Building Green is Building Momentum

Building Green is Building Momentum

(ARA) - David Winkler is green. He drives a hybrid car and is mindful of his global responsibility. So when it came to working on his Solana Beach, Calif., home, he decided to keep the basic structure of the house rather than tearing it down and building new. He also wanted a project that would be environmentally friendly and use green building practices.

Green building practices reduce negative impacts on human health and the environment through better design, construction, operation, and removal of materials. Ultimately, green building increases the efficiency in which materials are harvested and used.

Because Mr. Winkler grew up on the East coast, he's always had a fondness for the traditional architectural designs of the area. So he decided to change the architectural style of his home to be a combination of California beach, Cape Cod, and colonial. When it came to picking a floor for his home, he took advantage of the availability of recycled wood and decided to use antique heart pine provided by Carlisle Wide Plank Floors.

"I tried to utilize as much of the existing home as possible, all the bones of the original house," says Winkler. "I used all recycled wood from Carlisle, this was a big part of being green. Plus, even though the house was redone, it still has all the character and history in the wood."

After two phases of remodeling, Winkler now reports that the house is complete. He isn't the only one interested in building green. The green movement is prevalent as documented by many environmental initiatives being launched across the U.S. Here are two such examples: Last summer the City of Denver launched a five-year plan to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly practices that is already showing positive results and, in the private industry arena, Toyota Motors Corporation is going green with its design of hybrid vehicles, efforts to reduce green house gases, and its firm commitment to environmentally responsible construction projects.

According to the Metropolitan Builders Association, approximately 64 percent of home builders will be either heavily or moderately involved with green building projects. That follows a 20 percent increase in such builders over the past year. Such growth is moving green home building into the mainstream and brings home builders and homeowners to the brink of a new, environmentally and resource-conscious era.

But in the hazy world of figuring out what is truly a "Green" product, how does one know what to look for? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. Much like the USDA organic seal, products that carry the FSC logo have passed a rigorous monitoring process. The FSC label signals to consumers that the product was made from wood that has been procured, manufactured, and distributed in accordance with the FSC's internationally accepted standards. Many architects and builders are using FSC-certified wood in their projects as a means of demonstrating their own commitment to the environment.

Carlisle, the company that provided Winkler with his floors, recently went through the process of earning an FSC Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification for their entire line of Post-Consumer Reclaimed Antique Wood. The certification (represented by use of the FSC logo) ensures that the antique wood is processed through a continuous Carlisle chain-of-custody, from original structure to customer, and that the Carlisle product contains 100 percent FSC certified wood.

Carlisle's process of recycling antique wood starts with the close relationships they've fostered with their suppliers to identify structures slated for destruction. Once the old timber structures are inspected and chosen as being suitable, the barn is carefully dismantled, transported to a lumber mill, and expertly cut into planks by professional sawyers.

The wood is then sent to Carlisle's New Hampshire facilities to be kiln-dried, sized, and carefully graded. Finally, Carlisle's milling artists hand-select and finish-mill the wide planks to exacting specifications in preparation for installation. This green process creates a look and feel that harkens back to the earliest pilgrim homes.

"At Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, every aspect of our business is based on our founding principle of sustainability and stewardship. Customers can be assured that these principles apply to all of our certified antique floors as well as to our other types of wood for which we will also be pursuing FSC certification," says Don Carlisle, the second generation president and CEO of the most requested supplier of reclaimed wood floors in North America.

As more and more consumers understand the importance of green building, it will become vital for product and service providers to offer green options like Carlisle. For more information about FSC certification and green building, visit www.FSC.org. For more information about Carlisle Wide Plank Floors or their green practices and products, visit www.WidePlankFlooring.com or call (866) 595-9663.

Courtesy of ARAcontent