These programs don’t allow many wonderful green products to participate.
A case in point is a company like Timbron International located in Stockton, California. This innovative company recycles waste polystyrene from throughout the world and converts it into premium interior mouldings. Literally they prevent waste plastics from going into our landfills and create a product that will have another life. The problem is mouldings are a very small portion of a job in both weight and dollars. If a contractor wants to get his pre and post consumer recycled content on a job he can meet his requirements much easier with products like concrete and steel which account for a greater majority of the job. The current programs tend to view “green” building on a macro level, leaving behind many wonderful green products to fend for themselves.Over the past several years the technology of recycling plastic waste has been refined and
companies can now produce plastic products that rival the ‘workability’ and use of wood, steel and concrete. Recently on the Green Building Elements blog, Reenita Malhotra, highlighted i-plas, another product created from waste plastics. I-plas, based out of the United Kingdom, invented a building material created from recycled plastic that ‘outperforms the traditional alternatives of wood, steel and concrete.’ The company lists many of its benefits of the product on its website, including diverting material from landfill and reducing the carbon footprint of any project.Timbron and i-plas, as well as many other green products, face a tough challenge as they attempt to jockey their way into the LEED system. Timbron’s ‘green’ story is one that makes one wonder why more credit isn’t given to such products. Timbron moulding products contain 90% recycled plastic, including 75% post-consumer recycled materials, and can be recycled at the end of its useful life, creating a closed loop manufacturing system. The Timbron products emit zero volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and is also water proof, mold and mildew resistant, termite and insect proof, which improves indoor air quality and eliminates the use of toxic pesticides. Through the years Timbron has recycled over 60 million cubic feet of waste polystyrene that would otherwise be sitting in landfills. Why can’t companies like this have an easier path to LEED credits?
Looking at the situation through the USGBC’s perspective and taking into account the big picture, questions and problems arise. With 26 LEED points being the minimum cut off for a LEED building, points are very hard to allocate fairly.
With new homes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and tons of pounds in building materials, is it fair for LEED to allow a builder to receive a full point for using just $1000 of recycled mouldings throughout a house? Even considering the overall ‘green’ effect Timbron has on the environment, the use of recycled mouldings in a house should not be awarded a whole point.
Developers have found ways to incorporate products, such as Timbron, into their projects. Over the past few months Byrd Developments Inc. has been building a LEED platinum home in the Los Feliz area. Being one of the first LEED Platinum houses in the southern California area Byrd Development Inc. had no script to follow as they attempted to attain the 52 points required for platinum status. Recycled wood, iron, concrete, and tile give the Spanish style home a traditional rustic feel. The permeable pavement, water conscious landscaping and water conserving fixtures and appliances subconsciously limit water usage and the energy efficient appliances combined with the solar tree in the back yard limit the houses effect on the electricity grid. But what might not stand out amongst all the innovative technologies eloquently infused into the house are the Timbron mouldings that are used for window casing, baseboards and crown moulding. Although there is not a certain category for recycled mouldings, Byrd Development Inc most likely received some credit in sections MR 2.1, 2.2 using recyclable materials; MR 4.1, 4.2 using products containing post-consumer content; and MR 5.1, 5.2 using products produced within 500 miles of project site.
Credit should be given to builders like Byrd development who, in their quest for LEED qualification, researched and specified an innovative product like Timbron. As we move forward I hope architects and designers reach out to the many wonderful green products in the marketplace. However the reality is green products tend to be more expensive and not all developers are willing to spend the extra money on products that don’t result in points.
USGBC needs to reform its criteria and create a LEED category that caters to the small ‘green’ businesses. A category that would allow a builder to select from a list of green products that don't have the weight or the appeal as other aspects of a house, but do have a wonderful green story and a great effect on the environment. Creating USGBC certified list of several "qualified" small products, that a developer could choose from and receive a point for implementing a significant amount of qualified products, would help cultivate innovative green technologies and catapult them into the mainstream building practices.
