Join BuildingGreen, publishers of the GreenSpec product directory and Environmental Building News, at the NEXUS SaWhat Makes This Material Green? This lecture will address the processes and tools used to determine the "greenness" of products and materials typically used in the construction process. We will begin with a brief discussion of Embodied Energy as a central factor in Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), one of the primary methods for judging a material's sustainability. We will then present some simple tools and techniques that allow for the practical application of these concepts to the materials selection process. Primary criteria for judging the "best in class" in specific product categories will also be discussed, as well as sources of supply. This lecture is intended as a general introduction to the green materials selection process. (Level 1) Samples Library. A representative from Building Green will discuss some of GreenSpec's top 10 products of 2007. Emphasis will be placed on qualities to look for when specifying green products in these categories. Bring questions and a brown bag lunch.

1. BuildingGreen s Top-10
Green Building Products
The First Five
Jim Newman
BuildingGreen, Inc.

2. Drivers of Green Building
Product Development
• Environmental concerns
– Especially global climate change
– Loss of rainforests and other important ecosystems
– Toxic releases
• Higher energy costs
– Gasoline prices
– Electricity prices
• Health concerns
– Americans spend 90% of time indoors
• Water shortages and drought
BuildingGreen, Inc.

3. BuildingGreen s basis of
product assessment
• “Life-cycle thinking”
• Detailed criteria we’ve developed over ten-
plus years
• Frequent revisions to GreenSpec criteria
– Periodic changes to criteria
• Eventually we hope to base selection on
third-party EPP certification, perhaps even
full life-cycle assessment (LCA)
BuildingGreen, Inc.

4. BuildingGreen, Inc.

5. What Makes a Product Green?
BuildingGreen, Inc.

6. What s New With Products?
• New products coming out all the time
• Tremendous breadth of green
building products in the marketplace
• Plan to review a small sampling of
new and particularly innovative
products
• All products from our GreenSpec
research
BuildingGreen, Inc.

7. Top-10 Product: Collins Pine
FreeForm Particleboard
• FSC-certified
– Not as an extra-cost
option, but all product
– Most FSC products are
extra cost
• No added urea-
formaldehyde
• Meets CARB Phase 1
standards for
formaldehyde
emissions
BuildingGreen, Inc.

8. Collins Pine FreeForm Particleboard
• Melamine binder
– Contains formaldehyde,
but meets LEED Credit
– Does not darken material
as does phenol-
formaldehyde binder
• Company working on
binder formulations to meet
Phase II of CARB standard
• Hopes to eventually
eliminate formaldehyde
entirely FreeForm is commonly used as
veneer-core material
– Experimenting with soy
binders
BuildingGreen, Inc.

9. Collins Pine FreeForm Particleboard
BuildingGreen, Inc.

10. What Makes it Green?
• GreenSpec Criteria:
– Pre-consumer recycled
content
– FSC-certified wood
– Releases minimal
pollutants
• LEED credit relevance:
– MR Credit 4: Recycled
content
– MR Credit 7: Certified
FSC-certified raw material for
wood
FreeForm particleboard – IEQ Credit 4: Low-
emitting materials
BuildingGreen, Inc.

11. Collins Pine FreeForm Particleboard
In the Collins Pine
particleboard plant,
orange banding
means FSC-certified;
blue means no-added
urea formaldehyde
BuildingGreen, Inc.

12. Top-10 Product: 180 Walls from
Milliken & Company
• 100% Pre-consumer
recycled commercial
wallcovering
• Vapor-permeable
• Self-adhesive backing
eliminates need for paste
• Silver rating in McDonough
Braungart Design
Chemistry Cradle-to-Cradle
certification
• Certified to Greenguard
Children & Schools Program
BuildingGreen, Inc.

13. 180 Walls from Milliken
BuildingGreen, Inc.

14. What Makes it Green?
• GreenSpec Criteria:
– Alternatives to
hazardous components
– Pre-consumer recycled
content
– Releases minimal
pollutants
• LEED credit relevance:
– MR Credit 4: Recycled
content
– IEQ Credit 4: Low-
emitting materials
BuildingGreen, Inc.

15. Top-10 Product: Bosch
Evolution 800 Series Dishwasher
• Most energy efficient
full-size dishwasher
available
• Energy Factor of 1.14
– 148% higher than federal
standard
– 73% higher than Energy
Star Standard
• One of the quietest
dishwashers on the
market at 42 dBA
Evolution 800 Series SHE98M
BuildingGreen, Inc.

16. Bosch Evolution 800 Series
• Also available in
Integra Line
– Slightly different
styling
• Bosch commitment to
energy efficiency
– Only appliance
manufacturer with
100% of products in
applicable product
areas achieving Evolution 800 Series SHE98M -
Energy Star ratings Controls on door
• Manufactured in the
U.S. by German
company
BuildingGreen, Inc.

17. What Makes it Green?
• GreenSpec Criteria:
– Equipment that
conserves energy or
manages loads
– Fixtures and equipment
that conserve water
– Noise control
• LEED credit relevance:
– EA Prereq 2: Minimum
http://drought.unl/dm energy performance
– EA Credit 1: Optimize
energy performance
BuildingGreen, Inc.

18. Bosch Integra 800 Series
Identical to Evolution
Line; different styling
BuildingGreen, Inc.

19. Top-10 Product: LifeGuard Cable
from Houston Wire & Cable
• Nearly all electrical and
data cable today contain
halogens, heavy metals,
plasticizers
• LifeGuard one of the only
alternatives
• Low-smoke
• Available with no PVC, no
fluoropolymers (Teflon)
• Most are lead-free
• Meet European RoHS
requirements (Reduction in
Hazardous Substances)
BuildingGreen, Inc.

20. What Makes it Green?
• GreenSpec Criteria:
– Alternatives to
hazardous
components
– Reduces impacts
from construction or
demolition
– Releases minimal
pollutants
• LEED credit
relevance:
– None
BuildingGreen, Inc.

21. LifeGuard Cable
from Houston Wire & Cable
• Used primarily for high-
reliability needs
– Utility
– Industry
• Also in densely occupied
commercial spaces:
– Hospital
– Transportation
– Universities
• Little if any use in
residential projects to date
BuildingGreen, Inc.

22. Top-10 Product: LED Downlights from
LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc.
• Efficacy 60 lpw
– Higher than CFLs
• CRI 92
– Higher than fluorescent
• 42 LEDs per fixture
– Red & yellowish-green
LEDs to create white light
• 10.7 watts - 650 lumens
• Long life (50,000 hours)
No mercury
• Fits standard 6” cans
• Cost: $125-130 list
www.LLFinc.com
BuildingGreen, Inc.

23. LED Downlights from LLF
BuildingGreen, Inc.

24. What Makes it Green?
• GreenSpec Criteria:
– Alternatives to
hazardous components
– Equipment that
conserves energy or
manages loads
• LEED credit relevance:
– EA Credit 1: Optimize
energy performance
BuildingGreen, Inc.

25. LED Downlights from LLF
Century Equipment Corp
• First commercial
installation
• Installed 90 LLF lights
• Very happy with
performance
BuildingGreen, Inc.

26. LED Downlights from
LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc.
Grand Award winner:
2007 Lighting for
Tomorrow Competition
(sponsored by U.S.
DOE and others) -
Solid State Lighting
category
Sentry Equipment Corporation,
Wisconsin
BuildingGreen, Inc.

27. Information:
800-257-7300
jim@BuildingGreen.com
www.BuildingGreen.com
BuildingGreen, Inc.