From the Editor
Facility managers develop their green product standards in quite the wide variety of methods. Sometimes, standards are the result of an intensive research and testing process. Sometimes they just form organically from the good ‘ole trial-and-error method. Sometimes they’re borrowed from industry-recognized green certifications and labels, or voluntary green rating systems, like LEED.

Most facility managers who have successfully developed standards say the process is usually a combination of all three. Maybe their interior paint standard is based on the Greenguard VOC standards, but also includes some of their own preferences regarding the performance characteristics of a particular brand. Maybe their roof standard is directly lifted from the Energy Star label with design specifications written by a roof consultant. Or, if it’s a large organization with a lot of purchasing power, maybe facility managers have worked with a manufacturer to develop a carpet product that fits exactly with a very specific standard the organization has developed over time.

No matter the method, it’s becoming increasingly important that such green product standards exist. With new green certification programs popping up more and more frequently, many facility managers are reporting that it’s becoming harder and harder to tell which standards are legitimately independent and which are thinly veiled marketing gimmicks.

So it’s incumbent upon facility managers not just to examine products carefully, but also the standards under which manufacturers claim to be certified. Looking into the “standards of the standards” has become an important part of the vetting process, and an important step to developing one’s own green product standards.

As always, I’m interested to hear from you. What strategies do you use to develop your own green product standards?

Cheers,

Green Strategies
Certifiably Green

To judge the credibility of environmental claims, look for verification that interior and other products meet green criteria.

In the News
Lighting the Path To Energy Efficiency
Nine addenda are proposed to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2007.

Green Toolkit
Primary Green Product Standards and Certification Programs
This white paper by Air Quality Sciences compares and offers commentary and resources on some of the more well-know green product certification programs.

GreenTech Conference & Exposition

Green: It’s All In The Numbers

This presentation from GreenTech 2009 by Tom Forshee, LEED AP, director of sustainability and plant operations for SiteStuff, Inc., explains how to develop a green purchasing program, how to procure green products, and how to benchmark and measure success.

Registration for NFMT 2010 is now open. The show will take place March 16-18, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Click here to register