Green at work—At Greenbuild

Posted September 18, 2009 By Mike Loughery and has no comments yet.

Copy of Michael low res picWow, thanks for your very insightful thoughts regarding the promotion of green these days.  It seems, as we suspected, that overdone Green promotion does in fact ruin it for those who are trying to be responsible in their portrayal of green and sustainable products.

We’re headed for what I believe may be the one trade show that matters to people this year—Greenbuild, being held in Phoenix in November.  I don’t know whether it’s the promise of a keynote speech from Al Gore, the Sheryl Crow concert or the beautiful weather, but if my fruitless hotel search is any indication, it’s going to be well-attended.

Greenbuild will be a perfect time to gauge “greenspeak” among building products manufacturers. Again, it’s not about talking green; it’s about how responsibly we do so.  As I mentioned in my post the other day, I’m hearing from the architect community that we need to start integrating green into our everyday actions…by example and through the promotion of our products.

You’ll find us at booth #921 with a very different approach than in recent years.  We used to have a big chart outlining all of the LEED Credits you can potentially earn using our products.  Last year, you seemed much more interested in seeing actual product.  So, this year, we’re bringing the walls to you.  We affectionately call it the “tunnel of love,” but what we’ve got is a design that shows complete wall and roofing systems, from inside out, addressing the major sustainable issues of moisture management, sound control, energy efficiency, and recycled content.  A bit of a departure for us, but we’re excited.  Our favorite blogger, Lucas Hamilton will also be there with his tremendous knowledge of building science.

We’re also very excited to be hosting a luncheon featuring our friend Dennis Wilde from Gerding Edlen Development who will be talking about taking existing buildings and doing a comprehensive retrofit to improve energy efficiency, water and waste management and human comfort.  This is amazing since it’s easier to shoot for these things when building a new building vs. accepting someone else’s mistakes as your starting point—cutting edge stuff from a company we’re proud to be partnering with.

There are limited slots available for this luncheon.  If you would like to attend, get back to me at this address to be included in a drawing for one of these coveted tickets.  Keep the feedback coming!

 Mike Loughery is Director, Corporate Marketing Communications at CertainTeed Corporation.

About Mike Loughery

Mike Loughery is Director, Corporate Marketing Communications for CertainTeed Corporation

Categories:
 Building Science

Greener than Green or Green Fatigue?

Posted September 15, 2009 By Mike Loughery and has 16 comments.

Hello, my name is Mike Loughery and I am Director, Corporate Marketing Communications for CertainTeed Corporation.

Copy of Michael low res picWe’ve seen tremendous promotion by all types of companies about how “green” they are. The “greenest this” and the “most environmentally friendly that.” It’s easy to get caught up in it all.  We see consumers jumping on the bandwagon and we all follow right along, hoping to tap into what we think is an insatiable appetite for green and sustainable products.

And here we are, several years later and what have we accomplished? At CertainTeed, we have reached inside our core selves and found that a lot of what gets credit for being “green” these days already existed as very aggressive cost-savings initiatives—efforts that existed long before the green discussion started.  Our position is simple:  we strive to be the industry leader in the development of sustainable building products and the environmentally friendly operation of our facilities.

However, promoting “green” means only promoting what you can back up.  We don’t buy into the “greener than green itself” mentality which dilutes the message and impact of the overall green movement.  Unfortunately, there is so much overhyped green speak out there that the hard-working efforts of those who really want to make a difference in the world of sustainability are being hindered.  Everywhere you look there’s so much green–who knows what to believe?  Now, the focus becomes whether it’s “green washing” or the efforts are truly legitimate.

I hear it from architects and even the media—this idea of “green fatigue.”  So much so, that serious questions are being raised as to the legitimacy or believability of manufacturers’ claims in their advertising and marketing materials. 

I believe the appetite for green is still there, but maybe it’s time to do a gut check.  We all know that Green is here to stay.  Now, the challenge for all of us is to responsibly represent ourselves to preserve the integrity of what the green movement is all about.  Does it mean going low-key while letting our actions speak for themselves?  Maybe. 

We have a responsibility to promote and also educate about the true sustainable advantages of our products—energy efficiency, indoor air quality, moisture and mold resistance, recyclability, recycled content and so on.  All the other stuff is cheap window dressing.

If you’re green, great, promote it—but do so responsibly.  Back up those words with proof.  Consumers want the truth.  I’d be interested in your thoughts.  Where is this green movement going?  How can we promote green legitimately without causing distrust in the marketplace?

About Mike Loughery

Mike Loughery is Director, Corporate Marketing Communications for CertainTeed Corporation

Categories:
 Building Science

Mold Awareness Month – Mold is like a Four Legged Stool

Posted September 11, 2009 By Lucas Hamilton and has 5 comments.

Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton

Since there is a “month” for just about everything else, why not "mold awareness?"  While some may think this is a non-issue, I assure you, it is not.  Last year the governors of several major states proclaimed September of 2008 to be Indoor Mold Awareness Month.  Other states have now joined the push to raise public awareness of this potential health issue.  For people who have been exposed to mold and have had an allergic reaction, because that is what it is in most cases, it can be a serious problem. Reactions such as a rash, itchy skin, difficulty breathing or headaches have been a result of inhaling mold spores. Over the past 20 years, mold has become very well understood in buildings because of litigation, which bolstered research and conversation regarding the cause, effect and damages that result from mold.

Mold needs four things to live:  a temperature of 41 to 104 degrees; sufficient moisture content; oxygen and food. Mold is like a four legged stool, if you knock one leg out the stool falls over. If mold does occur in buildings there are very well established guidelines for remediation. Mold does not consume building materials, it does not cause structural issues – fungus does – which occurs at a higher moisture content than mold.  Mold is more common and can be dried out, killed, and wiped away.  If you keep the area dry from that point on, you will not have further problems.  People develop issues with mold when it becomes active and releases spores into the air.  Those spores are inhaled and, like ragweed, can cause an allergic reaction.  The trick is to control the elements of the four-legged stool. But how do we control these elements?

Temperature is something we create. We know that mold’s sweet spot is 41 to 104 degrees and I guarantee that you can find that temperature range in just about any wall anywhere in any season. 

Oxygen – you’re not going to get rid of oxygen unless you build your building on the moon. 

Food – starch or sugar typically are the food sources for mold. You can try to build a building that is food free but I guarantee you food will show up. A perfect example of how a food free environment doesn’t last is your shower, which is generally ceramic, glazed tile, glass, chrome, vinyl – there are no starches or sugars in these materials – but mold will grow because food shows up in things like soap.   Starch is one of the binders for soap. That’s the problem with trying to develop buildings without food sources, because food will show up in the form of contamination through the use and occupancy of the building.

The accepted strategy among building designers and construction professionals is to control the moisture so that you do not have a17% wood moisture content in materials. This is the moisture content at which mold will appear.  

We’ve never really been able to completely keep moisture out of our building constructions. The trick is to build living, breathing, drying assemblies that keep moisture content levels low. You can live with bursts above the 17% as long as you get the water out before the mold begins to propagate. If mold does occur in your building, deal with it in a considerate and rational approach: Protect people from exposure to the airborne spores, clean it up, dry out the substrate, and prevent the surface from achieving elevated moisture contents in the future.

 Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications at CertainTeed Corporation.  

                                   Nolan Mug shot             

Nolan Day, Architectural Systems Manager at CertainTeed Corporation contributed to this blog.

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Categories:
 Building Science

Blogging from Building Science Summer Camp

Posted August 24, 2009 By Stan Gatland and has no comments yet.

Stan Gatland photo_1I am Stan Gatland, Manager, Building Science Technology at CertainTeed Corporation.  I am joining my colleague, Lucas Hamilton, in the Blogosphere.

Every year, I have the opportunity to attend training for Building Science professionals affectionately known as Summer Camp. Ok, we call it camp, but really, there are no tents or campfires songs, or even horseback riding.  Actually, it’s officially called the Thirteenth Annual Westford Symposium on Building Science, sponsored by Building Science Corporation.) Not only is it a great opportunity to learn about the latest and greatest  Building Science trends but for me, the most beneficial part of  ‘Camp’ is the informal meeting of the minds to share current challenges and generate new ideas, solutions and debate about best practices. The attendees include architects, engineers, physicists, designers, builders, material scientists, manufacturers and other building professionals.

 There has been significant growth in the attendance at “Camp” over the years due to increased focus on the building envelope, energy efficiency, moisture management and sustainability.

I was particularly interested in the information presented by Andreas Holm and Hartwig Kuenzel from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.  The interest in building science actually began with the introduction of insulation into buildings in Europe in the early 20th century and led to the establishment of the Institute for Building Physics at the Fraunhofer Institute. Historically, Europe and Canada are well ahead of the US with regard to Building Science.

 Among their topics was the discussion of how whole building performance changes with respect to moisture when adding thermal insulation. Adding insulation reduces the amount of heat that flows through an assembly. While this improves energy efficiency and thermal comfort, it also reduces the amount of energy available to dry assemblies and can cause colder surfaces to accumulate more moisture over time. The Institute is looking at ways to improve the moisture management performance of buildings that have become very energy efficient.

They also talked about indoor climate control and energy concepts for schools. Making buildings more air tight may require indoor humidity control through fresh air ventilation.

If you have participated in one of these, or have some thoughts on building science topics of interest, let me know.  I’m glad to be one of CertainTeed’s “Blog-gurus” and look forward to talking with you on occasion.

About Stan Gatland

Stan Gatland is Manager, Building Science Technology for CertainTeed Corporation

Categories:
 Building Science

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