov/ne/greenbuildings

Residential Green Building Guide:
A Web Source Book for New England
www.epa.gov/ne/greenbuildings

NAHB: Model Green Home Building Guidelines:
www.nahb.org


Local Sources of Supply

Alternative Energy Store
www.altenergystore.com

Boston Building Materials Coop
www.bbmc.com

Boston Materials Resource Center
www.bostonbmrc.org

Boston ReStore
www.bostonrestore.org

Green Depot
www.greendepot.com


Local sources of supply, cont.

Pure Home Center
www.purehomecenter.com

Green Source Supply and Design
www.greensourcesupply.com

NE Green Building
www.NEgreen.com


And Don’t Forget About NEXUS!

• Upcoming workshops
• Reference library
• Samples library – Nutrition Labels
• Cyber Lounge
• Online resources at nexusboston.com (in the
pipeline)
• Local green building community


Questions?

This concludes The American Institute of Architects
Continuing Education Systems Program

Thank You

The Green Roundtable 617-374-3740
www.greenroundtable.org info@greenroundtable.org

Green Materials

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