Henry David Thoreau, “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”
Green Products or Green Attributes?
It is quite simple – There are no Green products, only products with Green attributes
Take a ride, open a magazine, or goggle search “green,” and you may come away confused. Every one wants to imply that green is in their message and business…even 3.1 Mozilla has green in their rocket ship. What is a green product and is this all hype and a new buzz word or fad? Building or living green has been around for a long time, it is our perceptions of living in harmony with our planet we call home that is changing as we awaken to the simple facts that our life styles do affect our environment and our children’s future!
Many of us would be hard pressed to make it through a single day without hearing about something related to Green. Most of what we hear comes in the form of advertising from companies boasting about their new “Green” line of products. Many of these products are legitimately Green, but many more are not. Companies that advertise their product or its manufacturing as being Green without any facts to back up their claim are partaking in a practice known as “Greenwashing” The building materials industry is no exception. So, how do you know if you are about to become a victim of Greenwashing when choosing products for your new Green home, Green remodeling project, or Tiny Green Cabin.
Start by assessing the “Greenness” of a product by looking for Green attributes, or characteristics of a product, that enable it to be more energy, resource or water efficient, have a positive impact on indoor air quality and thermal comfort, and leave little or no impact on the home, yard or local/global community. The more Green attributes a product has, the Greener it becomes. You can determine the greenness by your choices, but 1st what are the attributes that affect how green a product really is?
Some important attributes to look for include:
- Locally produced
- Reduced waste (engineered)
- Chain-of-Custody certified
- Third-party certified low-emitting
- Recycled content
- Water conserving
- Energy conserving
- Durable
Always remember, it is best to choose a product that is appropriate for the intended use and make certain it is installed correctly. Any product that has to be removed due to poor performance, regardless of its Green attributes, is no longer Green.
Here are the attributes defined for a better understanding of them and how Tiny Green Cabins LLC uses the green attributes..
Locally Produced
Locally produced materials are considered resource efficient because they use less energy for transportation. Products made with resources that are extracted and manufactured within a 500-mile radius of their final use are considered locally produced.
Tiny Green Cabins LLC purchases lumber that is manufactured/produced within the 500 mile radius and certified by its supplier; Scherer Bros. Lumber. The green cabin is then shipped within 500 miles of its manufacturing facility. This maintains the carbon foot print, as cost of fuel and shipping beyond this radius negates the greenness of the cabin. For instance; we can ship all of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa and as far north as Winnipeg, as far south as Kansas City and Topeka, Kansas, and Springfield, Illinois, as far west as Dickenson, ND, and as far east as Escanaba, Michigan or South Bend, Indiana. That is also our purchasing range for Certified Green lumber for Tiny Green Cabins. Will we ship outside this zone, and the answer is “yes” and the cabin will loose its greenness rating. And we are working on how best to maintain the green outside this zone.
Another product recently added is Basswood, Aspen, Butternut, and Red Oak paneling purchased from Tex Mania Hardwoods in Hayward, WS. They harvest logs from within 50 miles of their sawmill and make character grade panelings and flooring.
Reduced Waste (Engineered)
Resource efficiency also takes into consideration products that are engineered. One example of an engineered product is finger-jointed studs. Finger-jointed studs take advantage of cutoff waste from other studs. These small sections that at one time would be thrown into a chipper are now placed into a machine that cuts finger joints into the ends and glues the sections together to create full-length studs. On top of taking advantage of a waste product, finger-jointed studs are actually straighter and structurally stronger than standard studs.
Tiny Green Cabins, LLC uses finger-jointed material and OSB sheathings in its building process.
Chain-of-Custody Certified
Lumber products which are Chain-of-Custody (COC) certified are considered to be resource efficient because they are overseen by an independent organization that monitors the activities of each user along the path from the forest to the mill to the manufacturer to the distributor to the retailer and then to the end user. There are several COC sustainable forestry organizations such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The most respected programs have a strict set of rules and regulations that must be adhered to during the growth, harvesting, processing, sale and delivery of the forest product. The most respected programs also consider how workers are treated and promote fair and safe labor practices.
Tiny Green Cabins material is (COC) certified in its greenest cabins by its supplier Scherer Bros. And the buyer can also determine what level of “green” they would like to achieve.
Third-Party Certified Low-Emitting
Products that are third-party certified have been reviewed or tested against a set of standards by an organization that is independent of the manufacturer or its trade association. Low-emitting products have little or no harmful products that are emitted into the air. The amount of off-gassing coming from a product can only be quantified in a laboratory. Look for third-party certifications for caulks, paints, flooring products and wood products. Some of the most respected certifications come from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), GreenGuard and Green Seal. With wood products, look for those labeled as “No added formaldehyde.” For products manufactured with glues, look for “Formaldehyde free.”
Recycled
By now, everyone is familiar with the process of recycling. Many of today’s finest building products are made from both pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled materials. Reducing the use of natural resources through the integration of recycled products in building materials is a strong resource efficiency concept. One example of a recycled material is composite decking and Soft Touch Insulation. They are made of both pre- and post-consumer recycled materials such as plastic jugs, recycled plastics, wood fibers, and recycled cotton (blue jeans).
Tiny Green Cabins are marketed with Trex decking and Soft Touch Insulation along with reclaimed materials from other sources.
Water Conserving
It is easy to find water-conserving products – look for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense label. You can easily find low-flush toilets and low-flow faucets. Or, add aerators to your existing faucets and showerheads. Remember that 50 percent of our water usage occurs outside. Add rain barrels to downspouts to capture water that can be used to water ornamental plants and grass.
Energy Conserving
The rapidly rising cost of energy has everyone talking about energy conservation. There are many products and systems used in a home that impact energy usage. The goal is to choose the product, the system and installation method that will provide the best energy efficient strategies for your home or cabin. However, this is not always easy. It requires a review of the whole building system including the materials, the installation process, the mechanical systems and homeowner usage. Talk to your builder, remodeler or product supplier about energy efficiency for windows, insulation, building techniques, landscaping, appliances, lighting and finish materials. Look for Energy Star rated appliances, insulation, windows, roofing materials and lighting products.
Tiny Green Cabins are marketed with Trex decking and Soft Touch Insulation along with reclaimed materials from other sources.
Durable
As its name states, a durable material is one that can outlast other similar materials. Because of this extended life cycle, the homeowner does not have to replace the product as often, which eliminates the need for the manufacturing, transportation and labor involved in replacing a less durable product. Over the last few years, the composite decking market has really taken off. Depending on the brand, composite decking can include recycled plastics and wood particles that are milled from wood cutoffs and even the plastic bags used to carry your groceries. When combined, the end product can well outlast many natural decking materials by years while also maintaining their new look. Composite decking also requires no staining or sealing which also aligns with other green concepts.
Tiny Green Cabins are marketed with Trex decking and Pro Rib Steel decking that is Energy Star Rated.
Using building materials that possess at least one or more of these Green attributes will assure you that you are not being Greenwashed. If you are unsure of the attributes that a product might contain, talk to your builder, remodeler or contact a salesperson from your materials supplier for more information. You may also reference products and services pages for more information on building materials carried by local suppliers that will qualify for points in your Green project.
Remember, there are no Green products, only products with Green attributes. Tiny Green Cabins LLC will assist you in determining the best attributes for the level of green which feels right for you.