Product Manufacturers and Vendors Hop on the Bandwagon

Now that green is the buzzword in responsible building, manymanufacturers have changed their product lines to reflect thesurge of environmental awareness and demand amongstdevelopers, designers and builders.

From bamboo flooring and carpeting to energy-efficient HVAC systems,numerous environmentally sustainable products have beenmade available recently. This signals a major change from just a fewyears ago when sustainable design was in its infancy in New YorkCity. Still, accumulating enough points for a US Green BuildingCouncil LEED certification remains a challenge.

LEED was created by the USGBC to establish a common standardof measurement for what constitutes a “green” building, evaluatingseveral areas including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Within these areas, points are awarded, and the number of points a project earns determines the level of certification the building will be awarded. There are four progressive levels of certification:Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.